Cisco's Kids Update

The pups are chowing down on puppy kibble. Penny was going to go through what many breeders consider "the normal weaning process" and had started feeding them rice pablum. Which they, of course, LOVED. They waded into the bowls, coating themselves... and the entire kitchen... in it. Baths for 10 puppies 4-5 times a day gets time consuming. I told her the easiest, cleanest and REALLY natural way to wean pups is to put a bowl of dry kibble in the puppy pen as soon as they start trying to stand and let the pups find it on their own. (I start feeding my moms puppy chow... for the additional protein and fat content... a number of weeks before they give birth. And there is always a bowl for them in the puppy pen so they don't have to go very far to eat when the pups are brand new.) I've had pups between 2 and 3 weeks sucking on the kibble and they are always chomping on it before they get teeth. They will eat more kibble and drink less mom's milk as they grow. And no baths are necessary.

This morning, Penny got up and came downstairs to find... all the pups having a field day in the living room. Maggie was sitting in the doorway between the two rooms, looking a little guilty (since she was the one who had opened the pen gate.)

And this afternoon, Penny realized she might have a racist dog. Maggie was lying in the nest with some of the pups, her back turned to and blocking the others from coming in. All the light colored ones were in the nest with her while all the black ones were on the outside looking in. (To be fair, I often see moms separate pups into groups and sometimes it is seemingly by color. Which some dog experts have claimed dogs can't see.)