Moving Right Along

Moving right long - but slowly.  We were on Puppy Watch all weekend, but of course Nena didn't have them, so I'm probably going to have to take vacation when the time comes.  "Due date" was 10/27 +- 2 days, and I was betting on the + anyway.  Nena rotates between her pen in the basement, all set up for whelping, and the family room.  She did some nesting last night (first I have noticed) but that's as far as it went.  She went outside ready to chase rabbits, and is currently staring at me, willing me to feed her.  Some bitches don't eat the day they whelp, but that's rarely the case with Dals, many of who eat right up to the time the first pup arrives.

It's fortunate that Ron is retired and is a night owl so there's someone around most of the time. He checks on Nena just before he comes to bed and I get up a few hours later.  That way I don't have to lose work days when nothing is actually happening.  We never let the girls whelp unattended, as we sometimes have to step in and dry pups, cut cords, tie cords, or help keep things organized if the pups come too close together.  Pauli had a puppy lodged crosswise with its head twisted back, and that required a trip to the vet for assistance.  Pup did not survive, but we did NOT have to have a caesarian done.  Holly's whelping last year went smoothly, other than a couple of cords cut too short that required tying.  Hopefully Nena has inherited the good whelping instincts that are still normally present in Dalmatians!

Once we've got pups, I'll check with everyone on my list to see who is still interested.  People have a way of dropping off the reservation list for a variety of reasons.  Time, money, finding another puppy elsewhere, or deciding to wait awhile longer.  Not a problem.  Much better to make that decision now.  Then we have to wait and see who hears, hopefully all of them, but deafness can occur in Dalmatians, and later we decide who has show potential and will go as a show prospect, and who will go as a companion.  Hopefully we will have the right pups for the right homes - but first we just need puppies!