Three Days Old!

The puppies are all doing well, and now they have names!!

Introducing Sabrina (brindle girl), Satchel (large brown & white boy), & Sarah Jane (white & black girl)...

Happy Birth Day!!!

When I left for the group's Meet & Greet this afternoon, I knew that Shannon was getting very close to time to deliver the puppies: her abdomen had grown pendulous, we could express milk from her nipples, and her behavior was a bit peculiar.

I felt anxious to get back to her all afternoon, and we took off quickly at the end of the meet. I walked in just in time to catch her first puppy-- a beautiful big brown and white boy!!-- which she was delivering in our bedroom. After she had a chance to clean him and cut his cord, I moved Shannon and her boy to the whelping area we had prepared for them in the kitchen. Once comfortably there, she quickly delivered a darling brindle girl pup. Some time later, she delivered one last pup-- another girl, this time white with black spots. That wee girl was the smallest of the three, and she had a lot of bleeding from her umbilical site so I needed to clamp it off with some sterilized hemostats. Other that that, Shannon did it all 100% on her own!!

A bit after the whelping, we tried to take the rest of the dogs outside via the back kitchen door. Shannon quickly let us know that even behind her special "fence", she was NOT OK with her old pals (from only hours earlier!) coming so near her family. So we relocated the family to my study, where we can shut the doors and give them some quiet privacy for a few days or weeks, while still ensuring I will be with them much of the time.

Over the next few days we will be adding a Puppy Growth Chart to the blog and naming the puppies! There are already photos of the whelping and the new family in Shannon's photo album.

I'm in love....

Well, Shannon is about our 45th foster dog (believe it or not!!!!!!) and yet she is the first one that *I* have really fallen completely, crazily in love with (Jason succumbed to Vegas early on!). She follows me around everywhere-- a delightful companion. She helps me with my daily tasks and sleeps next to me at night. She is just a GREAT dog-- I can't even explain what is so endearing and appealing about her, but she is so loyal and attentive and loving. I will be extra dedicated to finding her a wonderful home when she is ready...

In the meantime, she is getting bigger every day. We can feel the puppies moving around easily now. It could still be two more weeks, but we are taking her temperature every day so that we can know when she is getting close.

Little Love

Our rescue group heard about Shannon's plight last week and on Tuesday we drove up to Buchanan Dam to rescue her. She had captured the hearts of the shelter staff, and we could see why! She is so very sweet and gentle. We had her checked out at our vet where they confirmed her pregnancy and estimated her to be 6 weeks along. That should mean puppies (2-3) in around 2 weeks!

We came home and set-up a whelping area for her and introduced her to our other pets and foster dogs. Shannon gets along just fine with other dogs, cats, kids, men, & women. She made herself right at home, perching on the arms or cushions of the couch. She is really darling and loving and we are so happy to have her here for now.