I've been a dog lover my entire life...in fact, it very well may be more of an obsession. For those that know me, my dogs become my kids [I even tattooed Jack's paw behind my ear!] Anyway, I married Brock who is about as equally in love with dogs and we began our lives together as dog fanatics!
I regularly visit various websites looking at the puppies people are giving up. Very seldomly do I have the intention to bring any of these babies home but I look anyway. About 2 weeks ago I was missing Jack badly and came across Heidi. I awed over how beautiful she was, showed Brock and we were hooked. We wanted to make her a part of our family. The catch? She was expecting a litter of puppies!
Weeks passed and then I was browsing my regular sites and saw a post from Paws4ACause, the rescue Heidi was with. They were in desperate need of a family to foster Heidi and her 10..YES, 10 puppies! How could we live not knowing where these puppies & Heidi were going to be loved next? It was Brock who made the call and here we are..the crazy dog people! ;)
Day 1 -- we picked all the kids up on Saturday evening and joked as we drove home that for the next 8 weeks we will sound a little crazy when we tell people we have to go home early to take care of our 12 dogs! When we got home we acquainted the puppies with the pool they are going to be spending the next 3 weeks [atleast] in and Heidi with her entire home. We loved on her and the pups for about an hour and then left her to care for the pups for the night.
A few things we observed: Heidi was initially fearful of both men and stairs.
Puppy pile! It's so cute, this is how they sleep!
Day 2 -- we spent most of the day home with the kids. Heidi and Buck [our dog] got to know eachother a little bit but still aren't sure of eachother. I think it might be because they have a pretty big size difference [Buck is a 10lb Shi-tzu]. I'm not worried about it, it just might take a little bit. The pups got quite a bit of love and attention...I can't help it, they're irresistable! The more we look at them the more we see a little Rotty in them. Only time will tell.
Heidi is a very patient and attentive mom. She nudges her pups towards her when they're yelping and cleans them as necessary. When we're petting or holding them, she lays calmly next to us but you can tell she's there to protect her babies.
Heidi aka Pretty
She's a very loyal dog, we can already tell. On day 1 she wanted little to do with Brock but once he showed her that he was safe, she wouldn't leave his side...I'm kind of jealous, she loves him more than me! Her adoptive family will be very lucky to have her..we'd keep her if we could!
The pups, well, they haven't really even opened their eyes. They remind me of seals [especially the silver ones] when they "walk" because they drag their back legs..it's pretty cute! We've deteremined that there are 3 females and 7 males. We already have nicknames for a few of them because some are more vocal or more plump than others :)
Heidi being so cute during the pups evening feeding
Day 3 -- today was the first day we had to leave Heidi and her babies home alone during the day. Lucky for us, we only work similar schedules on Monday and Friday so one of us should be home with the kids almost everyday.
It's only dinner-time but here are the updates on Heidi and the pups...Heidi - wow! She has really come around. She hadn't had a bowel movement outside until today! I was so happy when I came home and both her and Buck were doing their business in the backyard...lol, what a thing to be happy about! She also helped herself up on the couch to sit next to me. Prior to today, she would sit down by our feet. AND she goes up and down the stairs without any fear! She's made huge progress in our eyes.
The pups, well they're getting more vocal and they still sleep either in a pile or in pairs. They always need someone next to them. It's really cute when they're in a pile because usually they all have their heads together. I smile everytime I'm near them!
I'll try to update every few days or so on the progress of Heidi and her pups. :)
For those of you reading that may be interested in either fostering a dog or adopting one of Heidi's pups (there's only 3 left!), please visit www.paws4cause.net.
12 Dogs & Counting,
Nicole
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