See How They Grow

Pre-homing Diary
One Week On
Two Weeks On
Three Weeks On
Four Weeks On
Five Weeks On
Six Weeks On
Seven Weeks On
Eight Weeks On
12 October 2007

Pre-Homing Diary

30th August 2007

Over the last couple of days Kaleigh has been eating the Burns Canine Extra as one of her meals whereas she completely went off it before.

It was funny how it happened. She found one of Fables Burns Lamb and Rice on the floor and picked it up and ate it. So I got her another one and she crunched it up – she has always spat out dried food before this. So I got them all to sit as if they were going to have something really special, gave Fable and Tara a kibble of their own and gave Kaleigh a Canine Extra, then gave them a handful of their own. Kaleigh was happy to munch along with the others. When the next meal came along, I gave her a bowl of crunchy Canine Extra mixed with sardines and she ate the whole lot without spitting out the kibble. This is now the second day and so it looks as if she will eat that for her meals with perhaps a little NatureDiet or fish or chicken. Then I can reduce the other things and hopefully by the time she goes back to Kerry and Graham she will be on kibble completely, or at least just a little something added, which is more manageable.

I have fingers crossed it continues. From the day she came here she has never eaten one single kibble without me mashing it. It was lovely to hear her crunching (see, I have been indoors too long) and it will be good for her teeth, too.

Puppies all fine. I think they grow over night :))

30/08/2007 – ONE WEEK ON

Joy says: The puppies are one week old today. They are all doing really well. Kaleigh is feeding them, as a good mum should, and they have gained loads of weight. They all seem fit and strong and are changing by the day. Kaleigh is spending small amounts of time with Fable and Tara now and has dug a couple of holes in the garden 🙂

I have covered my carpets in the lounge and dining room with sheets so that she can come and go as she pleases. She loves being with her babies.

The puppies weights today at one week old are:

Cedar………. 2lb 1oz
Ash…………… 2lb 3oz
Rowan………. 2lb 2oz
Lily……………….. 2lb
Poppy………. 1lb 15oz
Jasmine…….. 1lb 14oz
Orchid……… 1lb 13oz

TWO WEEKS ON

All the puppies now have opened their eyes and are up on all four legs walking around the whelping box, sometimes toppling over at this stage. They are a joy to watch. They are growing bigger and stronger by the day and all are beginning to show their individual characters.

Kaleigh is taking very good care of them and is happy for Tara to come in to see them, too. Fable isn’t at all interested. Tara would really like to mother them, too, and I expect before long, Kaleigh will be glad of some help. Kaleigh is keeping well herself, too.

Weights on Day 14. They are now being weighed on fisherman scales as they are too big for my digital kitchen scales.

CEDAR 3.25 lbs
ASH 3 lbs
ROWAN 3lbs
LILY 3lbs (just under)
POPPY 3lbs (just under)
JASMINE 3lbs (just under)
ORCHID 2.3lbs

THREE WEEKS ON

The puppies are now walking about with confidence, playing with each other and some soft toys. Their teeth are coming through and they are mouthing in play with each other. They have realised they have voices and when playing we hear little barks and ‘warbling’ sounds.

They can hear now and recognise my voice. They come to me when I call them. They are trying to ‘run’ now and all seem very happy and healthy.

They are enjoying their mushy Burns Mini Bites. Some were slower to understand what to do with it but they all enjoy it now. They are still enjoying Kaleigh’s milk bar, too, of course.Their weights at three weeks old are:

Cedar 4 lbs
Ash 4 lbs
Rowan 4 lbs
Lily 3.9 lbs
Poppy 3.9 lbs
Jasmine 3.9 lbs
Orchid 3.8 lbs

They are all adorable and funny – and so cuddly.

FOUR WEEKS ON

The puppies are now playing together, running about and eating well. They love to be cuddled and have all had their toe nails clipped and had a grooming session. They all like being cuddled.

Here are some pictures of them enjoying their food.

Their weights now are:
Cedar 5.5lbs
Ash 5lbs
Rowan 5lbs
Lily 5lbs
Poppy 4.8lbs
Jasmine 5lbs
Orchid 4.5lbs

FIVE WEEKS ON

The puppies are growing very quickly now. It only seems like yesterday that they were learning to walk, and now they run around playing chase and having great fun. They are all eating well and are adorable. They all love to be cuddled and enjoy playing with toys. They particularly enjoy playing with boxes and love to get in them and chew.

Their weights at five weeks old are:
Cedar 3.3 kg 7.3lbs
Ash 3.3 kg 7.3lbs
Rowan 3.5 kg 7.7lbs
Lily 3.5 kg 7.7lbs
Poppy 3.5 kg 7.7lbs
Jasmine 3.3 kg 7.3lbs
Orchid 3.3 kg 7.3lbs

It seems hard to believe that they are all mostly the same weight, as Cedar and Ash look so much heavier because of their hair. I checked the weights on fisherman scales and also on bathroom scales, twice, because it didn’t seem possible.

SIX WEEKS ON

The puppies are now six weeks old. They are very energetic but get tired and love to sleep a lot. They are eating well and growing very quickly. Kaleigh likes to look at them but doesn’t want to be with them so much as their teeth are sharp now – I don’t blame her!

I have taken out the whelping box and put a puppy crate in for them, with the door left open all the time. At first they went in there to play but now some will fall asleep in there.

I introduce new things to them regularly and when I put a new object into their pen, they all gather round it to examine it.

They have been in the garden in a play pen. I take them to explore different parts of the garden, two at a time, and they seem very confident with new things. They have met the watering can!!

They love to be cuddled and love to play chase with each other. Often they play tug of war with each other, they love tuggers. They also love to pull my dressing gown belt, while I’m wearing it!!

They are a very fit and healthy little bunch of rascals.

I’ve just spent quite a lot of time in the garden with the puppies. A nice warm day, no rain, so I had them all in the playpen, took out a couple at a time so they could explore the garden. Then I added another and another until they were all out of the pen. They had a wonderful time exploring. Some were especially interested in emptying a small flower pot! They explored the pebbles, the grass (what there is left of it!), raced along the patio with each other and had a great time. I was amazed at how fast they can run. They were all adventurous, all seem to be very confident. They had their dinner outside in the playpen, too.

I’ve set up another area for them to explore so hope the weather is good tomorrow. After their meal, hey did all their wees, etc, out in the garden 🙂

Now they are having a really good sleep indoors.

A new bag of Burns Mini Bites arrived today – they have already eaten almost a 15 kg bag between them :))

Weights of the puppies are:
Cedar 8.8lbs
Ash 9.7lbs
Rowan 9.4lbs
Lily 8.1lbs
Poppy 8.6lbs
Jasmine 8.6lbs
Orchid 8.1lbs

SEVEN WEEKS ON

The puppies are very energetic while they are awake. They play chase and fighting games, tug of war and are into everything, including getting in flower pots!! They explore every inch of the garden. When tired, they snuggle up together and sleep for a couple of hours.

If I go a little way away and call them, they all come running to me. They are so happy and excited about life. They are supervised at all times in the garden and we’ve spent some happy afternoons out there, having their lunch and tea outside on warm days.

They have heard lorries going past the fence and an aeroplane going past so they are getting used to unfamiliar noises and all are confident.

I’ve taken some photos but at the moment I can’t upload them onto my computer so I’m not sure if it’s the camera or the computer. I will keep trying. I have photos of some of them sitting in the flower pots and also playing tug of war …. really cute.

They are all eating well and gaining weight.

Their weights are seven weeks are: Cedar 4.9 kgs (10.9 lbs)
Ash 4.9 kgs (10.9 lbs)
Rowan 5.1 kgs (11.2 lbs)
Lily 4.4 kgs (9.7 lbs)
Poppy 4.3 kgs (9.5 lbs)
Jasmine 4.4 kgs (9.7 lbs)
Orchid 4.0 kgs (8.8 lbs)

EIGHT WEEKS ON

Four of the puppies have now gone to their new homes and all are settling in well. Pictures and updates from their new homes to follow.

I now just have Lily, Orchid and Poppy this week and they are growing really quickly. Lily and Orchid go to their new homes this weekend whilst Poppy stays with me for a further week until her new family return from France. This family adopted Kelly, who came from Ireland with her two puppies, two years ago and Poppy is going to be her new friend.

Lily and Poppy now weigh 11 lbs, Orchid weighs 9.2 lbs.

12th October 2007

Kaleigh has now gone home to Kerry and Graham and is settling in beautifully. She is enjoying her new freedom and her new friend Keira, Kerry’s mum’s golden retriever. She is getting all the love and attention she so deserves, without the responsibility of the puppies now.

The puppies are completely weaned and they are enjoying being with their ‘Auntie’ Tara, but they are now ready to go to their forever homes and will be going separately over the next few weeks.