Day 9 - Squeak!

I wish I had the forethought to record puppy squeakings. That's one of my favorite sounds in the whole world. I could not wait for them to come out and make little sounds like balloons deflating. But there is one puppy in the litter is a little more vocal than most.

Fury will be sitting in the box at feeding time, and I'll be on the couch reading when it starts up. Grrrrrrrrrr. Bark! Bark! Grrrrrr. Only set it super sped up so it sounds like one of Alvin and the Chipmunks is imitating a dog. That, my friends, is the vocal Ms. Optimus Prime. She isn't growling at anything in particular, but I think she likes to hear herself talk. She does it all the time. Some of the puppies are fussy on occasion, but nothing like Optimus' vocal stylings. It's cute for now . . .

The puppies are definitely getting big. Their tails are healing up a bit, but some look a little raw. I'm watching that they're doing okay. My socialization plan is working well. All of them are tolerating my funny handling and I can now take a puppy of my choice, snuggle it up under my neck and read or sleep for an hour. Of course Fury, who is getting restless now, will come up and lie on my stomach to supervise. She does not yet trust me.

She's also really, really figured out she doesn't need to be there 24-7 so the Roomba (my robotic vacuum) is now an object to practice working stock on again and she's up for small road trips (like to change my laundry) with no panic. When I got back last time she totally ignored the puppies and went to check on the Roomba first.

Which is not to say she's turning into a crappy mom, she's just got priorities and frankly, I'd hate lying in that box all day, too. The kidlets don't need the heating pad anymore, they spread out all over the box, and Fury will either post up outside it, unless they need her or she is tired, or come hang out with me. I thought about taking her for a run today, but I think her boobies would hurt from the swinging. Maybe I'm wrong, but as a gal in possession of large mammaries myself, I sympathize.

Tried to post up an ad at Farm Supply today but it was closed. I have enough homes numerically at this point, but I am still going to hold off on giving anyone anything unless it's perfect for the dog. So, you know, readers, please contact me if you like what you're seeing. I won't guarantee anything, but I'd rather have a good pool of homes to draw from, or heck, I may just keep all of them to spite you all.

No, no I will not. Anyway, while this is specifically supposed to be a ranch dog working litter, I also have this crazy goal of becoming a breeder judge out of breeding working dogs so I am curious to see if anyone turns out that looks like breed or MVA material and match homes that way. There are a couple I have my eye on. But one never knows about bites, nose pigment, etc.

I'm excited for their eyes to open. they're getting pretty buff, too - most of them can mostly stand up and they've quit rolling around helplessly unless put into a precarious position.

Fury's tolerating visitors well. If she knows you, you're good to go into the box and not only pet her, but hold a puppy, but she watches you. Still not happy about strangers dropping by, but even then, she has mellowed about it. I don't expect her stranger-distaste to change, but it's nice to know that Fury's happy with her friends. It's kind of cute, though, everyone for some reason is expecting to get bit when they get near the box. I had to keep telling my roommates that acting all freaky is definitely going to make Fury wonder about them, but I don't know why they think she would bite their hands -- she's not the type.

So that's today.