Hot Again?

Tasty foot!

Hot weather is making a return visit.  Bummer, as it will be less pleasant for the puppies who love going outdoors after dinner.  They are at an age where I would like to put them out when I get home from work, but not if it's in the 90s.  They are starting to have fun in the yard, and are much less whiny about wide open spaces.  The first couple trips outdoors several of the pups wanted to be held rather than to explore - now they are getting more adventurous.  I'll be putting up the puppy fencing soon to keep them out of the flower beds.  Works well, but makes mowing tough.

Weaning is coming along nicely, with the pups eating two meals a day, supplemented by Pauli who is still "on call".  They are eating goats milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ground turkey, and egg yolks, plus have had some softened puppy food - Pro Plan Selects Turkey & Barley Puppy Food.  When they go to their new homes they will be able to eat either a raw diet, or kibble, depending on how their new owners want to feed them.  Tonight they will have some beef, and this weekend they will try some real raw, probably drummies to test their teeth on.  I'll pick up some baby food veggies too, and they can have a bit of sweet potato.  It's important that raw diets, especially for puppies, include a variety of foods.

Pauli spends most of her time upstairs now, checking in to feed them, and still sleeps with them at night.  She's been running with the bike in the evening, so will go home in good condition.

Fabulous Fern continues to be my pick puppy.  She's pretty, sound, and confident and has a mellow, contented personality.  She's got a hair's width of trim left to fill on her right eye.  She also has bilateral hearing.  I suspect that several of the pups are unis, meaning they only hear in one ear.  Very common in Dals, and does not affect their quality of life.  Quite a few very successful show dogs, as well as some top winning performance dogs are unis, but we always hope for all bilaterally hearing litters.  The gene for "extreme white piebald", the one that gives Dalmatians their white coat color  (the spotting is a different gene)  comes with patches, blue eyes, deafness, unilateral hearing, and missing trim.  Creating unpatched, brown eyed, bilaterally hearing, completely pigmented pups can be a real balancing act!   No one ever said it was easy to breed a really good Dalmatian!  Fortunately cosmetic issues and unilateral hearing do not make a Dal any less attractive, or any less functional.