We've Got Eyes

Although a little hazy yet, their eyes are open!  We also heard our first real growl, that almost turned into a bark.  Tommy (black male) is very strong and is pretty much walking everywhere he goes. They are all growing so nicely and are visibly getting bigger each day.  They are still pretty sleepy, but I was able to snap a few pictures so you can get a peek at thier sweet little eyes.  

We laughed about this next picture.  "Ivy" has the same problem Miah has...Miah always closes her right eye when taking pictures!   

 Willow and her "Tommy" boy.  This girl loves this dog!  

Last night the girls took the puppies in the house again for a couple hours.  

Romee claimed her puppy was "fussy" and needed to be calmed down with a walk.  He seemed pretty content before his walk, but it sure was fun for her! 

Not Yet

The kids run out to the shed every morning before school hoping to see those dark little eyes looking back at them, but this morning the report was, "Not yet!"  We did notice this morning that all the corners are starting to open just a bit, so I am thinking by tomorrow at this time we will be seeing some "peepers".  The puppies are "walking" (on all fours, of course:)) around the whelping box...and not as much crawling anymore.  They still spend the majority of their days sleeping.  Being a puppy is a lot of work.  Here are a couple pictures taken this morning before school.

 The kids have been asking when we can start taking the puppies in the house.  It has been raining in Iowa for the past two days and we all needed a little cheer from the dreary days!  The kids got showered and bathed and then got started on their homework.  I went out and got all the puppies.  I have done a little research on pet therapy and how dogs can assist in lessening feelings of fatigue, and depression.  It is also proven that kids who have a pet have less anxiety and are better able to cope with trauma and difficult situations in their life.  Just when we think we are spoiling Hazel or the puppies, I am reminded that they are spoiling us.  I can't imagine life without a dog!

Dinner Time

One Week

It was a week ago today that I noticed Hazel was in labor.  By noon, she was nursing two puppies. It is amazing how much they change and develop in just one week.  The puppies are all looking so good!  They are starting to really  move around the whelping box with ease. A couple of them are already getting up on all fours to get to the source of milk very quickly.  The kids love to watch them navaigate so presicily with only the sense of smell!  As you will be able to see in the pictures, Hazel is producing plenty of milk for her babies...their tummies are all so round!  These four puppies are being very spoiled with plenty of milk, but also plenty of hands and arms to hold them. When your kids outnumber the puppies, you know they are going to get held alot!

This is "Will" the yellow male:

 Look at the round tummy on him!  Romee (the one holding him in the picture) has discovered that he loves being held on his back, like a baby.  She picks him up and bounces him gently until he falls back to sleep.  It's pretty darn cute.

This is the black male: "Tommy"

All the puppies are almost exactly the same size, but the girls claim he feels the lightest when they hold him.  He almost always sleeps with his tongue out.   

"Daisy" and "Tommy"

"Ivy" and "Tommy"

 From top to bottom "Ivy", "Tommy", "Daisy"...seriously, look at those chubby tummies!  

 "Ivy": The only distiguishing feature we can tell with the yellows, is that we think "Ivy" has the lightest coloring around her muzzle.  It will be interesting to see how they change over the next couple weeks.  We can't wait until we get to start seeing thier personalites!     

 

Puppies are here

On Tuesday night we welcomed 4 perfect additions to our home and they are absolutely beautiful.  We have two females and 2 males.  I don't know if you are familiar with the PBS show Downton Abbey, but we have a couple girls who are huge fans.  The show takes place in the 1900's and is about a royal British family.  The girls thought it appropriate to name the puppies after characters from the show, considering they are "royalty" in our home.  Enjoy your first sneak peek!

The yellow females we will refer to as: "Ivy" and "Daisy"

The black male we will refer to as : "Tommy" (Thomas)

The yellow male we will refer to as: "Will" (William)

 I will get pictures of each individual puppy posted soon!