Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!

We will start taking applicatons for the three puppies on Saturday, March 31.  That is the same day that they will attend their first adoption fair 12:00 til 4:00.  The address is AARF, 300 Harvey Street, Winston-Salem, NC.

I must apologize for my lack of posting lately.  The puppies have officially become too big for Clover to handle on her own, so clean-up has started taking up most of my free time.  But, it is so worth it for faces like this!

With the beautiful weather we have been having and the puppies growing so quickly, we have been enjoying lots of time in the yard.  (Please ignore the fact that this rental house has way more weeds than grass.  Fortuntely, the puppies don’t seem to mind!)

Last Thursday, Clover and the puppies went for their first Vet appointment.  The puppies got their first shots and a clean bill of health.

For being so little, they sure have big personalities!  At just six weeks of age, they are already showing signs of who they are.

Buddha is the runt; he is always trying to keep up.  Very independent and confident, he weighed four pounds even on Thursday.  He is the pretty boy of the litter.  The tip of Buddha’s tail is white and it wags every time he is the center of attention.

Wishbone is the cry baby.  He LOVES attention and can never get enough of it.  He definitely needs to find a mom or dad (or both) that wants to spoil him rotten.  He lets the other puppies check things out before following them.  Wishbone has tons of freckles that will continue to develop and change as he grows older.  He weighed 4.8 pounds at Vet Night.

Penny is the leader of the group.  She is the only girl, but is the largest, weighing in at an even five pounds last Thursday.  She has little fear and is very curious.  She wants to know about everything around her and isn’t afraid to check it out.  She also loves people, the other dogs and toys.  Penny definitely knows how to cuddle and gives the best puppy kisses.

Clover also saw the Vet on Thursday.  She weighed in at just 14.8 pounds and she still has a significant amount of milk.  That means that she will probably be about 13 pounds when all is said and done.  (This means that her six-week old puppies are a third of her weight!)  Unfortunately, it will be some time until Clover can be adopted.  She is currently being treated for an ear infection (common with Beagles because their long, heavy ears trap moisture and bacteria).  Once that is cleared up, she will start antibiotics in order to undergo surgery for a dental.  We found out this week that she has a mild heart murmur, so she will need to have a cardiac work-up before she can go under anesthesia.  So, she will be spending a little more time with us.

Now that Clover doesn’t have to spend all of her time nursing and cleaning up after the puppies, her real personality is coming through.  She is a very funny little dog.  She gets little bursts of energy and will dash around the house, jumping up on the couch and wagging her tail so fast her whole body wiggles.  She loves to climb things and will make little nests in every high space or dark corner she can find.  Clover has a very unique howl and she lets it out any time a new dog comes around… otherwise, she is rather quiet.  She really enjoys cuddling and being told how pretty she is (who doesn’t?)

Several people have asked me about adopting Clover and a puppy or two puppies.  It is obvious they love each other and it can feel wrong to separate them.  But, after extensive research and a lot of experience in this area, AARF has put a policy in place that two dogs will not be adopted at the same time, especially family members.  This is really in the best interest of the dogs.  It is difficult enough to incorporate one dog into a new home, but two at one time often leads to behavioral problems (potty training one puppy is hard enough… two can be impossible).  Also, it is important for puppies to be separated from each other and their mom so that they learn to become independent and bond directly with their people, rather than each other.  Furthermore, the puppies have to be separated from mom so that they stop nursing.  They may continue to nurse on mom for way past healthy, just because she is there.  In fact, we keep them separate now most of the time, as they are nearly completely weaned.

And… more photos, just because the camera can’t get enough of these puppies: