Edith Sings them to sleep!!

I opened MySpace this morning and Annie Lennox's music playlist was being featured. If you go to her profile the playlist is different so it must be one of those MySpace marketing things. Anyhow, Edith Piaf happened to be the first selection on that featured playlist. Well, since I like her music, I naturally clicked play. That's when all the pups started howling. I clicked the next song and they stopped. I clicked back to Edith and they started again. Before I could get the lights on and the camera rolling, most of them had fallen off to sleep, but little Henna stayed awake long enough to serenade me. Be sure to watch the ending!! Also if you've never heard Edith Piaf.... google her. Yes, she's french, but we can forgive that, because she was born Italian.

Five Weeks Old!!

We're into week six now!! That means the pups are 5 weeks old. That also means that whatever life I'd been living up to this point has just been put on hold, because now my attention is 24/7 puppies. Weighed 'em all this morning and we have almost.... Almost 67 lbs of puppy. The largest is now 7lb 5 oz and growing... hourly!! You can see from this picture they don't like to go too far from the food pan.

Maggie leaves this Sat for her new foster arrangement. She decided sometime around this past Mon that she was done nursing. I've had to sort of cage her a few times so the pups could assist with swollen teats, but she's pretty much done. Tomorrow will be the last day they'll have contact with her and that's only if I can't quiet them down. They're quite the content little bunch of siblings. All spats are usually settled in a huge pile and often with sleep close behind.

Miss Midge below got her name because she was the largest. She's since been eclipsed by her ever so much larger sister, who still remains nameless. Alas, we have one more name to bestow and we're done.

Neddy, Highway, Winnie, Midge, Roxie, Kip, Newby, Mickey, Henna and the last one!! Maggie's become infatuated with the cats this week. We've exiled her to the living room with Dash n Roux and suddenly she was there where she could see the cats disappear up the stairs and down that hole... (the trap door). She's yet to ever try to hurt one of them, but they totally fascinate her.

Sat I'll be taking her to Baileys Crossroads to the adoption event. Today I posted an ad for her on craigslist. We're looking for a new foster family that might be willing to take her in. you can see her ad here.... http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/pet/1051726192.html We'll miss her, but at the same time, it'll be a break for me. See, once Maggie decided she was no longer a Mama.... she went right back to being a puppy. Ten is enough for me!! Wish her and us luck!!! We've got to find ten good homes for these little babies in a few weeks too!!

Under the weather!

Never means you get a break! I flop back and forth from feeling a little green to not knowing exactly where I am. The dogs and the puppies don't seem to understand how I'm feeling though, and they insist on the normal routine. This means 2 - 3 hours of sleep at a time. I forgot about this feature. The Bassets had it down to the minute almost. These 10 are a little more forgiving, but since I've taken their mama from them, except for those few nursing visits I still allow, their awake time is more needy and louder. Which in turn leaves me feeling like this. I'm officially boycotting my kitchen today, unless of course I get word that there's chocolate in there.

Wish the pups luck.... I'm not in the same fastidious mood I was in yesterday.

They might have to just get over themselves once or twice today.

Warning!! Soft cuddly things ahead!!!

OK... I'm sorry if I've challenged a few of you with my last post. I said from the beginning though, that I would try to show all aspects of Dog Rescue. Day 1 after I finished administering the dewormer and they're pretty much back to normal. All worms gone.... no more spaghetti!! So here's the nicer side..... Playing or Sleeping.... I'll take either over pooping!! Here's Miss Neddy daring me to chase her.

.... and here's Miss Neddy less tan 20 minutes later... Crashed. For some reason she prefers to sleep away from her siblings. She's not one for being part of the pile-up!

Miss India loves sleeping in the corner.... and posing at the same time!

Newby is often on his back as well, but always near the big teddy bear I gave them. You can see just a little of Miss Winnie too. She a little noise maker and very demanding.

Highway goes as far back from the light and the noise as possible. He weighed in today at 6 lb 5 oz. I only weighed him and Midge. She topped the scales at 6 lb 6 oz.

So there you have a more OOH and AAH evoking post. Much different and I guess a little less stomach churning than my last. Steve and I have some sort of nasty cold/bronchial related illness. He stayed home Friday and spent the whole weekend with it. I started sunday morning feeling ill and am full blown bitchy with it right now. It came with a fever, bad congestion and lots of coughing, but no vomiting, so we can't call it the flu. I guess if we can make it through exorcism-like puppy poop while sick as dogs ourselves.... we can make it through anything. Well, check in around wednesday, cuz I ain't done being sick yet. I might just start protesting the kitchen tomorrow and dump a bag of dog food on the floor. I'm ready to just be sick and say to hell with everything else..... NOT! It would be nice to sleep for more than 3 hours uninterrupted though.

They've gone Alien on me..

OK... We gave the pups their wormer today.... WTF!?!?!?!?! I've de-wormed puppies before,

but this has to be one for "Dirtiest Jobs".

Ten pups X 3 - 4 poops a day X 30 worms per poop.

We've already disposed of a guesstimated 1000 or more worms.

Tomorrow better be better than today.

I can't hold my stomach much longer.

Each puppy gives me the same amount each time.

It's totally grossing me out.

I've never washed my hands as much as I have today.

Did somebody call a priest? I swear this is some sort of exorcism

taking place right here in my dining room..... YUCK!!!! I'll never eat in this room again.

Demon spawn spewing original sin from their bowels.

If their little heads start spinning.... I'm outta here.

I know one thing for damn sure... I'm never eating Ramen Noodles again.

Pupdate!!

The pups are now just past 4 weeks old. Weighed them all this morning and although there's a difference of almost 1lb between the smallest and the fattest, I'm not too worried because they're all healthy. We've got two left to name and hopefully they'll start exhibiting some unique personality traits soon, so we can start calling them something other than cutie!! They've all learned how to stand up and look over the wall of their little compound. Here's Newby staring at me wondering where his momma is. Maggie, their mama, spends most of her day with Dash and Roux outside or asleep on the sofa. Feeding time has become a little more difficult. Since there are ten pups and Maggie can only feed 8 at a time...... it's a little hectic. Actually it's more like a mall mob the day after xmas. The frantic rush to get there first and no concern for who gets stepped on or pushed out of the way. They've even started biting and growling to get that almighty teat. Funny, the number of thoughts that flashed through my head just then. The symbolism alone made me dizzy and lightheaded with giddy laughter!! I still assist from time to time by exiling the few fatties to another part of the compound, just so the little guys can feast for awhile. Again... there go those symbolic thoughts racing around in my head. I'd write 'em down but told myself there''s no need to now that we have responsible and accountable government. My political sarcasm has stalled so to say.... it'll never be gone completely!! One of the highlights of puppy fostering is getting to go worm hunting. It's a good sign actually... tells me the dewormer is doing it's thing. Still gross though. These are round worms... the most common worms for puppies. My little guys were born with these, since Mama was already infested. They're kind of prehistoric looking. The next ones I find... I'm video taping for You Tube!!! They move around all slow-like..... looking like Nessie on land. I guess I forgot to mention that half of the pups are now over 5lbs. We now have 49lb 2 oz of puppy!!! So far we have named 8.... and here they are....

Neddy

Highway

Winnie

Midge

Roxie

Kip

Newby

India

I'm gonna try to do Glam Shots of them, individual like, this weekend. Wish me luck!!

Naming Bunnies

The Bunnies are officially 4 wks old now. They're all over 4 lbs... a couple of them closer to 5.... little fatties!! I did some figuring and came up with these numbers... We started with 9lb 8.3oz of Pups. At 4 wks we have a total of 42lbs 14oz of Pups.... Of course you can give or take an ounce depending on how often they leave me little surprises. This is the week I start limiting their nursing and start increasing their dependence on me. They've already perfected the food pan... well maybe not perfected it, but they know what it is when they see me with it..... Fat Little Bunnies!! So far we have 6 named. Kennedy was the first... She also was the first born. I call her Neddy. Secondly, we named Kip after a dear friend and neighbor who passed the same day the pups were born. Then we picked out Midge. She wasn't born the largest, but quickly took that title and has maintained it ever since. So, since we can't name her Marge for "Large Marge", because that was taken by one of the bassets, we used Midge. After that we were stuck for awhile. I had toyed with the idea of American Indian names, but then couldn't remember them once I chose them, so we hit rewind and let the little bunnies choose for us. That's how we got Highway. He loves to run, but has to jump first and then he takes off.... just like he's ready to hit the highway. Sort of a personal favorite of mine is Roxie. She's one of the two white ones... and always has the best poses, so I named her after Roxie Hart, originally played by Ginger Rogers and then later the character was used in Chicago In Honor of many things.... Obama being in office... the 150th anniversary of John Browns Raid here in Harpers Ferry,WV. I chose to name the 3rd little boy, Newby, after Dangerfield Newby, who was the first man to die that Oct night in 1859. There ya have it. Neddy, Kip, Midge, Highway, Roxie & Newby.. My little bunnies are growing up. Pretty soon they'll be asked to grow up too fast and we'll take their Mama from them. Then we'll stick 'em with needles and shortly afterwards, hopefully place them with good families that will give them the love that they deserve. I know... I'm way ahead of myself... One day at a time seems forever, but I know how fast we got to this point. Wasn't it just yesterday that I would holler in to Steve for the time as each one of them entered the light? Now, they run and jump and growl and best of all .... they give hundreds of bunny kisses!! I'm sure Maggie will miss them, but I bet she won't miss being pummeled but 40+ lbs of gnawing teeth. We have 4 more to name.... don't hate me if I don't take your suggestions... I figure it this way... The new owners will more than likely rename them anyhow, so if I'm doing all the work... I get to choose the name they'll have for this brief time, and if they keep the names I chose, well at least I'll be able to share how they got those names. Y'all take care and come hug a Bunny!!