Too young to be outdoors, even with a heated dog house, we quickly set up a temporary puppy pen in Hissy House. Hissy House, right now, offers shelter from the elements, but is not insulated, and the temperature inside is not much warmer than outside. But, along with their mom, 6 puppies came to Southern Friends. With help from several, invaluable volunteers, we made it work.
Then, Frisky, the momma, decided she was ready to wean and kept getting out of the pen. Then, extreme cold and inclement weather visited the South. No choice but to go ahead and separate mom and pups and move pups to my house. So, at a little over five weeks old, 6 puppies came to the Murphys.
This is my first experience with multiple, very young puppies. And wow! So fun, so interesting, so cute, and SO much work! Southern Friends has taken in puppies before, but normally they come in ones, or twos, and a bit older than four weeks old! I've nursed a very young, very sick little puppy before, but it was only ONE! This is totally different! Mainly the poop... lots of poop!
I'll spare you the poop details, and just talk about the fun stuff. Watching these little guys grow and change, in just one week, is fascinating! Their personalities are already emerging, and their dynamics as a group is mesmerizing.
Lorien, the only fuzzy furred baby out of the six, is about as cute as cute can be. Her little body is short and compact, but she's surprising light when you pick her up. She's always the first to come running, looks right at you, and her body language says, "Me, me, me! Pick me up!"
Pippin, the only solid white one out of the bunch, is also friendly. He's usually the second one out. But his demeanor is calm and gentle. He walks up, not demanding like Lorien, but more just expecting. He's so cute he just knows you'll pick him up!
Gracie & Gertie, the two brown pups, are such little ladies. Both have gorgeous eyes, not sure what color they are going to be, but they're definitely not brown. Gertie is more solid brown with just a little white, and Gracie has white on her nose. They are both a little more serious than the rest, the first ones to look you directly in the eyes. Do I see some wisdom staring back? And their play is much calmer than the others.
Kylie! Oh my goodness! We thought she was going to be a true terror! She started out as the bossiest, the meanest, the biggest trouble maker! This went on for the first several days she was with us. She was constantly making the other puppies cry, and wouldn't stop, even when they were squealing at the top of their lungs.
Then, one day I heard a racket and went to see what was going on. Four pups had Kylie down. All four were standing over her, not hurting her, but they were definitely having a serious talk with their bossy sister! Kylie was on her back, not moving a muscle. How interesting! Kylie has been a different little girl ever since! She stays out of trouble and she has become more the observer. She still plays with everyone, but she minds her manners, and she's the one you'll catch studying you, studying the others, studying her surroundings... I think we have a very intelligent one with Kylie.
And now, for the last, but definitely not least! Rudy! Rudy is now the largest of the six. He weighs, by a long shot, quite a bit more than his siblings. Pick them all up and you'll immediately notice the difference in his solid little body. The biggest, but also the sweetest, the gentlest, the cuddliest... He sometimes acts lost. He'll just stand in the middle of the pen whining. I've learned to just pick him up and give him a little reassurance and he stops. He sleeps the most and you'll never see him sleeping alone. He's always cuddled up to a sibling or two.
At first, I worried that something might be wrong with Rudy. I watched him carefully. He eats well, plays well, fur and skin looks healthy, hears and sees well, no problem with bodily functions... I'm still watching him carefully, but I think he's just a little gentle giant. He enjoys being held and cuddled. What a snug bug! I think it'll be a lucky family that gets this little love.
So even though these pups are a lot of stinky, messy work, I'm enjoying them immensely! What a privilege to watch them grow and change, and to bond with their sweet little personalities at such a young age!
Frisky, you did well!
Tara
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