It’s raining today and I think it is the first rain that Bear has experienced. He is standing at the door watching Gus go out in the wet. Bear had his trip outside earlier and I don’t think he is ready to get wet again. I guess all of the dogs want to stay in out of the rain. Moose and Reggie are in the dog room. Wookie is in the puppy room and the others are loose with me. Gus and Moose are barking at each other and I may go mad before the day is over. I was going to scrub the floors today. I guess that plan is shot. Maybe the rain will be a good excuse for me to read today. I need to get into the room with Wookie. She took her morning dump and it is very fragrant.
Last night I could feel Raina’s puppies. They are just undefined, quiet bumps in her belly right now. They are due September 18. By then they will be a squirming mass. I love to feel the little heads and feet as they exercise their legs. Raina will get a rest after this litter. She is a good mother and deserves this break. She will turn 4 next March. I am considering retiring her from breeding by her 5th birthday. I just can’t imagine how anyone can have a dog produce puppies 2 or 3 times a year for years. I guess to them the dog is simply an asset and the puppies are inventory. Raina is my baby. She will be with me her entire life. When I retire her, she will be spayed and still sleep in my bed. Her babies are so precious to me. I am with Raina through her labor and delivery. I stand by to help if necessary. I take notes and record the times of the births. I try to weigh the puppies on my postage scale. It’s a little difficult with them still being wet and slippery. I fret over them being able to nurse and making sure they are warm. I put little colored neckbands on them so I can tell them apart. Yorkie puppies all look alike! The puppies grow so fast at first that I have to check the neckbands daily to see if they are too small and need to be replaced. I don’t leave the house for 2 weeks when I have a new litter of puppies. They cannot maintain their own body temperature until then. If there are trips to the vet during that time, mother and puppies all go. The Yorkies are easier to carry than a Shih Tzu mother and litter. I worry about the babies and can’t sleep well. I wake when a baby falls out of the bed and the mother needs help getting it back in. The washing machine runs 2 to 3 times a day with puppy beds and towels. I did this much laundry when my own son was a baby.
A woman on Twitter treated me as if I were some sort of criminal and blocked me. I don’t care that she blocked me that is her prerogative. I was upset by the way that she characterized me. I do not run a puppymill. I have rescued dogs like Squirrel and Moose. Squirrel never did get pregnant. She did not go to a shelter or get dumped out of the car somewhere. She has a new home with a family member who will love her and dote on her. I am careful about the people who buy puppies. I really want someone who has had dogs or has dogs now. That way I know they how to treat a pet. If this is their first dog, I want them doing research and asking tons of questions. We placed a Cocker Spaniel with a family that had never had a dog. The mother sat here for 2 ½ hours asking questions and taking notes. I know this dog is safe and well loved.
Maybe the rain is affecting my shunt and making me introspective. Time to get busy, I still have to clean up after Wookie.
