Winter illnesses

My whole family is sick. My husband has pneumonia; my kids have bad colds; I've got some version of some gunky thing. But life goes on as it must with animals. I literally slogged through the day today, from one chore to the next. Good thing half the puppies visited the shelter. More adoptions! Tomorrow all 12 will be at the Petaluma Animal Shelter from noon -6. It would be so great if they all got adopted. They can't actually go home tomorrow; they still need their altering surgery. But all the paperwork can be completed.

When I took Charlie and Momster for their walk today, I realized how much she needs to get off the leash and run. When she first arrived, she was nursing often enough that exercise wasn't a priority for her. Now that her puppies don't need her much, she's ready to reclaim her life. We walked for an hour today and I think she could have done 2 more. Which makes me think that she's a young dog. Her breed tends to mellow out after 5 years old. She's not mellow. She's not wild either. She responds well to positive corrections. She pulls on the leash, but will come back to my side when she realizes that's what I want. She's very very good at waiting at the door, or the top of the stairs. 'Sit' isn't her favorite thing, but I think that position is uncomfortable for her while she's still producing milk. She'd like nothing better than to jump up on me. But if I move into her and say 'uh-uh', she responds. Someone's worked with her. She knows some things.

But she's not street-smart. She has a hard time staying on the sidewalk and would love to cross to the other side, then back, then back again, with her nose to the ground. Cars and trucks don't freak her out, but she will not walk across a metal grate.

I found a large fenced grassy area for tomorrow's play session. I can't wait to see the joy on her face when she can roam. She'll be a good dog for someone with a little energy and lots of love.

Play hard and sleep hard

Today, the girls went to the shelter. It looks like 2 of the 4 are spoken for! Nice. The pups are so different when they're in a smaller group. They're able to play more with each other, eat more leisurely, and sleep in a smaller pile. When they get back home, they rush around the garage, then find their bed, then look for the food bowls. Once they establish that all is the same, they settle in for a nap. Then it's back to a sort of routine. Eat, play, sleep. They're eating more at each meal, playing longer and harder, and sleeping less. Fun!

Letting Go

I dropped the boys off at the shelter today for some meet and greet time. I hung around because there were 2 families interested in adopting. One family had their eye on Chief. We talked, the puppies played and pooped. We talked some more.

Ever since we brought these little guys into our house, we've all wondered if we'd adopt one, and then which one it would be. Everyone is touched in a different way by different critters. Chief has grabbed our hearts in a way that the others haven't, yet. He'd fit well into our household. Two brown dogs.

But, I realized that he's not my dog. He's not the one for me. And since I know I'll be the main caregiver of our next dog, that dog really has to speak to me. There are so many dogs in need out there in the world. I'll find mine.

Anyway, this family will be great - kids, another dog - what more could Chief ask for. Well, maybe the prime spot on the couch for the Super Bowl! He's just that kind of dog.

And then when the pups came back home tonight, I heard that another family wants to adopt 2! Wow. I knew that they'd get adopted, but I had no idea it would happen quickly or how I'd react. I'm happy, of course. The shelter has a great screening system in place, so I know the pups will be adopted by good people. But I know 'adoption day' will be difficult.

All I have to do is walk into the room and 44 little paws come bounding toward me. 22 eyes are glued to me. 11 tails couldn't wag more. They're special and will always have a place in my heart.

Letting go.

Giving up

I can finally admit that sometime last week, I was ready to give up. I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't pick up another pile of poop, let alone 11 piles. I couldn't let my ankles be bitten. I couldn't mix another batch of food. I just wanted to read my book and knit and prepare for my classes and cook dinner for my family. I didn't want to think about walking 2 dogs and paying attention to 11 puppies. I didn't want to ask my neighbors for anymore newspapers. I didn't want to ask the shelter staff for clean bedding and even more food. I wanted to quit.

I admitted to myself that this was really hard work - back breaking work. And now that the puppies had outgrown the sleep-a lot-stage, they were less cuddly and in need of a different kind of attention. More work. More food. More poop. More work. I knew that every 3 or 4 hours, I'd have to redo the whole thing - mix food, clean up poop, facilitate nursing in shifts, clean up some more, encourage playing with toys rather than my hands, more cleaning. The whole process took 45 minutes to an hour. Just the thought of doing it was more than I could handle.

So I did what I always do when I'm feeling overwhelmed - I hunkered down and got to work. I streamlined the whole operation. I started to train the little buggers not to bite me. I took my dog and the mom out for a walk every day that it wasn't raining and some days when it was. I started thinking about the future - when these pups would all be adopted into loving homes and I'd have my life back.

Kathy, at the shelter could tell that I was near the end. But neither of us wanted to say it out loud for fear that we'd create some unthinkable situation. She took the puppies to the shelter for some afternoon play sessions. She started asking me specific questions like, "do you need more bedding," rather than just saying, "what do you need?"

It all helped. I made it through. And one puppy has a family! She'll stay with the litter until she's old enough to be spayed, but she has a home! Wasn't that the goal?

When I agreed to try this crazy adventure, I knew I'd go through stages. Sort of like being in a foreign country for an extended period. There's initial euphoria when everything is new and rosy and quaint. Then reality sets in and you realize that these unfamiliar customs and modes are hard to get used to. Then when you're near the end of your stay, you get nostalgic for all of those things that had been annoying just a few weeks before. After college, I spent a year in Tunisia. It was fun and eye-opening and hard and exhausting and I'd do it again in a heart-beat.

I'm in the home stretch with these puppies. I already feel myself letting go. Well, maybe letting most of them go...

A break for me

I took part of the day off from puppy care to join my son at Bouverie Nature Preserve today. He's part of a jr. docent program. As the kids started their training, the parents hiked. My group went to see the Peregrine falcon nest at the waterfall. On the way, we saw a newt, banana slugs, turkey vulture remains, water in the creek. Our docents were incredibly knowledgeable and fun to hang out with. The weather was great until the hail started! It was so restorative to be out in nature, looking at the moment.

David Bouverie bought the original land as a retreat and destination for his wealthy San Francisco friends. Eventually, part of his mission was to instill a love of nature in young people. Being on that property reminded me of my great aunt. By the time I knew Aunt Len, she had a well-established apple orchard and sheep farm in Wisconsin. We'd help her pick apples, make apple cider and set up for the annual art fair. She hosted family Christmas parties and welcomed us into her life whenever we wanted to drop by. There were always too many animals to remember, living in her barn, or even in her house. During lambing season, she always had a few orphans sharing her bedroom. A trip to Aunt Len's was always an adventure.

As I got older, I learned her story. Her father had bought the farm for her when her fiance left her. She was sort of banished from the family and their upper class affairs. But she went back to school to learn about agriculture and started a new life. She continued to play cello in a local quartet and hosted the art fair in the orchards. She was every kid's idea of what life was all about. A free spirit who worked hard and enjoyed herself.

As we picked apples or made cider, she'd tell us stories. We never knew what was true and what was imaginary. But it didn't matter. It was a magical place in a magical time with a magical woman.

So as I hold my little Einstein or play hard with Bitey, I can't help but feel Aunt Len smiling down at me, approving of this little adventure.

Puppies' Day Out

The pups spent the day at the shelter, getting lots of attention from different folks. So good for them. They all ate, then crashed for a few hours. But now they're up again, hungry and ready to play. They're being a little rough with Einie, so he's helping me type.

The puppies don't all travel in one big group anymore (unless they're trying to get to the food bowls). Some pictures of their groups...

They keep growing! How does that happen? They got new collars on Friday and some are already too tight. Their personalities are starting to become more recognizable too. Chief is big and lazy and happy. He'll wrestle with the bunch or curl up on your lap. I have a feeling he'd love to lie at your feet and watch a football game. Then there's Biter. She's feisty and full of energy all the time. She lunges for your pant leg, lunges for your face, unties your shoes. But blowing in her face, or redirecting her puppy teeth works well. She'll figure it out. Then there's Einstein, of course, the smartest dog that ever lived. I swear he already knows his name. He's a little needy or maybe it's just because we all think he's special, so we pick him up a lot and cuddle.

The little rascals have claimed the garage as their playground. We covered the floor in shredded paper and there are cardboard boxes for them to chew on and wrestle around. Tina at Knotty Dogs http://knottydogs.com/ heard about the litter and donated some special little puppy rope toys. Usually, she puts treats in the knots, but she made some small ones without treats. The puppies prance around with them, shake their heads, tug with each other. Or lie down for a good chew. They've also discovered tennis balls. Their eyes are tracking movement pretty well, so they can follow the ball across the floor.

These guys will probably be ready for adoption in 2 weeks. It will be so good for them to get the right home. They'll need lots of playtime and exercise. If you're interested, fill out an application at the Petaluma Animal Shelter:

http://www.petalumaanimalshelter.org/