Bittersweet Goodbyes to Our Puppies

Bittersweet Goodbyes to Our Puppies

4.10.2022

^^The neighbor girls Ella and Clara came by to visit daily.^^

I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry at all saying goodbye to our puppies.  I totally did!  It broke my heart (but also felt relief) to part with all the furry fun; I think Misty is feeling the void too.  She was such a proud and happy mama!  I would often look out the window to see her nursing, checking on, or playing with her babies.  But enough was enough and she would also curl up on the couch where they couldn't reach her to watch them or leave the yard entirely for a while.  Gosh, I understood that so well!

All nine puppies found new homes.  A strong interest for them came through emails, texts, and calls soon after I posted about them when they were a little over 6 weeks old.  It was an intense two weeks for me, communicating and coordinating with so many people about their puppies.  In fact, my weekly phone report said I'd used my text messaging app a total of 5 hours and 59 minutes in a span of seven days.  Ugh.  But it was worth it.  I got to know several local families who came by several times to visit with their puppies before taking them home.  It's reassuring to me that I gave them the best future possible.  At least I know they had a fantastic start with us here at our home.  They were spoiled with so much love and attention... and maybe Conrad terrorized them a time or too as well.  😬😳

It was chaos back there on the porch, but it was joy too. The puppies came running whenever they heard the back door open and would dart inside the house. They nibbled on our shoes and licked our faces.  And they drove Ezra batty.  They nibbled on his fingers, his ears, and even put a hole in the butt of his onesie trying to play with him!  The puppies were fluffy and cuddly and playful.  And destructive.  But it was kinda the best!

Would I do it again?  Absolutely.

And so, I present the last of the puppy pictures from Misty's first litter.  I want to remember them all. 

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Six Happy Weeks With Our Puppies

Six Happy Weeks With Our Puppies

3.26.2022

Sharing is caring. 🥰  I'm just trying to soak in all of this chaotic cuteness for the limited time we have them.  We're all in love with these fluffy babies.

The fur balls have been moved outside to the back porch indefinitely.  They are just too active to possibly stay inside!  Bron set up a temporary fence for the puppies so that they can have free reign of some of the yard.  We moved the old couch onto the grass too; the puppies love to hide out and sleep underneath it.  The weather has been mild.  They have endless access to water, food, toys, and each other.  It's basically a little puppy paradise!  Conrad and Ezra spend every spare moment out there they can.  Seeing the puppies is the first thing Ezra wants to do when he wakes in the morning and after a nap.

I just updated their "mug shots" to post on KSL for sale.  Look how much they've grown in just two weeks!  I'm hoping that since we're getting closer their eight week mark, we'll have more interest.  Who wouldn't want a super cute puppy -- possibly with BLUE EYES -- for a steal of a price in this economy?  In fact, Clover was the first to be spoken for.  A sweet family in the Salt Lake area put a deposit down on her.  She's the puppy I would keep if we chose to keep one!  Good choice.  I am simultaneously thrilled and relieved that she is going to a family who will undoubtedly love and spoil her.        

In other news, I just bought Levi two new pairs of jeans... in March.  Not my favorite thing to do when we're so close to spring, but it had to be done!  A boy can't be wearing holes in his crotch to school.  Also, Conrad had pink eye last week and Ezra had an ear infection.  Thanks to a little medicine everyone is feeling better now, so we're all much happier.

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Our Nine Fluffy Blind Teddy Bears

Our Nine Fluffy Blind Teddy Bears

2.25.2022

^^Just a living teddy bear^^

We moved the puppies and their whelping box outside onto the back porch because Misty insists on being in and out of the house 29 times a day.  But then the weather turned bitter cold, so I moved them back inside again.  For now, the puppies are living in the kitchen all snuggled up on the dog bed... that I've already washed once.   The ways these puppies sleep -- on their backs, upside down, dog piled under and over one another -- makes me laugh.

They're two weeks old and have just begun opening their eyes!  I had no idea that all dogs' eyes are blue for the first few weeks.  I hope a few of these puppies get to keep their blue eyes.  The puppies are also starting to crawl.  It really is the cutest thing watching them scoot their way across the floor.

Last but not least, we're getting to know these puppies well enough to name them!  They each have little personalities already and distinct markings that set each apart.  The whole family collaborated on the project.  I cannot wait to share with you what names we chose.  It was a lot of fun.

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Puppy Fever!

Puppy Fever!

2.18.2022

Puppy fever! Our dog Misty gave birth to 9 puppies Wednesday night February 9th.  Bron and I had just left the house to run into Kimberly when we got a phone call from the boys. "I found a puppy!" It was an exciting evening for all.

Misty birthed two puppies out on the back porch and the rest in the whelping box in the garage that Bron and the boys made.  A few hours later we moved Misty and the puppies all inside to the office to keep them dry and warm and they've been there ever since!  We did find what must have been a stillborn puppy in the hallway the next morning.  It made us all sad.      

It's been so fun and eye opening to watch Misty become a mother. She's a natural nurterer and becomes an anxious basket case if she's separated from her babies for more than a few minutes. I totally understand that.  Nursing and keeping nine babies clean is a full time job!  Misty hears their cries and comes running.  I'm so proud of her.  She's also very protective and doesn't like anyone taking the puppies away from the box. 

Now that we're ten days in, Misty is ready to be outside; I think she's bored inside the house.  It means she's in and out the door about 19 times every day, tracking dirt all through the kitchen.  It's driving me a bit nuts, so we will probably move the whole box with the puppies out to the back porch where it's protected from the weather with a heating pad.         

The puppies are so cute and sweet. I love hearing their little whines and purrs.  They're also therapeutic to snuggle with!  In fact, if I cannot find Ezra, there's a 90% chance he's visiting the puppies in their box.  We're all anxiously awaiting the day the puppies open their eyes and become extra super cute!

For now, pictures from the puppies' first week on earth.  A litter of puppies is a whole new experience for our entire family!

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Naughty Puppy

Naughty Puppy

5.02.2019

^^Unsolicited puppy kisses.^^

Misty, our six month old puppy, has given us a couple of scares recently!  Perhaps she's just reminding us about how much we really do love her despite her efforts to dig up the yard and steal every morsel of leftover food from off the kitchen table.  We nearly lost her twice and each time I was so sad at the thought of not having her here with us at home!  So puppy, you have been ridiculously expensive and caused us more worry and stress than we deserve, but we sure love you, Misty!      

Story 1:

One and a half full days before we were to leave on our trip to St. George for Spring Break, Misty followed the boys over into the neighbor's yard and was attacked by their German Shepherd!  It's our fault; we know it and take full responsibility.  It was an awful accident.  

Jed and Levi were playing with the neighborhood kids, and though I had warned them many times not to let Misty follow them, they didn't take me seriously.  However, it took everyone by surprise when Ava, the German Shepherd, literally ripped into Misty as soon as she crossed over onto her turf.  Misty suffered a bite under one leg that was a couple inches long and deep into the muscle tissue.  Misty ran home bleeding.  The neighborhood kids were hysterical.  Jed and Levi were sobbing.   

No adults actually saw the attack.  The Young's grandma was the one who stepped out to put a stop to the dog fight.  Thank goodness!

It was a Friday evening just before 6pm.  Bron and I desperately called around but couldn't find a vet that would take her.  It was so frustrating because she needed help.  Finally, one of Bron's connections got us in touch with a vet in Jerome.  Misty had surgery that night to clean and fix up her wounds.  Thankfully the bite didn't seem to sever any nerves.  Poor baby was pretty miserable that night and felt lethargic the next day, but soon she was up and limping around on three legs.  She also wound up wearing the obnoxious "cone of shame" for a few weeks.

Greg Young graciously offered to look after Misty while we were gone on vacation.  It was hard to leave her, but we knew she was in good hands.

Everything worked out.  Misty is completely healed and back to running and bounding around on the trails.  Whew!

I just hope my neighbors know I hold no ill feelings whatsoever.  It was simply an awful accident.                

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Celebrating a Full Week with Our Misty Girl

Celebrating a Full Week with Our Misty Girl

12.23.2018

They say the universal language of the world is math, but I say they might be wrong.  I think the universal language that nearly every human being can get behind juuust might be puppy love.  I submitted this photo above -- Misty's very first portrait -- to a few places online and was overwhelmed by the response!  It was fun to hear how much everyone loves their dogs!  Not one negative thing was said about Australian Shepherds.  And Misty here, well I may be biased, but I think she is a beautiful looking dog.  She's like a real life teddy bear.  Her eyes are two different colors!  Every time I hold her, all I can think of is that line from Despicable Me: "IT'S SO FLUFFY!!!"

Our first week with Misty has thankfully been pretty uneventful.  It's looking pretty obvious that I will most definitely lose a pair of shoes sometime in the near future along with a handful of other items, but so far, she's been a dream.  Misty is ten times easier to handle than Conrad.  Potty training?  Sure, she's had a few accidents but when we let her out on time, she does her stuff in the yard in a jiffy.  Plus, I never have to change her diaper and she can feed herself.  Her favorite spot to nap is in mine and Bron's closet.  It's a dark and quiet den where she can find shoes and dirty clothes to lay on.  The boys love entertaining her.  In fact, we could hear Conrad crying for her one night.  "Puppy!  Puppy!" he cried around 11pm.  Misty is going to be so good for Conrad.  She jumps on him for attention and tries to eat his food.  He pesters her right back by picking her up and carrying her around the house, hugging her around the neck.  They're a funny pair already.  After two days, even Tyke came around and adopted her.  He looks out for her in the yard and wrestles her on the living room floor.  It brings a smile to my face every time I witness this new side of Tyke!

Misty is definitely an addition to the family I'm so happy to have.  I'm looking forward to many years of having her by my side on the trails and at home.

Next up, a bunch of pictures I took this week.  I feel like I need to document her puppyhood!  She'll be all grown up before we can blink twice.

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