Friends & Puppies!

Saturday was the first day that Greta actually allowed me to easily pick up the pups. Oh, she lets me take them to weigh them in each day, but she doesn’t like to have me holding them for too long. That was, until today.

Interestingly enough, Anneliese never minded my touching the babies or holding them from day one. Perhaps it is because she has only known me as her Mama, and has known my hands since the very moment she was born. However with Greta, it is quite different.

My day started as usual. Greta got me up to go and commune with nature early on, I drank coffee and soon made breakfast for Hubby and myself. In the late morning I got a call. It was my dear Emily, who asked if I would be home for a few hours because a surprise was on it’s way for me.

An hour later, Emily was on my steps! She’d been gone all summer visiting her grandparents and today came to visit me and the pups. We immediately got out our cameras and started snapping pictures.

Emily and Claus.

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Me with Curt, who was trying to nurse my hand!

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Me with Calvin.

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Me with Christel.

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And the adorable Caspar.

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I also got the two boys together who will be going to Tony and Cheryl. They are just so sweet! Claus and Caspar.

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It is amazing to me how quickly the pups grow at this point. Both Curt and Calvin are 1 pound each. Christel is 15 ounces and the two boys, Claus and Caspar are 14 ounces and gaining fast!

The pups do two things quite well. They eat and they sleep. They are becoming a bit more mobile ,in that they will crawl towards their mother, drawn by the scent of her milk. They will climb over each other to reach a teat and two of them show signs of enjoying sleeping on their backs. Yes, Calvin and Claus both have been spotted sound asleep on their backs with their chubby bellies sticking out for all to see.

It’s a peaceful time too. I mean, we can sit and watch and enjoy their infancy now before they open their eyes and begin to awaken to the world around them.

Makenna and the little family!

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One Week

Can you believe that it has been one week since the puppies were born? Yep. One whole week! In that week we have watched the puppies double their weights, Greta recover to her usual self, and my sleep deprivation has nearly vanished, as I am sleeping better each night.

But oh, those puppies are amazing. They came into this world these tiny little things, hardly resembling a puppy, and in a week they have more pup-like features and fat little bellies! I think how quickly the time is passing. By next week they’ll have their eyes open and will begin their discovery of the world around them.

Meanwhile, I made up a short montage of pictures that I took today. I hope you enjoy it!

Names & News

Yesterday’s poll was a bit tricky. I understand it wasn’t working too well, but I did get some results, and I also have a little news to share. So here are the babies, along with their names.

This is Christel!

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Meet Curt!

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This is Calvin

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And now the big news. Today These two boys found their forever home with Tony and Cheryl. So they got to select their names. We have…

Claus

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And last, but not least, Caspar!

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Having raised Arnie and Anneliese from birth, I can tell you how wonderful it is to have sibling pups. They become best friends, and watching them change and grow is a real thrill.

I’m so happy that Claus and Caspar will have each other throughout their lives. Isn’t that great?

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Christel, Caspar, Claus, Calvin & Curt!

Finally, I want to share this short video from today of all the pups at lunchtime. I hope you enjoy it!

Help Us Find Names For Our Boys!

Hubby and I are having a tough time trying to pick out good German names for our boys. There are just not too many. I have put together these names and a short poll. Vote for your favorite name and tomorrow Hubby and I will decide which ones we will use!

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Meanwhile here is a little video of the puppies from Wednesday morning. They are the sweetest things!

Three Days Old

How come, every day when I wake up, I look over at the puppies and they have somehow gotten cuter?

We slept in this morning until 6:30. Greta had me up once in the night because she was feeling cold and wanted me to turn on the heater for the puppies. How did I know this? Well, I’m actually not sure. You see I was sound asleep one minute and the next I was awake and I just knew she was worried about the warmth of her babies. Call it mental telepathy!

Greta is a good Mommy. She tends to her brood very well. She doesn’t want to leave them for any reason. Hubby and I have to carry her outside so she can wee-wee. Yes, she is happiest when she is laying down with her babies and they are nursing her.

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They are pretty cute. Mr Green is one of the sweetest. He loves to eat! It seems that every time I check on them during the day, Mr. Green is nursing!

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He seems to be best friends with his sister. They are usually side by side, or on top of one another. She is very sweet. I think she looks very feminine, our little Christel!

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Yellow and Red boys are both big eaters, while our Mr. Blue eats, but also enjoys snuggling. So far they have all gained well over an ounce. Greta is eating like crazy and she is acting like herself once again.

I’ve been marveling at how small they are. Then I laugh. They are not any smaller than Anneliese’s pups were, but you forget. Then you hold that tiny puppy in the palm of your hand again and your realize, these guys really are that small!

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Another 10 days until their eyes will open. For now, they are truly helpless and the only thing that they accomplish each day is filling their bellies with milk and sleeping. That’s okay. Soon enough they will be running around in the back yard!

I kind of hope that time slows down a little right now. Since this is Greta’s last litter, I want to savor it. I want to watch the babies for hours. I want to share this with her. Sadly, time seems to fly by and before I know it, these babies will be going to their new forever homes.

The Blog Thieves Got Me!

I wrote a long post last night about the puppies. It was beautiful. Eloquent! One of my very best! I had it all saved and set up and this morning when I checked….It had disappeared!

Granted, I was tired. I’d also taken something for a headache, but still, the post should have been there!

I will try to recreate my masterpiece, but frankly, since the blog thieves got it, I’m not sure that this is possible!

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On Monday we had Greta the the Vet to get out her IV. She is doing remarkably well and we are all thrilled. She lost 4 1/2 pounds and is back to eating and drinking as she normally does.

Each puppy was examined and they are doing well also. That is a real blessing!

I started to think on the drive back, how my life is really quite amazing. You see, when I was young I knew I wanted to get married, have children and be a Mommy. I could see that as clear as day. What I had no clue about was, what did I want to do as a career.

I’m a nurturer by heart, yet I’m also pretty emotional, so being a nurse, or something like that wouldn’t really work for me. I’d be destroyed if I ever lost a patient, even though I know that this is the cycle of life.

Then in 1996 I met the most wonderful little doggy named Shubi and my life changed. She showed me many things, but after losing my youngest daughter, and many years of depression after that, Shubi showed me how to love again and how to live!

And she never said a word! (Just an occasional bark!)

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Shubi showed me how to make my own kind of music.

So now, here I am a Granny to 14 puppies total, with the prospect of Anneliese giving me more little miracles to love and then move along to their forever friends.

You see, for me, that is the joy. I am able to bring these little creatures into the world, love them, teach them all that that they need to know about being little doggies, and then send them on to their new forever homes.

I found my music in the midst of this crazy world. The music is of mewling newborn puppies, barking growing puppies, and the laughter of the people who come to get their new baby from me.

And to think, it all started with a little puppy from Landshut, (in Bavaria) Germany.

The Puppies Day 1

When I woke on Sunday morning I felt happier than I have in a while. It dawned on me that I have been pretty stressed and worried about Greta all during this pregnancy. So today when I opened my eyes and looked down into the whelping box and saw Greta and her happy and healthy pack of babies, I just smiled! What a beautiful sight! Greta and her babies!

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I lay there in the early morning hours and watched the puppies suckle on their mother’s teat. I watched their little pink tongues wrap around the nipple and occasionally a little bit of milk rim the mouth.

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Greta washed them and snuggled them and I could see in her body language the ancient bonding of mother and baby. Oh, she is such a good mother to her little puppies.

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The puppies are pretty active. They spend a lot of time eating and then they sleep. Occasionally one will climb away from the pack, but is soon brought back to the fold, usually by me.

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How wonderful to have babies back in the house!

4 Boys & 1 Girl!

Greta went into labor Friday night at 12:30 AM. I was up all night with her and I worried the entire time. By morning I knew that she was having a lot of problems. I called my friend Dori and she came over and examined Greta. Then we called the Vet.

We rushed her in, and they examined her and hoped that she still  might still deliver naturally, but after several hours things were not going in the right direction and so they did an emergency c-section.

They delivered 5 puppies and then they fixed her so that she cannot have any more. Each puppy was born asleep and we had to work hard to wake them up.

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It was hard work and the last puppy born we nearly lost. He just couldn’t wake up.

But Dr. K. worked so hard and she was able to make him wake up and start to move around. I was so happy and thankful! He is now fine and nursing on Greta along with his brothers and sister.

Yes, Greta had 4 boys and 1 girl! They are all beautiful and healthy and I feel so thankful tonight to have them all home in the puppy room with their mother.

For more pictures go on over to my flickr account and see the additional pictures there!

Almost

Today it seemed that everything was right. The stars were aligned and baby puppies would be born. Alas, that is not the case. Greta is in the early stages of labor, but not actual labor. After 6 hours of worry, I took her to the Vet’s and they examined her. All is well, the puppies are all lined up and ready to go, but for now, we must wait!

Greta on day 61A

The red arrows point to the 5 little beings living inside of Greta! The first one is all lined up for delivery, and the other 4 should turn around and be ready to head out very soon!

So tonight I will sleep with Greta in the puppy room and hopefully she will relax enough to pop those babies out.

Go Greta!!!