Morning Musings from the Mountain

This morning I saw an opportunity for a great picture so stretched out in the whelping box to get at eye level and got up with a very wet sleeve -- I had put my arm in a pee puddle but I did get a nice picture :) One has to make sacrifices for art!

The puppies are growing and moving around and so yes, they pee more and in more spots. Galen found that out first hand yesterday. He was holding Toronto (his favorite, although he will not admit to that) and suddenly Toronto got fussy. Galen remarked on how Toronto was suddenly, "being pissy" and next thing you know Toronto peed on a rather shocked Galen! This rarely happens because puppies naturally move away to pee but Galen did not get Toronto's message that he needed to be put down, and so he paid the wet price of ignoring (and even insulting!) a squirmy puppy.

More puppies have eyes that are starting to crack open. I agree with Liz -- it has to be so shocking to suddenly see, and I think hearing is just as strange for them. The ability to hear seems to follow by about a week, and you know when it has happened because suddenly puppies are startling at big noise. One reason this period is easy is because you do not have to be quiet around sleeping puppies -- that will change soon!

I am getting so many inquiries about puppies lately. Sometimes it is not much more than the, "Got pups? How much?" approach, which is another thing that does not bring out my finer qualities. I expect that potential puppy buyers have done their homework and know that buying a berner puppy from a reputable breeder is not like buying a puppy from a newspaper ad. It involves a relationship that develops over time -- at least for me -- and like most good relationships, we do not discuss money or politics on the first date!

I have some puppy placements decided -- for example, Joan is getting a boy. When Cadi was about six weeks old Joan said she wanted her next berner to be a Cadi puppy, and Cadi nicely produced some boys so that Joan is assured a puppy. But we can't make firm decisions about all puppy homes because some people want a very specific thing -- like a therapy dog or a dog that can finish a championship -- and those kind of things are not obvious right now. It will all fall into place as it should, but it is a big responsibility to make the best match for each puppy.

Luckily, I do not have to really deal with all that right now -- I can just enjoy watching them grow and develop. It is like Christmas (or some similar holiday in your tradition) every day because it is new and different surprises each morning. Watching them grow is like reading a good book -- more is revealed with each page and having the story all come together at the end is so satisfying. It is really a blessing to be able to participate in the creation of life -- and, of course, also a very sacred responsibility.

Right now the sacred responsibilities are sleeping peacefully, with round little bellies full from their third or fourth breakfast. Cadi is eager for her first breakfast and is sleeping at my feet, while Zoey Rose (3 mos) is sleeping on my foot. So let me get to the pictures so I can wrap this up and feed my hungry, patient crew.

I have included one of Jamaica so you can see her eye opening progress. There is a fun upside down puppy who appears to be laughing but is really objecting to getting his 127th bath of the day from Cadi. Hudson is showing off his excellent (!) walking skills, and he is also demonstrating that the best way out is always through -- he was on the wrong side of the dairy and so just plowed right over Cadi to get there! There is a sweet close-up of Geneva and one of Toronto and Hudson mixing it up over who was going to be the most handsome dog on the planet. The two puppies together that are sleeping are Jamaica for sure and I think Ireland. There are also a couple of cute ones of Cadi with puppies, including one with Jamaica -- she is well photographed today!

I hope your day is going so well that you can hardly stand it! Thanks for visiting us and thanks for your comments :)