Puppy 9 Weeks 4 Days (8/25/08)
This will be the final entry in this blog. The girls are doing well. Quinn's infection is still not letting up. She was doing better for a little while and then the infection came back full boar. On the bright side - she seems to be outgrowing her inset vulva. It looks a lot more normal now. However, I believe she still has some structural problems inside which are enabling the infections.

I have taught the girls to ring a bell when they need/want to go outside. Now I just need to teach them that potty is outside not inside :-)

Puppy 8 Weeks 4 Days (8/18/08)
So once a week blogging seems to be what I can manage right now. The girls are busy busy busy! Quinn is on her 7-10 days without antibiotics so we can do a sterile urine culture. So far, so good. Tubain learned how to climb/jump out of the puppy playpen yesterday. Unlike Caterpillar who would climb over and fall out. Tubain lands on all four paws on the other side looking very pleased with her self while Quinn starts to cry louder. So for now, we've given up on the playpen. I don't know if she is climbing or jumping. It is a 2 foot X-pen. Given her parentage, there is a small chance she jumped it.

The girls no longer get carried outside, they have to make the run themselves. In the morning, Quinn makes it to the mat on the porch and pees. She just can't hold it any longer. Tubby makes it out the door. We are still having accidents inside when we aren't paying enough attention.

Yesterday I started working on the girls recalls. Quinn's are great! Tubby's sucked. Not anymore. I sat at my desk with a bunch of treats and started calling them over. Now Tubby comes running!!!! I've also got Tubby doing a Touch as well :-)

Neither girl believes in the Tunnel Monster. I've got a tunnel setup outside and inside. They go barreling through it with no worries. They like the one inside especially when there is a cat in it.

I've also learned that my girls are immune to Phooey. Not good..going to have to find something else to deter the chewing.

Puppy 7 Weeks 5 Days (8/12/08)
I didn't realize it had been a whole week since I blogged. Quinn is still on her antibiotics. I need to do another urine check since I have found a little puddle of bloody urine twice now. I haven't seen who did it though! There have also been puddles in their kennel. Tubain was so excited to see me this morning, she couldn't contain herself! She peed all down my leg as I carried her outside!

In the mornings, I carry the girls outside to potty. Then everyone comes inside for vitamins, pills, and bones. The girls are learning that you have to sit to get your bone. Quinn is having a really hard time with this. She is Extremely food motivated! Poor thing is usually the last to get her bone. You have to not only sit, you have to stay that way. This is very hard for a puppy! So for now, she gets hers as soon as that butt hits the floor.

Then the dance begins. The girls start bouncing again! Quinn barks at me, Tubain makes Monkey noises (thank you papa Creek) while I make their breakfast. Their appetites have suddenly increased. I've had to increase the amount of food they are getting. Now the girls have to sit again so I can put the food dish down. When their done - outside they go again!

Now it's playtime! I put leashes on the girls and they terrorize the downstairs and the cats. So far, the girls seem to be immune to Phooey. What is it about electronics that attracts puppies?

Most of the afternoon is spent in their playpen or outside. They have a pool outside to play in and lots of dirt to dig in and tasty spider snacks to eat under the porch :-)

I will post some new pictures shortly. You all can see my NEW LIVING ROOM FLOOR! James and I installed a new bamboo floor in the living room over the weekend. My thighs still hurt from all the squats. Once her ripped up the carpeting in the living room. he was so disgusted he decided we are taking up the carpeting in the whole house! All I could think of at that moment was the old "Buns of Steel" video.

7:54pm Quinn Update: Her urinalysis shows a very high red blood cell count and still lots of crystals. Because of her age, there are only a few antibiotics she can be on. Tomorrow morning she goes in for a fasted x-ray and we are consulting with an Internist. On the plus side, I taught her "Touch" while we waited in the room for test results, etc. She LOVES this game! She will come barrelling at me from across the room to SLAM her nose into my hand - LOL - it's very cute!

Puppy 6 Weeks 5 Days (8/5/08)
Our trip has been cancelled. Little Quinn has a massive infection. It seem her little inset vulva catches all kinds of goodies regardless of my attempts to keep her clean. She is now on antibiotics and can't go to her new family for at least 2 weeks. I'm sure everyone understands that I don't want to hand over a sick puppy!

Amber called at 4am to ask me what to do about her dog Tank. He caught a skunk and...well..I'm sure you can figure it out from there. I have to say, I've expected a 4am call from her but not about a skunked dog. I have already shared the tips about Massengil and tomato sauce.

Puppy 6 Weeks 3 Days (8/3/08)
It is amazing what little excitement there is with only 2 puppies! I'm very sorry about the complete lack of webcam. We just couldn't get it working right. The girls are doing great. They let me know when they need to potty for the most part. I think Quinn has a urinary tract infection. Her urine is too orange and she has started trying to pee A LOT and getting nothing out. Poor thing. Tomorrow they go to the vet to get their shots anyway, so I imagine she will get some antibiotics too.

Wednesday morning I leave for New York to deliver Quinn to her new family! Then we continue on to Connecticut to try and walk Amber into labor!

Puppy 5 Weeks 6 Day (7/30/08)
The girls will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. They are 2 holy terrors! We let them run around the house after they've been out to potty and I had to start making them drag leashes around. They get into everything! I need to go around and puppy proof again. Quinn loves to grab her sister's leash and run off with it. It makes for an interesting tug-of-war. They are both very vocal about being in their pen. But they start to whine ALOT when they need to go potty, which is a wonderful thing. Willow plays with them outside. She has not bothered to teach them how to dig.

Puppy 5 Weeks 1 Day (7/25/08)
We took the girls to the beach today. They both went swimming, rolled in the sand, ate the sand, and played with the kids that were there. I've never seem such zonked puppies. We took some pictures, I will post them soon.

Puppy 5 Weeks(7/24/08)
James is still working on the webcam. He is just trying to make it so you can see it through our firewall. The girls have been very noisy today. They have expressed a HUGE disinterest in staying in their pen. At one point I brought them into my office so they could play just so James could get some quiet to work in. Of course, then they weren't satsified with that and Tubain used the cat door to regain access to the rest of the house. What a stinker.

Puppy 4 Weeks 5 Days(7/22/08)
Sorry about the lack of blog for an entire week. We have been busy working with the girls. They are starting to respond to their names and come when called. We've also been taking them outside to potty when we know it's coming. They both LOVE being out and about in the house instead of being confined in their spacious pen. They are also doing better on the solid food. Willow is weaning in full force now. She has been feeding them only once or twice a day.

James is working on the webcam as we speak.

Puppy 3 Weeks 6 Days(7/16/08)
Now keep in mind that I don't KNOW who did it. I have a pretty shrewd idea who did this *cough* Cameron/Lambeau *cough* .

You think someone was a little mad that we went out? 2 rolls of toilet paper and a brand new box of maxi pads...yummy.

So the webcam is really starting to tick me off. Still working on it. I bought a new one today that is Hi-Def and 1.3 megapixels so when I DO get it working you will get to see a really good picture.

Puppy 3 Weeks 2 Days (7/12/08)
The girls are adorable!!! They've gotten much better at walking around and "splat" a lot less. I've had them out on the porch and in the kitchen and even the living room! The girls have their teeth so Willow isn't too keen on nursing them too much.

Cameron and Lambeau are here!!! I believe this is the first time they've been boarded anywhere. Neither one of them was too sure about it and they both watched out the window for their Jim to come back. But it's been a couple of hours now and they have eaten and played, so they're starting to settle in.

The first side of the new fence is up!!! James and I have worked ALL day to get that up. Tomorrow he is going to finish up the gate and next weekend we do the other side.

I will try and post some new pictures tomorrow and get that blasted puppy cam up!

Puppy 3 Weeks(7/10/08)
I started the girls on puppy mash yesterday. Their teeth have come in and WIllow is hesitant to nurse. Quinn dove into the mash right away! Now Tubain is the one happy to eat the mash and Quinn sits down, puts her muzzle in the air and howls for her mommy. I put another mat in with the girls and now they are walking great! They started to play together during their awake times. It's just adorable!!!

I have new pictures to post, but it will have to wait until later this morning! Today is a busy busy day!!!

Puppy 2 Weeks 4 Days (7/7/08)
These girls keep getting bigger! Quinn isn't quite as loud as she was, but she is still the talker of the two. In fact, she howls just like Guinness did including the snort at the end. Daryl - I know you know what I am talking about!! We are working on strengthening their back legs by taking them outside. They are just so roly poly its hard to keep their feet under them. The lineoleum floor doesn't help either. Still working on the webcam, just need to nail down James long enough to get him to fiddle with it.

Puppy 2 Weeks (7/3/08)
Today is a big day for puppies! They had their first vet visit and their first dewormer. More of that to come in 4 & 6 weeks. I will get them vaccinated at 7 weeks.

Also, I went out to Cyberwocky for a while to get out of the house. When I got back, the girls had their eyes open and were wobbly walking around the puppy pen!!! I was a little worried that since they are TWICE the size of my usual 2 week old puppies they might have trouble walking. But they are doing better than I expected for 2 week old 4 POUND puppies! These girls are HUMUNGOUS! They are just too too cute! They even started playing together. I've posted a bunch of new pictures for you all of the walking attempts and playing.

James and I will get the puppy cam up and running this weekend in between fence building. I am finally getting my new fence - WOOT! Good thing too, Lambeau and Cami are coming to board with me for a week. I can't wait. I will have lots of brown dog lovin'.

OH! and Tubain got up to poo poo. It was so cute to see her try and poop like a big girl.

Puppy 1 Week 5 Days(7/1/08)
The girls eyes are opening! Woo hoo! There is a whole new world out there for them now. Willow got her staples out yesterday and everything looks good. She only popped 1 of them despite all her bouncing about. Willow is starting to relax more and leave the girls for longer periods of time. Quinn is still the loud mouth. Kathy and Hal - I hope your ready for the bundle of sass headed your way! The girls are also starting to be more mobile. I never know where I will find them in the room.

Thursday, the girls have their first vet visit to get dewormed. I expect Dr. Banish to comment on how FAT they are! I haven't weighed them in a couple of days.

We took all 3 dogs for a walk the other day. The puppies eventually settled into the rocking and slept. Willow was more concerned about the human puppies than enything else. Adam was on his bike and Max was on rollerblades. She didn't like them being ahead of the family. I will post new pictures today!

Puppy 1 Week 2 Days(6/28/08)
Quinn has been barking and trilling all morning! Willow still thinks she is going to move the puppies under the house - HA! The girls have topped 3 pounds already. I will update the growth chart eventually. It isn't as urgent since we would notice if one of the girls wasn't getting fatter.

Puppy 1 Week (6/26/08)
Goodness! I don't blog for a couple of days and you all go nuts! The puppies are FAT! They are both weigh in at a hefty 2.5+ pounds!!!! Both of them are starting to get up on all fours already. Quinn is very very mouthy. She loves to bark at her Momma. I can't wait until her ears open up and she scares herself because she can suddenly hear it. Tubain fusses when she loses the nipple. They are eating machines!!!

There are new pictures up for the addicts. Enjoy! I hope to have the puppycam up soon. No worries, your not missing much. Your not even missing the poo.

Puppy Day 5 (6/24/08)
I got to sleep in my own bed last night. But James came to get my at 6:30 to tell me that Willow was requesting my presence downstairs. So I grabbed my pillow and went down to the puppy room. Willow crawled into the bed with me and we took a little nap. According to Willow, today was the day to move the puppies. I had to tell her once again that under the house was not an acceptable location! I have gotten Willow to eat again. She eats the kibble when she thinks I'm not paying attention. Otherwise, it's poison and she expects me to come up with something better.

The girls hit 2 pounds today! They are HUGE! There paws are cute and fat. The puppy breath started today :-)

I will have new pictures up tomorrow.

Puppy Day 4 (6/23/08)
Everything seems to be back to normal now. Willow is sleeping. I finally got her to eat. I had to make her some food but she finally ate something. She still looks at me as though I'm trying to poison her when I put down dog food.

The Perreras have decided to take Kithra so she has been redubbed Quinn. I am keeping Tubain to continue the line. Woot! I finally get a Willow Creek Puppy of my own!

Puppy Day 4 (6/22/08)
8:52 am - I GOT SOME SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WILLOW IS BACK! She is back to her typical Momma Dawg routine!

Puppy Day 3 (6/21/08)
12:30 am - I'm finally headed to bed. Willow is starting to feel better. She heard the doorbell and jumped up then crumpled in pain. Poor girl wasn't ready for that. We have since disconnected the doorbell. Willow is still whimpering regularly. We do not believe it is due to pain. The surgery has really put her out of sorts She is very stressed about these babies and I'm not entirely sure why. But she cries to go out, but if you take her out, she cries to go back inside. She cries if the babies cry. I really don't know what to do about it. Some of you may think I'm a cook for it, but I'm considering calling the Pet Communicator to see if she can tell what is wrong and to see if she can ease Willow's mind. James thinks I'm a looney for suggesting it. I plan to sleep in the puppy room again tonight. I'm worried that Willow would climb the stairs to come get me to go out. God forbid she tries to jump in our bed. She'd tear out all her staples. Wish me a good night's sleep.

5:56pm - Another long day. My vet had us take Willow to the ER to make sure there wasn't something wrong since she is exhibiting SO much anxiety. After bloodwork and Xrays they decided that Willow is either in pain or extremely hormonal. I've been asked to take the puppies from her and bottle feed them while she is on the pain meds. After having given 1 dose of pain meds I can tell you, James and I think it is hormonal. Willow is an absolute wreck!! The pain meds are supposed to knock her out and instead she frets and frets, pants, whimpers, cries, etc! I have never seen this dog so wound up!

We plan to continue with the pain meds tonight and see how she does. James is going to do the puppy feedings tonight so I can finally get some sleep. My mother is bringing Willow a weaning shirt so we can put the babies with her, but they can't nurse.

It wouldn't be so bad if we could sleep upstairs. But the vet said Willow is absolutely not to climb the stairs! So if we are upstairs she comes up to wake us up. I'm terrified she will try to jump in our bed and tear her incision. So instead we try to sleep downstairs through her whimpering.

I hear that Willow has riled up the babies again. Fabulous.

7:54 pm - I spoke with my regular vet and we have decided that this is all behavioral - woohoo! AND the pain meds are safe for a nursing mom, so I don't have to keep the puppies from her - WOO HOO HOO! So much drama with this litter!!! On the up side, despite being really annoying, we can ignore a good bit of her anxiety and whimpering.

Puppy Day 2 (6/20/08)
Last night was rough. We had to deliver the second little girl by C-section at 8:25pm. She also weighed in at over a pound. Everything happened so fast I did not get a chance to weigh her last night. We got lucky, the second puppy almost didn't make it. The vet performed mouth to muzzle and they worked on her for 10 mintues to get her breathing. She is doing very well now. Willow cried all night long and it took her a little while to accept the 2nd pup. But everyone is resting now. Willow just got another shot of pain medicine and as long as I am not in the room, she does fine. If I am in the room, she whimpers and cries.

So we have 2 little girls - Kithra (pink) & Tubain (purple). I will post pix and more soon. Still getting my computer up and running so I can get off this laptop.

I am on my own computer now. The only issue I have now is that I can't find the cable to attach my camera to the computer - UGH!

I've posted some pictures. Willow is starting to settle down a bit.

Puppy Day! (6/19/08)
8:21 am - Willow is pushing and has been pushing. I've been instructed to ignore her and leave her alone. ugh. I hope to have news soon.

8:47 am - ITS A GIRL! 1lb 0.3 oz

4:34 pm - We still have just onoe puppy. The vet has been by twice to monitor the other puppies heart rate and plans to come more so we can make sure everything is ok. We are trying to avoid a c-section if possible.

Pre-Puppy Day 63 (6/18/08)
As of this morning, we had no signs of labor. The vet said Willow was looking more ready. We have been monitorin the heart rates over the last few days. Then at 12:30 today Willow started her labor!!!! YEAH! What a relief!!! So I am camped out in my bedroom next to Willow's hidey hole, with my laptop, books, puzzles, and a lots of movies. We are still probably several hours away from puppies, but at least it is finally time!!! I will update again if anything changes or once the babies are born. I don't expect to be able to update before they are both out :-)

7:27pm On a funny note...We were having dinner downstairs and I down at Willow. SHe wags her tail and gives me the puppy face and then shudders with contractions! Typical lab, food above all else. Even know, up in my room where she whelps, she wants to go back downstairs and beg for food! I hope it won't be too much longer since the contractions are visible.

10:51pm Still no puppies but we are getting closer. Willow is getting increasingly fidgety and keeps checking her rear end. Not alot of pushing happening yet. I'm going to try and get a little sleep. James is snoring up a storm! next to me. I'm still hoping for puppies before midnight.

4:03am Still no puppies. We just got back from the ER. Everything is progressing, the babies are still pretty far up the birth canal though. I just gave Willow a shot of Oxytocin, so we should see some action soon.

Pre-Puppy Day 61 (6/16/08)
We have been to the vet this morning. There are several things happening. Willow is showing NO signs of labor. That of course can change in a blink. We have checked the hearts rates of the puppies and they are both 120 and strong. So we are in the process of checking to make sure we KNOW the gestational age of the puppies based on the ovulation timing, breeding, and ultrasound data. I will taking Willow back to the doctor and noon and around 4 to check the heart rates again. I will monitor the puppies for the next 24 hours. If we can confirm the gestational age as not being too early, Willow still isn't showing signs of labor, and her blood work comes back where we want, we will do a C-section in the morning. If the puppies go into distress, we will do a C-Section immediately.

We are in for a long day and night. I will keep you updated as I learn anything new.

8:01pm - As of right now, we KNOW the babies are fine. Willow is still not showing any signs of labor. Her temperature is still bouncing up and down. Today has been filled with lots of questions, not so many answers, and emotion. According to the experts in reproductive medicine, doing a C-Section based on the dates of breeding is a gamble. The sperm can live in the uterus 4-7 days and in some cases as many as 11 days. So despite the testing I did before the breeding, there is a chance (slim one, but still a chance) that the puppies are a week younger than expected. I do not believe this to be true, but I am not a doctor or a nurse. The doctors at the teaching hospital told us to check her progesterone level and make sure that it indicates that she is at the end of her pregnancy. If it is still high, then the puppies aren't ready. So we are trying to determine the gestational age of the puppies before we do the c-section. The only reason there is a question about it, is because of how odd this whole pregnancy has been and Willow's history. I have been instructed not to feed Willow after midnight. If her bloodwork comes back indicating that the puppies are ready to be born, we will do the C-section.

This has been a whole new experience for me. I've learned a lot about breedings and reproductive medicine during this pregnancy. I will update again when I know something new.

Pre-Puppy Day 60 (6/15/08)
So far no excitement. Her temperature hasn't dropped, she isn't nesting, nada. We just took her for a walk hoping to kick off some action. It works in humans.

3:44pm Cross your fingers and your toes - her temp is 98.6!

8:40pm Her temp went back up. Tomorrow I am taking her to the vet to make sure everything is ok. I have been told that she may carry them longer since there is no competition for space or nutrients. I know the babies are still alive, they have been very wiggly.

Pre-Puppy Day 58 (6/13/08)
Nothing nothing nothing and nothing. I'm still trying to get the streaming video working.

Pre-Puppy Day 57 (6/12/08)
Willow's temp dropped down to 98.5 today. She isn't giving me any major labor signs yet. Although she is begging for food and not eating it. She just kind of picks at it. While I ran errands she did eat an enitre container of Koi food. I will let you all know if anything changes.

Pre-Puppy Day 56 (6/11/08)
Willow finally settled down last night on our bed. Once James got up, she had to go wake the rest of the house. She isn't happy unless she knows where her pack is. I think it bothers her that Rebel is at camp and not here, but for the safety of the puppies and the poor men taking down a tree, he has to be away.

I thought my new computer was coming yesterday so I would have all day today to assemble it and get it set up, but no. Only the case came yesterday - bummer. According to the tracking, my computers innards are in KY. So I hope it is delivered tomorrow.

Willow's temperature is fluctuating between 99-100. Poor girl is very droopy.

Pre-Puppy Day 55 (6/10/08)
Willow was quiet last night. Her temperature has gone back up. She still isn't eating alot and I can't go anywhere without her glued to me. My new computer arrives today along with the 1 part I need to setup the webcam in the puppy room. The puppy room is ready! I'm so excited. I have an honest to goodness room devoted to my dog!

I will have the puppy cam up later today. AND I will talk to Willow about having the puppies in there.

Sorry the webcam is still not ready. The part I was expecting to get today did not come.

It is 9:30pm and Willow WILL NOT settle down. The process has begun. I am in for a few sleepless nights. We had to beg Max to go to bed. Willow kept after him until he finally did. I'm going to go and try to convince her settle down without me sleeping on the floor - HA HA!

Pre-Puppy Day 54 (6/9/08)
I am beginning to think these puppies may come a little earlier. Willow has stopped sleeping in our bed at night and now sleeps in her whelping area. Last night she started with the periodic nesting. I read last years blog and the behavior I am getting didn't start until Day 57 last time. But what has been "normal" about this litter so far?

Willow is my shadow. She does not want to sit, play, stand, go outside, etc. She eats when I feed her and brings me her toys. She moved her toy collection from her whelping area to under my desk this morning. This is not a good sign. She can't whelp under my desk. That would be bad. Willow is VERY droppy. Her backend is starting to droop. I took her temperature yesterday at 11 and it was 100.0

Temperature 8:30am: WOW! 98.6 Holy CROW! I took it twice!

I've called the vet to find out if there is any concern, waiting for a call back.

Pre-Puppy Day 51 (6/6/08)
The x-ray showed 2 puppies. We were really hoping to maybe find another one or 2 hidden in there, but no. They are not enormous, they are puppy sized. So we are in the final countdown :-)

Pre-Puppy Day 50 (6/5/08)
Tomorrow afternoon Willow has her X-ray to double check the number of puppies and check their size. The doctor who did the ultrasound thought the puppies were huge! So we are making sure they aren't too big for her to deliver. If they are, we will be scheduling a C-section.

Willow has been getting increasingly uncomfortable. We have had multiple late night potty runs and she can't get comfortable in bed. Yesterday James noticed she had a bit more energy! They had a good game of fetch going. Willow kept bringing him her hedgehog toy and her dinosaur. Those are her 2 favorite toys.

I am going to try and get some sleep. I was up until 2:30 am yesterday playing a video game - lol.

This weekend we are getting the washer moved, finishing the puppy room, putting up lattice work around the porch, and prepping for babies! I have ordered the last part I need for the webcam, so as soon as that is here the webcam will be up and running. It is coming along with my new computer :-)

Pre-Puppy Day 49 (6/4/08)
Willow is getting ready, 11 days to go! I've made up her den in our bedroom so she can whelp there as always. The last 2 nights she slept in there. She has done a lot of grooming and slowed up on the eating a bit. Now I just need to hurry up and get the puppy cam set up!

Pre-Puppy Day 47 (6/2/08)
Thank heavens it is NOT a false pregnancy. It is however a very small litter. The doctor could only find 2 puppies. Here are the pictures:

the bumpy lines are spines

the head is on the right, muzzle pointed down

Pre-Puppy Day 46 (6/1/08)
Tomorrow is our ultrasound. Everyone cross fingers and toes! Willow is EXTREMELY uncomfortable. She pants all the time and grunts getting on or off the bed or couch. Last night she slept on the floor of our bedroom. She just didn't have the energy to get on the bed. I think she also knows the panting rocks the bed and makes everyone unhappy. As usual, she is starving. She looks a lot bigger today. If this is a false pregnancy I really feel for her. I've been told she can even go into labor!!! So unfair. I'm glad that can't happen in humans. The ultrasound is at 1 in VA Beach. So I won't have an update for a couple of hours after that. It could take me an hour or more to get home after it's done.

Pre-Puppy Day 45 (5/31/08)
My hopes are increasing! Willow's belly measured in at 30" this morning! So maybe we breeders don't know more than the vets and maybe my vet is right and we are off a couple of days. Cross your fingers all. James and I are cleaning out the garage and moving the washer and dryer so I can finish the conversion of the puppy room. Yesterday Willow ate 5 bowls of kibble and begged for more!!!!!!

James said to tell you, Willow looks big today.

Pre-Puppy Day 44 (5/30/08)
I can't even begin to describe all the emotions I am going through right now. I am worried about Willow and I am really hoping there are a couple of puppies in there. She is eating 4-5 bowls of kibble a day! Those calories have to be going somewhere. I spend a good deal of time annoying Willow by just laying my hands on her belly hoping for some movement. I swear I have felt some on a few occasions. I have continued to do research on false pregnancies in dogs. Everything I have read says it has no bearing on future litters or breedings which is very good news.

When I was a kid we had a lab, ET, who had 3 false pregnancies. I remember she even fooled the vet. But I was very young and don't remember much about it other than the large number of tennis balls in her whelping box she licked all the fur off of.

I really hope to have more information come Monday evening.

James is already talking about buying me an ultrasound machine for when I have my big kennel out in the country. I want to eventually be where I can have 3 or more litters on the ground at a time. Another breeder I know has 36 puppies on the ground now! All but 7 are sold. All her females went into heat at the same time!

Pre-Puppy Day 41 (5/27/08)
19 Days to Puppies! Can you beleive it!? Willow has started needing a potty break in the middle of the night. I checked last years blog and by this time Willow was enormous with a belly measurement of 32". So I've got my fingers crossed that this is a smaller litter since she is measuring in at 28" - whew! We're gonna go to the vet this week to check in and schedule our -ray.

We went to the vet today and did not come back with good news. Willow has gained no weight and the most the vet could feel was 2 puppies and no movement. So we took and X-ray and couldn't see anything other than 1 of the 2 lumps we felt. So no we are worried that Willow may be having a false pregnancy and there are no puppies. I am not satisifed with wait and see. I am scheduling an ultrasound to get confirmation or not.

I have scheduled an Ultrasound for Willow Monday at 1:00. I hope to have more information then.

Pre-Puppy Day 38 (5/24/08)
I want you to imagine that you have a a string tied around your leg. On the other end of the string is a beach ball. So that everytime you move it swings around your legs and when you stop it bumps into the back of you. If you make any sudden movements the ball trips you up. Now put four paws, a tongue, and a cold wet nose on the ball. This is Willow. She is more than my shadow. God forbid I go into the kitchen or have food of any kind in my hands! When I am at the computer she lays at the base of my chair with her paw/nose/tail etc touching my foot. If I move the chair I will run over her. If we are on the couch she is either on the cushions behind us, perched like a cat or on our feet. Have I mentioned the pregnant dog farts?

Pre-Puppy Day 36 (5/22/08)
I CAN FEEL THE BABIES MOVING!

Pre-Puppy Day 35 (5/21/08)
Please beware of the pathetically hungry brown dog underfoot. This poor girl MUST be touching us at all times. It makes it very difficult to cook, clean, work, etc. She follows us everywhere! We're trying to cook dinner and she is leaning into her Daddy hoping that there is something up on the counter for her. You'd never know I fed her an hour and a half ago.

Pre-Puppy Day 34 (5/20/08)
My apologizes everyone. I know it drives you mad when I don't blog regularly. But right now there is not much happening and I don't want to bore you. Willow and I have to have "discussions" about her meals. I put her food down and she tells me its not right. Then the guessing game begins as to what isn't right about her food. Eventually I give up and tell her "I'm done" and she sighs and eats it. So far she likes the Merrick puppy food - Yippee!

Willow has reached the point where she can't get comfortable. Poor baby...it isn't going to get any easier. I can feel the puppies but I can't distinguish one from another. I will be able to feel wiggling any day now. When I can see and feel them moving about is my favorite part of her pregnancy.

Yesterday I went to the pet store and got Willow a new toy. Coleman makes dog toys with bit ratings and I bought her a little stuffed dinosaur with the highest bite rating. Didn't matter, she broke the squeaker in under 30 minutes. She was so happy with her new toy! Her tail was wagging so hard, she moved her WHOLE body and grunted her little heart out! After we went to bed last night, Willow got up and went downstairs. She came back a few minutes later with her new toy, tucked it under her paw and went to sleep. She is such a good Mommy. LOL - she just brought me the toy!

Willow's belly is at 27". I can't believe we have passed the halfway point. I hope the time is passing as quickly for you all as it is for me.

I finally got James to concede to a puppy. I will take top pick from next years litter. That is assuming that all of these puppies sell and I don't end up with one for 8 months. Can't tell you how much I miss my Bog dog. For anyone curious, Smuckers is doing very well in her new home. While she can't be an outside the home Service Dog, she can be one inside and does her job well. She and Miss Jack are inseperable. I must say, I loved training a service dog. If I had the space, I would do one every litter. I need to check around for K9 working dog units and see if anyone is looking for a lab.

I'm off to enjoy my day off. I have to track down an animal behavioral specialist for Turtle. Her peeing on everything is out of control! My trainer thinks she needs a medication cocktail and professional help beyond her abilities. She told me about someone in NC that specializes in cats. I hope this works.

Pre-Puppy Day 29 (5/15/08)
Willow has sworn off kibble. I could have sworn that I put it that in last year's blog, but it must have been an e-mail to the yahoo group. I will have to find it, to see when she refused kibble last year. UGH. Not what I wanted. She is clearly not feeling well today. Her belly is at 26" today.

Pre-Puppy Day 26 (5/12/08)
Poor Willow hsa been so very very hungry. She has started stealing food off the counters. We have to put all the bread in the fridge. I made chicken the other night and she stole the leftovers before I had a chance to put them away. I feed her 3 times a day at least! She has occasionally brought me her bowl at 9/ 10 at night requesting more food. Thank heavens, she is still fine with kibble. I really hope this lasts. I fret about her getting enough nutrition otherwise. She is supposed to get yogurt or cottage cheese every day. She hates them both and I have to put a spoonful of it down her throat, which of course she doesn't enjoy.

Yesterday, we were headed out the door to my Mother's house for a Mother's Day breakfast, when Willow announced that she would be coming too. My poor little car. A family of 4, a dog, and all the fixings for breakfast. It made for an interesting car trip. So it seems Willow has reached that point where she MUST go with me everywhere. If her entire family leaves the house she is a wreck!

According to my canine gestational calendar the puppies are walnut sized now and can be "counted". I will try, but even my vet finds this funny. She has bred dogs for years too and never been able to count without an x-ray.

Pre-Puppy Day 20 (5/6/08)
Willow's belly this morning is at 25.5"! My how she grows! We are 1/3 of the way to puppies!

I have been feeding Solid Gold Wolf King diet to my dogs. Last year I put Willow on the Wolf Cub after the babies were born and it made her sick. It took me 3 weeks to figure out it was the food giving her diarrhea. Now I'm wondering if that same blend contributed to the puppies diarrhea. I certainly don't want that again! The SMELL! For the last several months, my dogs have been on a lesser brand of dog food. Sadly we were on a tight budget and my animal food/care budget got diminished. My budget is now back to normal - sorta - and I went to the store to buy the Wolf King again and they didn't have any, so I bought the Hund-n-Flocken and started mixing that into the food. Rebel is now on 100% Hund-n-Flocken and his gas is almost gone! He still gets it now and again when he gets into Willow's food. So now I'm thinking Willow and the puppies will be on the Hund-n-FLocken this year. I'm waiting for Jaz to answer my question about that. Because, if Willow is going to continue to eat kibble this round - WOOHOO!

I am still trying to think of a theme for puppy names this year. The Harry Potter names were great! I could do them again, there were plenty to choose from.

I got the puppy room almost ready. I'm going to try and convince Willow to deliver there and not my bedroom. Ideally, if I could put my washer and dryer in the garage...

Pre-Puppy Day 19 (5/5/08)
Willow is the Hungry Hungry Hippo! I can still get her to eat kibble - YEAH! But she is requesting 3 meals a day already. You'd think I starve the poor girl. It is interesting to note that when she is pregnant, she prefers to sleep on her back. It's the only time she does it with any consistency. We've played fetch a few times. She wears out really fast. Today, we're going to take a walk. I'm so worried she is going to get fat. I keep checking for ribs on both dogs. Rebel usually puts on some weight with all the yummy food being handed out. Then he goes out to the farm for a month or so and burns it all off chasing border collies and golf carts. I am hoping that there are enough females for me to keep one. I need to get started on my next line. But since I ended up with so many dogs last year...I have to wait and see how this litter goes.

Just for fun, I thought we'd track Willow's belly circumference. I suppose I should have started it earlier - oops. Today it is 24.5"

Pre-Puppy Day 14 (4/30/08)
James asked me last night, "Why does she become such a Daddy's girl when she is pregnant?" It really is funny that she does. If he is around, she has to be touching him. She sleeps on his feet. It seems that Willow's dramatically increased appetite has deemed that dog food is acceptable. Last night I realized that I had forgotten to make her more food so she got kibble and canned (which I expected her to snub). She inhaled it! Then picked up her bowl and asked for more. In fact, she is bringing me her bowl now. I fed her plenty!!!

I tested out my new webcam software. We will have streaming video this year!!! No more choppy pictures! I'm looking around for a wireless webcam so we can try and have the birth on the web. Willow likes to deliver her pups in my bedroom in the corner where her kennel used to be. Then I can move her and the babies to the puppy room/kitchen. James wants to build her a kennel on the porch - HA! I have asked him about converting our barn/shed to a kennel. I don't think it would take much. We have already wired it for electricity. I must get to work, websites don't update themselves.

Pre-Puppy Day 12 (4/28/08)
Willow has certainly got an appetite this round! I actually got her to eat kibble this morning. It was a mix of kibble, the Sojo's diet Jaz recommended and some puppy formula. Then she brought me her bowl and asked for more! Silly dog. She has been sleeping a little more too. I took her for a walk today and she started dragging along behind me about half way.

I am in the process of upgrading the site. You can see there is a new page - Brags and Wags. It's coming along slowly.

Pre-Puppy Day 9 (4/25/08)
Willow and I arrived home yesterday. She was ready to head home. She watched me pack the car, then ran to the kitchen table and nudged my purse - in case I forgot where it was. Willow spent her trip staring out the window or sleeping. Once we got to Richmond she started to whine. It's amazing how dogs "know" they are near their home. It is a beautiful day outside and we are going to go out and enjoy it! OH! We have a picture of our babies in Just Labs magazine again! I will put it up on the the Gallery page as soon as my copy arrives!

Pre-Puppy Day 5 (4/21/08)
The breeding trip this year turned into more of an adventure than expected. Thursday, Willow and I arrived in Maryland and she and Creek tied immediately. The tie didn't last as long as we expected, but neither of us was concerned, since we knew we would put them together again the next morning. Friday morning, we put them together again and nothing. We left them together for 5 hours and nothing. Jaz suggested that Willow and I follow them up to New Jersey for the agility trial and leave the dogs together a little bit longer. I didn't want to impose since I knew the RV is their home away from home and they were there going to compete. So Willow and I left MD and headed up to CT. About an hour into our trip I began to have second thoughts and called Jaz and told her I would meet them in NJ. We parked at a rest area and waited for Team Whittington to catch up and followed them out to the fairgrounds. Once we arrived, we put Willow and Creek in an X-pen and waited. Still nothing. At this point, I had called my sister and let her know that the current plan was to have me spend the night in NJ and hopefully leave in the morning for CT. Team Whittington finished their agility runs by early evening and still no action. We decided to let Willow and Creek run around the fairgrounds a bit more and hope for the best. Still nothing. At this point, Jaz and I are really frustrated and starting to worry. I did have Willow's progesterone checked before we left so I knew she was ready to go. Scott (Creek's Dad) decided that maybe he needed to show Creek what to do. So he grabbed Willow - who was VERY offended - and goofed around ;-) Apparently this was all Creek needed. They finally tied. This was a good long tie and we all relaxed. Saturday morning, they tied again before the runs started and Willow and I took off for CT where we still are. Willow has already sworn off dog kibble - yes Jaz - even the Solid Gold. She has even snubbed the canned dog food. Tonight she is having potroast and collard greens. Besides being her typical clingy pregnant self, Willow has spent time playing with her daughter - Caterpillar and her Uncle Andy. We are planning to drive back home to VA on Thursday and settle into our normal routine. Jaz gave me a tip for a more cost effective plan for making Willow's homemade meals. I really hope she likes it. There will be more to come on the blog once we get back home.