Houseful of Hounds

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say these puppies are serious hounddogs.

With the introduction of real food, my wee little pups have morphed into butterballs. Pretty much everyone, including Ramblin’ Man gained at least a pound or more this week.

And beyond the obvious hound appetite, there’s the nonstop conversation. They mutter and whine and growl and let out lots of little yips.

I really wish the weather would warm up because I’d love to get them outside for the fresh air and the opportunity to clean up their messy pen—another indicator of their hound heritage. We’ve set up the indoor playpen to give them a change of scenery — but normally we don’t break out this livingroom-hogging contraption until January.

Lucky for them, they are beyond adorable. Nancy was here for a quick photo shoot recently, so I can finally give you a proper introduction to our merry band…

Tallahassee Lassie is the flashiest of the bunch. She is also an outgoing, friendly girl who loves a good snuggle. She and Ramblin’ Man are best buds and nearly always nestled together in the pack.

Ramblin’ Man is the tiny little boy who caused me to hold my breath so often in the past few weeks. He started out smaller than the rest, and has grown at a slower rate and at one point was terribly thin and lethargic. With a few extra one on one sessions nursing with mom, he rallied and ever since we started solid food he is just as plump as the rest. Ramblin’ Man is a visitor favorite and is happy to sleep in your lap as long as you let him.

Chattahoochee was the last one born and arrived into the world tail-first. Since then she’s proved to be an easy going pup who outweighs all her siblings.

Tupelo Honey is just a few ounces less than Chattahoochee but looks very similar. She has a little more white on her face and an impish expression to go with her fun personality. She is usually the last one to sleep and the first one ready to party.

My Darling Clementine is on the small side for this litter and can be shy at times, but she warms up quickly and is growing more and more fond of human attention, nibbling on toes when you ignore her.

Rocky Top is the tallest and largest pup, even if not the heaviest. He has beautiful markings and a freckly face and socks. He is a happy, busy guy who loves attention and isn’t hesitant about demanding it.

Sweet Georgia Brown is on the laid back side. She enjoys napping and I tend to pick her up for cuddles most often, maybe because she isn’t as pushy as the others. She has the perfect puppy face and like Rocky Top is spotted with freckles like her mom.

Lil’ Liza Jane is the mustachioed pup. She is small and quiet with a super soft coat and a black mask on her face. This sweet girl is a ‘watcher’ pup but once she feels comfortable, she jumps right in with the rest of the crazies.

Dixieland is ready to be done with the whole lot of them. She is the first mama dog I’ve had who is ready to wean them before five weeks of age. I actually have to give her a treat bribe to get her into the pen and despite the fact that Nick built her a little getaway bunk,

she no longer sleeps in their room with them (she jumps the gate or barks her fool-head off to get out) at night. She will go in after they’ve eaten to clean up their feeding bowls.

As she distances herself from the pups, her personality is beginning to shine through. She is a little imp who is always on the lookout for a snack and isn’t afraid to investigate the garbage cans in her hunt. Despite her short stature, I would guess that she will be an accomplished counter-surfer.

She loves to sit in the sunshine and prefers to be wherever I am. She is finally using a dog bed and learning that soft places are a good thing. Because of her deformed hind leg, she can’t jump up easily on sofas or chairs, but that doesn’t stop her from trying. When she is standing still, she’s basically a tri-pod because the leg doesn’t reach the ground, but she walks and runs on it easily when she’s on the move.

Oreo update: Oreo continues to win hearts and minds. Brady was home for the weekend to attend a hackathon at a nearby college and he added another vote to the ‘let’s keep him’ team.

Just to prove he’s not perfect, Oreo did eat the pocket out of my jacket this morning (to get to the treats inside) and last week he peed on Gracie’s crate! It was a one-time occurrence, he seems otherwise housebroken, so I have to believe it was more a statement of dominance than an accident. It’s fine with me if Oreo wants to be the boss of Gracie (as long as she doesn’t need repeat reminders). She could use his leadership just as much as Frankie.

This weekend will be my final scheduled book signing. I’ll be keeping it local and combining it with an OPH adoption event at Gunpowder Falls Brewing in New Freedom, PA from 2-4pm on Saturday. Edith Wharton will be signing with me and hopefully another celebrity or two from the book. Come by for a beer and to find out how you can volunteer, foster, or adopt with OPH. We’ll have a whole cast of adoptable dogs. To find out which ones – RSVP to the event page.

Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to know more about my blogs and books, visit CaraWrites.com or subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter (which is rarely monthly, but I’m working at it…everybody needs a goal).

If you’d like to know more about the book, Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs, check AnotherGoodDog.org, where you can find more pictures of the dogs from the book (and some of their happily-ever-after stories), information on fostering, the schedule of signings, and what you can do right now to help shelter animals! I’ll also post more of Nancy’s pictures from the shoot – there are some great ones! Here’s a particularly fun one:

If you’d like to know how you can volunteer, foster, adopt or donate with OPH, click here. And if you’d like more pictures and videos of my foster dogs past and present, be sure to join the Another Good Dog facebook group.

I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to comment here on the blog, email carasueachterberg@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram.

 Best,

 Cara

Released August 2018 from Pegasus Books and available for preorder now: