A quick catch up

The adventure continues.

Mr. Orange decided that the fire place makes a nice place to sleep and he required a bath to get rid of the soot and dust, doesn't he look pathetic, poor baby :(

Aimee brought over the little tikes slide for us to borrow, the pups LOVE it!!   If any of you garage sale shoppers see one of these, buy it, I or PAWS will pay you back (up to $10).  this is the best puppy toy!  

We have started feeding gruel, a combination of ground up kibble and water and the pups can't get enough.  

We have had quite a few visitors in the past two days.......

Annie with daughters Jenn, Julia and Judith May are experienced puppy breeders.  They have even bred lab puppies for PAWS.

I am sure Amy has heard nothing but "PLLLEEEEZZEE, I want a puppy" ever since Sarah and Leah left from snuggling the babies.  

Anna and Greta's school friends Ella and Francie dropped by after the park today.  Francie wasn't sure what to think, but she was very brave and even petted Miss Purple.  

Matthew, Anne, Isabelle, and Helena stopped by.  Do you think brother Peter is going to be sad he didn't come?   

Payton, Michelle and Gwen were contemplating stuffing Miss Pink into Michelle's cute pink purse.  I did a pup count before they left the driveway! :-)  I am sure Michelle and Greg will also be hearing the "PPLLLEEEEZZZZEEE!"

Now, the pups were pooped but after a quick nap they are back to wrestling.  They are sooo cute!!  

What a Day!

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Yesterday we had the cutest visitors. Lily came over and brought her mom and her grandma.  What fun to see them interact with the pups.  It was a really nice, calm visit.  Thanks for coming!

Today, has been quite a busy day here in puppy world, getting everyone ready for Rosie and the pup's TV debut.  House cleaning, hair, makeup, clothing for all 8 girls (4 two-footed ones and five 4-pawed ones.)  Rosie went over and saw Tammy for a bath and a trim.  She came back looking and feeling refreshed.  As all of us busy moms know, a day at the spa is vital once in a while.  Lucky boys, no work for them to look great.

Just a sidebar note, not really the smartest idea to start the puppies on "gruel" the day before a photo shoot. Really, you think that it would have occurred to me that with gruel, comes poop.

I mean real poop.  

We welcomed Jamie and John from the Maranda's Where You Live* show  into our home to talk about PAWS, puppy raising, whelping, etc...  The pups preformed perfectly, Rosie was a wonderful hostess and Jackson even gave them a Chessie Smile.  Caroline talked on camera (I'm soooo proud of her), so I hope that they will use some of her in the piece.  

I am thrilled to be able to use these adorable golden nuggets to garner more awareness for PAWS and the wonderful work they do.  It was fun for us and I think for Jamie and John, too.  The segment will air on May 28 and 29, I will keep you posted!

Jamie and Puppies.  

We are really looking for Mother Nature so send some warm, dry weather this way so the pups can go outside and play,  if you have any influence, we would appreciate it.  

*Where You Live is a weekly half-hour program hosted by Maranda. Each week's show features a combination of information, inspiration and insights for West Michigan parents.  It airs Fridays @ 7pm on WXSP, Saturdays @ 7:30 am and pm on WOTV 4 and Saturdays @ 6:30 pm on WOOD TV8.  

PuppyCam

On this very dreary day here in Michigan, I thought I would share some video of the pups wrestling, squawking and eventually even escaping. Enjoy.

The Pied Piper

Puppies are everywhere.  Today they decided to hop out of the box and try to follow mom around the house.  I've been poised here with the video camera trying to catch it again to no avail.  Just like the Pied Piper, but with Momma Golden Retriever with little Golden nuggets scampering after her.  By far, the cutest thing ever.   


Other cute things that have been going on around here;


The pups have begun to really wrestle with each other.  I caught Mr. Red chasing Miss Green's tail today.  He caught it and bit down, she let him know that wasn't cool.  We also had an all out rumble going on with 5 puppies squawking and "growling" at each other.  They think they are so tough trying to be top dog.


The box no longer contains them, I think each has been over the "great wall" at least once today.  I now am spending my time counting and making sure none have escaped to another part of the house.


They have begun to harass Old Uncle Jackson.  Jackson has been such a good sport up to this point with the invasion of golden puppies.   Now, he is not so sure what he thinks of them.  They are beginning to chase him.  He pushes them back with his nose and they just go back in.  Common' pups, don't you know he is a crotchety old dog that outweighs you by what, 75 pounds?  And, how do you know that his growl is all show?  I'm being cautious, just the same.

Poor Jackson, in time out. Look at that face!!!  

Rosie is a Retriever through and through.  If you come to our door, she will greet you with a gift.  Hopefully it is just a shoe and not a pair of underwear.  She now has started to bring her babies gifts and it is so sweet!  Yesterday I found a sock in the box.  She often brings stuffed toys, but what I love most is the tennis ball.  As if to say, "OK kids, this is a tennis ball, you LOVE tennis balls.  They are the bomb, slimier the better.  So just get used to the smell, and you will want to practice dropping into your person's lap."

yes, her head is in the litter box.

We had lots of fun with visitors this weekend.    

Bennett and his mom Amy.

Melinda with Jack and Ruby

And the Gorsline Girls, Belle, Libby and Gracie.  

And Julie and Mallory, you must come back because we didn't get a photo!  

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day and I feel like no one deserves happy wishes more than our Rosie Posie Pudding Pie.  Forgive me for humanizing this experience but.....

In the last 3 1/2 months Rosie.......

...was bread for the first time, an experience that left her traumatized and physically ill.

...carried a litter of 8 pups with a spring in her gait and a ball in her mouth.

...delivered smoothly, quickly, and with only one yelp (during daylight hours and not until Aimee was in the house).

...immediately loved and cared for her babies.

...loved and cared for even a sick baby.

...developed painful mastitis and continued to nurse her pups.

...snuggled her sick baby until the time came.

...alerted her people to impending disaster.

...'s mastitis developed into a severe case, she had surgery and despite drains and stitches STILL continued to nurse those voracious pups without complaint.

...welcomes strangers into the house to love and snuggle her babies, she shows them off with pride.

...continues to be the sweetest, four pawed girl I know.

Happy Mother's Day Rosie,  because of you, 7 more people are going to gain their independence.
Rosie, YOU ROCK!!!  And you are loved!!!!

Seriously....

...how am I supposed to get anything done around here!  The girls and I spent this rainy Friday afternoon just staring at puppies, taking pictures and snuggling.

"Mommy, I think these are lion puppies!", exclaimed Anna, as Miss Purple let out a tremendous growl.  Anna literally does not leave the living room, she is constantly playing with a puppy or two.  I have to remind her that they are babies and she must let them sleep.  

We had a houseful of girls after school as Terry came back with friends Katie, Emily and Abbie .  They took so many pictures, I think they may have to publish a book!  Each puppy had a favorite girl and the feeling was mutual!  Even Rosie posed with them for a photo.  It was a fun visit and we hope they will come again.  

These pups were seriously tired after the girls left!  

Puppy Pile on Mama Rosie's bed!  

We are gearing up for a Saturday of visitors, if you would like to be added to the visitor list, please drop me an email, comment below or on Facebook.   

Adjust the volume????

I've added music to the blog,  it will start any second.  You may want to adjust the volume accordingly.  Thanks.  

More Questions

Happy Friday.  We have successfully made it through another week, Rosie is healing and the pups are growing.  I thought it might be a good day to answer some more questions and, of course, share more photos.  

Q.  How much longer will the puppies be with you?  

A.  The puppies will be weaned and will move to their foster homes in early June. 

Mr. Red, Seriously, have you ever seen anything cuter?  

Q.  Where will the puppies go next?
A.  They will be fostered in private homes for the next 12-14 months. 

Pink and Green Sisters hold paws while they snooze! 

Q.  Are all the puppies assigned to foster homes?
A.  No.  Five of the pups have been assigned.  Two will stay in the Grand Rapids area.  One will go to Lansing and two will go over to SE Michigan.  Two are still in need of foster homes. 

Hard to believe these little paws will be scooting around Michigan in

their "Future Assistance Dog" capes before too long!

Q.  Do you get to name them?
A.  No.  Each foster family submits 3 names to Paws and one name will be picked by Paws.  So far these "K" pups will be Kosmic, Kismet, Kirby, Kaden and Keely.  


Since Rosie's mom is Hula ("Hot Lips" Houlihan)  and her litter was named for M*A*S*H characters, I am still pulling for Klinger to keep the theme going ;)

M*A*S*H Litter

Parents - Hula and Bubba

Sherman, Hartley, Rosie, Milly and Truman

Hartley, Rosie and Mom Hula.  

Q.  Do you have to live in Michigan to foster a Paws pup?  
A.  No, there are pups being fostered in other states.  if you are interested in learning about fostering a future assistance dog please click Paws with a Cause.

Mr. Orange is a total Snuggle Bug.  Rosie knows it, too.

She often brings a stuffed toy and drops it on top of him.  Too cute!  

Q.  Are you being compensated for what you are doing.  
A.  No, we are volunteering our time to Paws.  It is a great way to combine our love of dogs with a desire to think above ourselves and help provide independence to people who would not otherwise have it.  The life lessons that our children are learning from this experience are priceless.  

Today's visitors were Rob, Allison, Edan and Corbin.

 Edan wished his pocket's were bigger so he could've smuggle Mr. Blue out of here!   It wouldn't have taken too much arm twisting for him to have enlisted his dad's help.  Definitely a dog loving family!  

Q.  How did you become involved with Paws?
A.  That is a long story and one that I will share on another day.  


Q.  How can I get involved?
A.  Make a donation of money or items from the Paws wish list. Even better, host a party and collect donations, I would be happy to help you with ideas.   You can attend PAWS Events.  

Escape Artists

I really did not expect these pups to be so strong so soon.  I arrived home today to find 5 AWOL puppies.  They were sprawled out all over the puppy romper room (AKA the living room) snoozing away, obviously exhausted from the big adventure.  Thanks to the wood floors, I had the mess cleaned up in no time and the pups back in the box with some extra toys to keep them entertained!    Now for clarification, the whelping box has a hinged flap on it and the flap was left down so the climb was only about 6" but I doubt it will be long until they can scale the full height of the box.  The ex-pen is on deck!

Seriously, these babies are getting CUTER by the minute.  Fluffier, feistier and lots more fun.

And speaking of cute, we had an impromptu visit from the Masek's today.  We had some squirmy puppies for this photo, but isn't it darling anyway?   

Another sweet thing happened today, our friend Amy sent the sweetest Mother's Day card to Rosie and Me.  Her thoughtfulness made our day!!  After all that poor Rosie has been through, she deservse a Mother's Day Party,  hum, that gives me an idea!  

Three Weeks

Happy Three Weeks little "K" pups.  To celebrate, we took them outside for the first time.

So much to discover, the grass, the sunshine, the wind and even a puppy princess!  

OOH, the air smells so good!  

The Boys, Mr. Orange and Mr. Red go exploring.  

Miss Purple thought the sun was a bit bright.  

Miss Green likes to venture out on her own, she is very curious.  

Snuggles in the Sunshine!  

Is it nap time yet?  

Virginia, the Puppy Princess.

The puppies loved her dress, they kept trying to burrow under it, Mr. Red even became tangled in the layers of Tulle!  Not sure who had more fun, the pups or the princess!  

One Step Forward Two Steps Back

Actually, with all the paws around here I guess that would be at least 7 tiny steps forward.  These little pups are getting stronger, cuter and noisier by the hour!  The smallest pup is Mr. Red weighing in at 3 Lbs. 8 Oz. and the Largest is Miss Green at 3 Lbs. 13 oz.  I am having a lot of trouble getting anything done as all I want to do is sit and stare at them.  We moved them upstairs into the living room and they love the sunlight coming through the big window.

Little Miss Pink found herself in the funniest positions during her afternoon nap in the sunshine!  

Now Rosie, seriously, what a trouper.

I was not sure if I should blog about this incident as it clearly shows poor judgement on my part, but now that it has been 24 hours I am more laughing than crying, so here goes....

Sunday night, basement was really cold and damp from the rain we received over the weekend so Andy and I decided to plug in the heat lamp "just for an hour or so", to warn up the puppy area.  Well, I thought he turned it off and he thought I did.  Around 2AM a panicked Rosie woke me up and I smelled smoke.  The rambunctious pups had shifted the box just enough to knock over the still plugged in heat lamp and it had begun to burn the wooden slats and melt the carpeting behind the box.  Panic ensued as I doused the area and swiftly moved the puppies upstairs.  Thanks to Rosie, the damage really is not as bad as it seemed at 2AM and we are all safe.   We have added rescue dog to her list of superhero powers and I am making her a cape.

All of this in spite of her Mastitis.  It's bad, the worst the vet and staff at PAWS have ever seen.  When a dog gets mastitis, there is often a "blowout" where the infection comes to the surface of the skin, erupts through the skin and forms a hole.  I am not going to get too graphic here, suffice it to say, I have never seen anything so gross.  It looked like something straight out of a horror flick.

Yesterday, I took her out to see Dr. Jeanne (along with the pups to be sure they weren't suffering from smoke inhalation, they are all fine!).  Doc decided that there was no way this was going to close up on it's own so she did some surgery and partially closed the wound.   Again, not to be to graphic, Rosie has lots of stitches and two drains.  She came home doped up on pain meds and still managed to nurse her pups.  This morning, again, she nursed like a champ despite the obvious pain.

She is a super mom, I cannot believe how much she has endured and how much she has matured from it.  She is resting in her crate and only coming out to nurse so that she can heal quickly and we can get on with having fun with these pups.

It was joked yesterday that maybe we should change the naming of this litter from the K's to the "disaster" litter.  Well, Katrina does begin with "K"

Really, is there anything  better than Uncle Octo?  

We did manage to have some fun with the Conway's while Rosie was at the vet.  They are our neighbors,  and really, everyone should be lucky enough to have neighbors like the Conways!  When I told Amy that it was ok to come for a visit, Jack bolted across the street and was at my door before I even hung up the phone.  Terry is my girls' favorite babysitter, they beg for us to go out so they can play with Terry!  Their family raised a foster puppy for PAWS many years ago.  Obsessed with tennis balls, she was CC'd and became a drug detection dog at Logan Airport.  Amy is on the PAWS foster puppy sitter list and comes highly recommended by Rosie and Jackson.

  

Sunday Funday

I'm looking at a pen of exhausted pups!  It has been an exciting day of visitors.  The fun has definitely begun and the puppies are getting cuter and more rambunctious each day.

First, we had the Milne family, Ken, Ellen and Erin.  I know, our names are really close.  We laugh at the confusion we cause around the PAWS headquarters and the times we have received mail intended for the other.  Now the confusion will continue as the Milne's are fostering one of the puppies whelped by the Milnes'!  They will be getting one of the boys and naming him Kaden (meaning beloved friend or companion in Aribic).  Kaden will be the Milne's 8th foster puppy and we are excited!

Erin and the boys

The second visitors were Grandma Fae and Dale.  They came to snuggle the pups and grandkids.  As you can see, they enjoyed themselves.  

Third were the Syrba family, Lauren, Rachel and Natalie along with friend Constance.  They know a few things about PAWS puppies, they are currently fostering their 9th.  The pups and Rosie ate up the attention.  

The evening was capped off by a visit from two of Caroline's dear friends Addie and Reagan.   Can you guess what they want for their birthdays?  

If you are interested in coming to visit our little golden nuggets please let me know and we will try to work out a time.  

Things are looking up

This was an exhausting week both physically and emotionally.  All three of my girls participated in the school's variety show and I was the coordinator for Caroline's group.  My Father-in-law and his wife paid us a visit from Minnesota.  I completed a volunteer project for the twins' Kindergarten class (with some help, thanks H).  Rosie got Mastitis and we lost little Miss Yellow. 

 Jackson Checks out Miss Green

Tomorrow begins a new week and I have the utmost confidence that things are looking up.  


Rosie is on the mend and the puppies are big, strong and healthy. 

Today we set up the puppy "romper room" and brought the pups up from the basement for some playtime.  Thanks to my garage sale-ing friend Michelle P.,  
the pups have some fun new toys.  They love the stuffed dog, thanks Michelle!!!  

Caroline and Mr. Red

The Millwood family paid us a visit today.  They were the winners of the "Puppy Pool" contest, so they were awarded the privilege of being the first visitors.   

 Spencer and Mr. Blue were big time buds!   

Lucy thought that chubby Miss Purple was pretty great!

I think you can tell by the smile that Amanda was as smitten by these golden nuggets as the kids were.   Thanks for coming!