Puppy Watch

Here we go again! Peri kept me up late last night. She was very restless and VERY interested in her bottom. In fact, she was so reluctant to settle down and go to sleep, I thought we might be going to have puppies. I locked up everyone in the bedroom... which they were not happy about!... and put fresh food and water in Peri's puppy pen. She went in and ate... she ate quite a bit actually... but didn't settle down until I closed the pen with her inside. Then she laid down on the blanket, stretched out on her side and went to sleep. Eventually, I let the other dogs out so they could lay down on MY blankets and we all went to sleep. This morning, Peri finished off the food in her bowl and ate some of the new when I filled it up again. And she seems cool and calm.

Here's the thing, an experienced mom-to-be, like Emy, knows where the safe place for her pups is... the puppy pen in my bedroom. But it's all new to Peri. However, she is an extremely smart girl... or she would never have returned to the house on top of the ridge last Fall... and it seems to her that the second pen, which has suddently magically appeared in the bedroom is going to be the best place for her pups. Even though she's not yet sure what is going on. She has all these hormones telling her things and none of it makes sense right now. NEXT time around it will all go ding ding in her head.

If you remember, Emy was "nervous" and uncmfortable for a long time... almost a week... before her pups arrived. Well, Peri is not nearly as big. She is a smaller girl to start with and she is bred to a smaller dog, but the main thing is this is her first litter. And she's in great shape. So her muscles are still taut, the same way a young woman with her first baby looks and carries differently that an older one who has already had a couple sets of twins. To be honest, I am NOT looking forward to delivery time. First time bitches often get freaked out and take a while to settle into the process.