Adventures!

The pups explored toys for the first time this week. Here's Mr. Green taking a nice sniff of this strange furry creature (it's a plush mallard duck that makes a duck call when squeezed).


The sweet Elsie Girl, however, still likes duck toys herself. She had to play with this first before her kids could have a turn. :o)















The pups are getting more human socialization this week, too. Here's Miss White snuggling with DH Don.














We're also introducing them to new surfaces under their feet (just for a minute or two). Here they are trying out a natural fiber throw rug (like jute only a bit softer). Mr. Blue, Mr. Green, and Miss Scarlet were brave enough to explore beyond the carpet's edges.


















The puppies graduated to a new scale! Here's Miss Scarlet trying it out.

All the pups except Miss White have topped 4 pounds (that's 4x their birth weights in just over two weeks). Miss White (the runt) is still gaining proportionally, weighing in at 3 pounds 12 ounces.






All of their noses and pads have darkened, and their ears are soft and floppy now. Here's Pinky socializing with Aunt Jeanie.




A few of the pups have discovered there's a whole new world beyond the whelping box walls.

Yes, they're all of 16 days old and they're climbing!

We even had two escapees today: Mr. Green and Miss Scarlet.

I left the house for only two hours for a meeting this morning (second time leaving the pups with no humans in the house, the first time being yesterday, again for two hours). Elsie had just nursed the pups, Ridge and Kenya were crated, and Baxter lounged in the family room with Elsie. Because I'm still occasionally rescuing pups from beneath Elsie when she sits on them, I put the gate up between the family room and kitchen to be sure Elsie wouldn't go in the whelping box while I was gone.

When I came home, the first thing I did was check the whelping box.

Uh oh. Only six pups. Then I see movement on the other side of the kitchen underneath the dishwasher. There's Miss Scarlet.

Then I hear howling in the family room. Mr. Green had scooted around the gate's edge, down two shallow brick steps and was snuggled in behind a big pickling crock we have in a corner out there. Elsie was standing watch.

Everybody was fine; no worse for wear. But it sure scared me.

SO... the next adventure came this afternoon when I set up the exercise pen (didn't think I'd need this for another week or so).

The exercise pen for now gives me a safe place to put the pups while I clean the whelping box. This one will move outside when the weather warms up (we're only in the 40s tonight). I have another one for indoors, but this was handier, so I used this one instead.

In just a little bit I'll upload a video or two of the pups exploring. First will be a short clip of them leaving the whelping box for their playtime with people.

Then I'll post a brief clip of them exploring the new play area.

Be back shortly!

Joan