My babies are growing up

All of the pups are eating solid food now. The Yorkies have even tried to eat their mother's kibble. I would give them dry puppy food, but their teeth haven't even begun to erupt. The Yorkies are beginning to get their shaggy faces.

Two of my Shih Tzus have families already. Apollo and Spot have chosen their mommies. Spot really did do the choosing. He sniffed the lady over thoroughly and then bestowed a puppy kiss on her. I hope she can stand the wait until he is 9 weeks old.

Today I am going to try to puppy-proof the room the Shih Tzus are in so they will have more freedom. I don't like restricting my pups to cages. When they are about 6 weeks old, I will begin having them sleep in crates so that they become accustomed to the nighttime restriction.

I have a live webcam on the Yorkies. It only gets them when Raina is nursing or they are sleeping since they have started exploring. I put new videos on the available puppy page so the viewer can see how cute my babies are. I do my breeding to make good pets for people, but I still miss each one as they leave. It's even harder now with Apollo and Spot because I know approximately when they will leave. I will need to get my time with them now.

The Weekend Ends

I think Gus and Squirrel have worn each other out. They have been playing. They chase around the living room from dog bed to dog bed to the couch and around again. The two of them have become good friends and frequently will nap in the same bed. I think this friendship will last until the next time Squirrel comes into heat. Then I will be keeping Gus away and only allowing Moose access to her. Gus is going to want her, but I am not ready to try a Yorkie/Maltese mix.

My back is killing me this morning. I am waiting for the Darvocet to kick in. I was awakened shortly after midnight by my weather radio. I had been asleep for about an hour. It took me a while to realize what was going on. Then I heard the county’s emergency sirens going off. I checked the TV and there was one of the infamous “hook” formations coming this way. I packed the puppies into laundry baskets and made 2 trips to the basement. I could not do anything about the other dogs which made me feel badly. I am glad that I hooked up a TV in the basement bedroom so I could check the weather. My sister had come to visit last week so the bed was made. I got the mothers and their pups settled and then got into bed. I fell asleep with my glasses on and a flashlight in my hand. I woke a little later and checked the TV. Since the weather crew was no longer on, I figured it was safe to go back upstairs. So as a result my back is killing me.

I started Kitty’s puppies on soft puppy kibble this weekend. They were licking my hands a lot Friday night which is the signal wild dog pups give the adults to feed them except that they lick the adults’ lips. The first time I gave them some kibble, they went at it with a lot of enthusiasm. Of course Kitty wanted at it too. I don’t know why the adults find the soft puppy food so attractive. I have been giving them puppy food every 4 hours since then. I checked last week and I can feel their teeth beginning to erupt. I decided to try Raina’s pups on the kibble this morning although they are a week younger than Kitty’s. They did very well. Mouse didn’t seem as interested as the other two, but then she is the smallest.

Raina received 2 packages in the mail on Saturday. She got prizes from attending the #pawpawty on Twitter in celebration of @BrewskiButt’s 5th birthday. She got a beautiful art print from Brew’s Mom. I claimed that since it will look good in my bedroom. She also got a flappy toy from DogToys.com. It’s perfect for a terrier. She likes to shake it. Gus managed to get the toy and now it no longer has a squeaker. Gus has some problem with squeakers that I am at a loss to explain. The toy is still intact and can be used, it is just silent.

Puppies growing so fast

This little chubby Shih Tzu I call Starbuck. I picked her up today and there were her eyes looking back at me! The Shih Tzus are 12 days old today. They are very mobile crawling around in the whelping box. I checked on the other pups and most of them have at least one eye open. Next their little ears will open up, then comes walking. It still amazes me that by the end of the next 7 weeks they will be barking, running and even have their teeth. I really love raising these little critters. The Yorkies are also doing very well and growing. The male is the largest. They are also getting very mobile and crawling all over the bed.


I have been making new beds for the dogs which leaves me with a lot of scraps of the fleece fabric I have been using. I have a pattern to make tug toys by braiding strips of the fleece together. I made a couple of those and they are a big hit with Gus, Reggie and Squirrel. My daughter-in-law was here yesterday and noticed the toys. She asked me if I could make at least 1 for each of the new puppies. I have lots of scraps so I can make plenty of them. She had a wonderful idea. Give them to the pups to play with and then send one with each of them when they go to their new homes. That way they will have the scent of their littermates and mother on the toy. I had been giving pieces of baby blankets with the litter's scent as a comfort item. I like this idea much better.

My daughter-in-law has been checking on Jill at the Paulding County Animal Shelter. She called them today and told them Jill's story. Now Shannon has offered to go to the shelter on Saturday and work with Jill to see if she still responds to her obedience training. Then Shannon is going to work on getting Jilly adopted. I know that if anyone can do it, Shannon can. When she volunteered at the Douglas County Shelter on weekends, they placed a lot more animals. Shannon is very good with people and she knows her stuff about dogs. My son picked out a great woman to marry. This is the link to Jill's listing on Petfinder: see Jilly. Her eyes glowing red and green was a give-away to me that it is Jill. I tried to do the best thing for her and thought she had a forever family. She just may be a victim of the bad economy.


On the lighter side Raina has discovered Twitter. She spends part of her day following her friends. She has participated in a couple of events and even won some treats. Those treats were very good. I tried them myself. There is another Pawpawty this Sunday to celebrate the birthday of Brewski Butt. The pawty is also used to raise donations for Kitten Rescue in Los Angeles. Romeothecat chooses a group every month and challenges his Twitter followers to donate $1 each. It's a great way to have some fun, make people aware of the groups Romeo supports and raise some money for them. There is something good coming out of simple fun.