Friday, October 30, 2009

Bath day for the puppies! 5 weeks old

Today was the first time we gave the puppies a (much needed) bath.

All cuddled up!






This is the little girl I love to take pictures of...I'm calling her Pansy for now. She acts (and kind of looks) like a little fru-fru dog--shivery and shy, but so cute!

"May I get out now pretty please?"


Keeping warm



Little man in action.




The older girls were outside and Abriella was having a FANTASTIC time with the puppies all to herself--she was so funny to watch. She was following them around and, I believe, telling them what to do.





She thinks she's a puppy too it seems.






It drives me nuts when my husband stick her in this hodge podge outfit. He puts her in it every time he gets a chance...I think it might disappear!
















Right now I'm pretty certain they are mixed Beagle/Terrier/English Springer Spaniel.
Their tails kind of come up over their back though-throws me for a loop...any thoughts on other breeds?









Momma.










Settling in for nap time. They smell so good, like fields of lavender (though I have never actually smelled a field of lavender, I imagine it's similar to the puppies after their lavender baths).









Some video clips of the puppies.

#1 Curious puppy
#2 Playtime (the slapping sound is me hitting the floor with my hand)
#3 Abriella in her lovely outfit playing with the puppies
#4 Hoping my daughter doesn't develop an interest in the dog fighting circuit










Thursday, October 22, 2009

Puppies at 3 1/2 weeks

Here they are at 3 1/2 wks..


Little white girl


Here's a tummy shot of each one. The one little boy is huge.






























Sunday, October 18, 2009

Welcome our newest little girl!



She came with the name Miley, but that might change to something else soon.

She's app 6 months old and weighs about 12lbs.

Her previous home said she was a Border Collie/Jack Russell mix but my dog friends felt she was a Papillon mix for sure. They saved her from a bad situation where she was kept in a closet and fed cat food.

She's wonderfully sweet and great with everyone and everything thus far. Her only issue is her sheddy hair, so I shaved her down.

The smallest dog we've fostered in the last 5yrs had weighed around 30lbs. It's amazing for us to have a couple of small dogs at the same time.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Joanie goes the ER

My husband had a scare yesterday when Joanie started acting strange. Panting heavily, then an inability to walk well and finally seizures. I found out about all this after work on my way home when she was already at the Vet's office.
She had Canine Hypocalcemia. Other names are Milk Fever, Puerperal Tetany and Eclampsia.
It's something I had never heard of until yesterday.
It's a life threatening situation and it sounds like it is pretty possible it will happen again. It most likely due to the fact that she weighs just 15lbs and is nursing 5 good sized puppies.
Other causes are poor diet but we feed a very high quality food. She was a stray during her pregnancy and then had her puppies at the shelter, so I'm not sure how far in advance her diet would have been a problem. It takes about 3 weeks to get calcium levels back up if that's the case and we have only had her a little over a week.
If it happens again we will likely have to wean the the little pups and supplement with puppy formula. I think mom's milk is pretty important for lifetime health so I'm hoping we can get though this OK.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Sweet boy puppy pics

This little guy conked out after his nail trim. The world is an exhausting place when you are only 2 weeks old.





Aw, mom and daughter. Sorry about the glow eyes.



Little girl at 2 weeks 2 days

This is the puppy with the most white. She was happy to lay her head on my husbands hand when he brought her up to see the girls.
Yawn. It's exhausting being so cute.



I was wrong, they are not all black and white. See that little brown blush?






Puppy noises-video

This is our crybaby at 2 weeks of age.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Puppies at 2 weeks of age-let there be light

Peek-a-boo, looks who's eyes are opening.




The little guy in front is the explorer so far, we find him outside the nesting kennel at times.  The guy behind him is the crybaby of the bunch.




The one with more white is a little girl.  There are 2 girls, 3 boys.




Mom enjoying some attention

Meet Joanie and her 1 week old puppies



Meet Joanie


I'm guessing Beagle/JRT mix??  Her mouth makes me think differently...either way, she's momma.  She already has a home lined up when her maternity leave runs up.  She's a sweet little thing and a doting mother.  She was found as a stray and delivered 5 little puppies at the shelter.  She came to our house as a foster.  Puppies will be ready after the Vet can perform the spay/neuter procedures, most likely around 12 weeks of age.  Hopefully, just in time for Christmas.

Born September 25th.
Pics taken here at 1 week 1 day of age.


They will be raised with young children, other dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, horses, nearby cattle and lots of love.


We are excited to see what exactly they are mixed with.  They are all black and white and a couple have spotting on their muzzle. 

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Waylon's tribute

Way's Eulogy

Waylon
4/9/1997-4/18/2006





True Love
They say you only find true love once and mine without a doubt was Waylon.
He came into my life when he was a year old. He was abandoned and abused, rough and skinny and rather hound dog looking, he was rather uninterested in me. He had a lot of issues and destroyed much of the house. It took months to get his health problems under control and his aggression from previous abuse took years to straighten out. He had a deep love for me and for tennis balls. Despite his quirky ways those closest to him grew to love him. He was dignified and goofy at the same time. He was the beloved leader of our pack at home. Like King Arthur of Camelot, his followers adored him. He was a fair and gentle ruler. He had all the qualities I would look for in a husband. He was funny and had a great sense of humor. He was loyal and honest. He never did anything to upset me intentionally and would protect me with his life. He was a hard worker and respectable. He didn't try to make people like him but everyone did. He wasn't needy and let me have my space. He was strong and athletic and up for anything. He was quick to forgive my faults and quicker to apologize for his own. He was smart and eager to please. There are so many amazing memories I have of him. All the crazy things he did, the sweet things, but mostly the fact that he loved me unconditionally. He was there for me through years of trials. Always steadfast, never wavering. He was devoted to me and gave me his heart 100%. I have always been scared of what horrible things could happen to me. When Waylon was with me I knew I was safe. He had proved several times without hesitation he would protect me.
I found out about his cancer in February of this year. It was an unexpected blow to my heart. Waylon was indestructible, he was going to live forever. I vowed I would do everything it took to save his life. Our journey took us to the University of Madison Veterinary School, renowned world wide for it's cancer treatment. We headed up in a good mood to start the battle against the disease. Chemotherapy, and I was sure he would go into remission for years. When we got there the vet was positive. But, things took a terrible turn for the worse. Waylon's cancer had spread through is body and the vet said was untreatable. I drove home devastated, how could this be? We were going to fight. I researched every diet and supplement possible. I ordered all sorts of supplements and herbal remedies. I switched his diet to a homemade raw one, spent countless hours preparing his meals, I knew we could beat the odds. Waylon was doing so well, he wouldn't die......but then the bad days started and things quickly got worse. I came home from work one night and Waylon came to me. He stood in front of me looking into my eyes, I knew it was time. I snuck to the bathroom to cry alone and he sought me out. Waylon never came to my when I was crying, and for the first time he came and rested his head on my shoulder to comfort me. It was a hard night and I had to help him out to go to the bathroom every couple of hours. As soon as he would come out the door, Ruger-who thought of Waylon as a hero, came from his sleep in the shed and walked beside him to the spring. He would stand there in the night patiently waiting for him to finish drinking and then walk him back to the house. All night long Ruger came out to stand near him. Neither Way or I got much sleep that night, we were both restless until we finally cuddled up together one last time. We slept soundly til morning. I snuck downstairs to call the vet about bringing him in. Waylon came down shortly after and gave me a small, half-hearted tail wag. I took him to the vet and opened the back of the car up, the sun was shining brightly on him, just how he loved it. The vet came out while Waylon rested in my lap and we sent him off to heaven peacefully. I drove around some time with him, taking him to the state park to lookout over the river. It was a beautiful day, Waylon would have loved one more run through the woods, one more sniff of the breeze, ears blowing in the wind, I would have loved to watch him. I held him for hours while my husband dug his grave up on a hilltop. I wanted to keep him forever, never let him go, if only I had a minute more with him, I would have given all that I had. I carried his body up the hill and buried him with his favorite things, some collars, treats, his favorite blanket, a soft dog bed, and of course, tennis balls. Early the next morning I looked out the window up at Way's hilltop and there was Belle, sitting on his grave. I was touched by how affected the dogs were to lose their leader. Losing Waylon was a loss so profound words could never even start to explain it. I miss him more each day and life will never be so sweet as it was when he was here.
I am blessed to know what true love is and I am tortured to have lost it. I will carry him with me forever--in my memory and my heart
Thank you to all that treated him well and especially those that loved him.
Tabitha





Waylon was the first Weimaraner to ever receive the Onyx title in flyball. Along with the birth of my children it was the happiest and proudest day of my life. I am thankful for an amazing flyball team that helped a dog who formerly attacked other dogs achieve such status.

This is Way and I getting ready for our race.


Lined up to start.

Waylon at the box.