Puppy Mania Encore

When the stork is generous, she is very generous.

Emma was surrendered by her owner to the shelter when he no longer wanted her.  The shelter staff soon recognized that her growing belly wasn’t just from over eating and knew they had to find a safe place for her to have puppies.  As long as we were making room for one mom, we decided to take her in as well.  Emma and Macy came from the same shelter on the same day.

Emma is a small Dachshund/Beagle mix, around 20 pounds.  She is young, likely around one year in age.  Birth is always a scary thing, but with a small dog and no idea how big her mate was, it can be even scarier.  So, we took her in for an ultrasound.  While it was difficult to say for certain, the vet felt okay about her delivering her puppies safely.

October 17 was an average Thursday morning.  I rushed around, making sure all of the dogs were let outside, everyone was fed and given a good scratch behind the ears before heading upstairs to prepare for work.  A short time later, I returned for a final check on everyone.  Emma was acting unusual.  She was nesting, shuffling blankets all around, asking for an excessive amount of attention.  So, I sat with her a bit.  She quickly curled up in my lap and let me stroke her long, soft ears.  A small amount of fluid started to drip from her back end and I grabbed my phone to call in late for work.  A very short time later, Emma let out a wicked cry and started to flail around, attempting to reach her back end where the definite form of a puppy was emerging.  After a complete exit, Emma’s body relaxed and she quickly went to work eating the sack surrounding the puppy, licking him clean.  Before she was finished puppy number two arrived with much less difficulty, a red little girl.  Puppy three was a tan and white little boy, followed by three more right in a row.  In the end, she delivered six little babies, three girls and three boys.  (Names are TBD.)

The puppies are just over two weeks old now and starting to open their eyes.  So far, this is their largest accomplishment.  Walking is still a skill in the learning process.

Emma stole my heart the minute I met her.  She is extremely affectionate and actually cries if she gets close to me and I am not quick enough to pet her.  She waits at the top of the stairs for me to come and spend time with her when I leave her.  She loves to cuddle, is very well behaved and just adores everyone she meets.  Once she has safely seen her puppies into new homes, it will be a wonderful day when a family gives her the forever home she deserves.