Glad to Be Part of the Pack Again!

We've seen dramatic changes in Elsie's behavior in the last 24 hours.

All of a sudden she's our girl again (as opposed to the pups' mom).

After she nurses, and the pups seem content, she'd rather leave the whelping box and snuggle with us.

Or she roams the house, occasionally whimpering, as if she's looking for someone.

I think she's looking for the human kids (all of our kids returned to their respective out-of-town colleges on Sunday), and she's looking for Kenya, Ridge, and Baxter, who have been staying in our kennel/laundry/utility room when they're not outside, separated from Elsie and the pups.

She's looking for her pack. :o)

Not that she neglects the pups: one cry is all it takes, and she's back to the whelping box again. But she's not so obsessive about them.

So we're giving her time as she wants it playing with the gang (but only one at a time -- not the whole crowd). And she seems to want it pretty often.

The Kenya Bean is especially happy, since she and Elsie are buds.

More to come in a bit...

J.