28th May 2009

4 hours of sleep last night....


The dogs started in about 2:30 am this morning.. and barked and barked.. Just one dog pretty much so I was suspecting it was NOT a bear from the fresh meat I just fed out before bedtime. Sounded like "Tasha", who is the usual culprit and I just yelled out the front door for her to shut her mouth or I  going to duct tape it for her (kidding) after I stuck my head out the door for the 800th time, went to bed and shut my bedroom window. It went on until I pulled the pillow off my head when the cats were bothering me at 5:30 am for me to feed them.. so to foil the cats, I slept on the couch. I was pretty sure it was "Tasha" and "Taku" squabbling as they do that from time to time. So I was not overly worried.

7:30am.. the dog is still barking from time to time. My dogs actually are quiet most of the time. I decided to go out. In case it was bear, I didn't want to go out to investigate in the dark. All the dogs met me except "Tasha". It is "Soda" barking her fool head off. And I am hearing 'moaning' coming from "Tasha's" doghouse and she would not greet me. I noted she was a little off yesterday, but sometimes every few months a dog is a little off for a day and fine the next. I didn't see anything obviously wrong with her and I thought maybe she was coming into heat. So fearing she was dying this morning when she didn't greet me, I looked at her, grabbed her chain and tugged her out as I don't stick my hands into dog houses with sick dogs who might bite.

Guess what I found? It was NOT her making all the noise and she was not sick.

1 boy, 2 girls. She had puppies overnight.

So I went and turned the chick brooder into a whelping pen. The people who cared for her over the winter and returned the dogs here 3 weeks ago, apparently let one of 2 males get to her 2 months ago. Poor thing. I had not fed her any maternity chow, and cut back on her food a little as I thought she was getting a little fat (as are all the dogs). There were no obvious signs she was pregnant and I was completely not expecting that. The pups look good though (and fat) and I will go to town again today and get some puppy chow for her to go on. "Soda" had been barking as she was getting upset from the puppy noises.

I had to go back to sleep and took a 4 hour nap, which means I was REALLY TIRED, got up to go check on the new family and there were two more, for a total of 3 girls and 2 boys. "Tasha" is being a great mom.

I have never had a litter of puppies in all the years I have had dogs as I have spayed or neutered all my dogs (and cats) except "Dutch" and "Tasha" as I had been planning on breeding them for the past two years, but it never was good timing. However, I did need new dogs for a team if I stay here (even though the timing was still not good). THANK the stars she only had 5 and not 9. (I was really rooting for just the three however.).

Went and had a lovely turkey dinner at friends last night with all the trimmings. It was a good day.