Too Cute

The pups are amazingly cute now and are acting like little dogs, play fighting, wagging their tails, and trying to keep their bed clean.  They are also trying to climb out of the whelping box, so it's time to keep the pen gate closed.  It won't be long now.  They get to come out of the box for a few minutes in the evening, to explore their pen and Holly's nearby crate, but they don't travel very far yet and still fall asleep quickly.

Next week I will take the front panel off their box and give them unlimited access to the pen.  I'll also put a low panel on the front of the pen so Holly can escape if she feels the need.  She will.  Motherhood is starting to have less appeal now, and Holly is quite happy to spend time upstairs and away from her puppies.  She got her first walk on Sunday night and loved the snow.  Holly is from Texas, so this was her first experience with snow, and she was not ready to come home when I decided she'd had enough, but I was afraid she'd get frostbitten breasts!

Because of the weather, it's risky and time consuming to try and get home at noon.  A real disappointment to me because this is my favorite age, and I hate to miss the chance to sit in the box with the babies, if only for a few minute.

Holly is in the dog house, so to speak.  She's absolutely ravenous right now and every calorie she takes in goes into making milk for her brood.  While typing away here I heard an odd noise, but did not bother to check it out.  Fernly has been so good lately, I didn't think about the fact that Holly has not!  A few minutes later I discovered that she had removed my dog walking jacket from the back of a chair, and was busily eating through the pocket for the treats inside.  Bad Dog!  Hungry dog.   My favorite dog walking jacket will never be the same. . .