Puppies!

Puppies.

What can I write that I haven’t written before?

This bunch is unique only in that they are all boys. I’ve never had a litter of all one sex. I came close with Edith’s litter of eleven girls and one boy.

I’ll say this for a pack of boys—they are messy and loud (getting louder). All puppies play rough—it’s how they learn social etiquette. This time living as a litter is critical to making them into nice dogs down the road. They are learning where the line is between play and pain. Ears are off limits – I can always tell by the high pitch of the shriek when someone has tested that limit.

I vaccinated them last night and not a single one of them cried or fussed. They also take their dewormers easily, and let me trim their toenails. Very cooperative bunch, but they probably get that from their mom, who is an easy dog to have around.

These pups are smaller than the last bunch, but equally sweet and friendly. I wish I had more time to spend with them, but with four adult dogs here I am spread pretty thin. (Paws crossed for the two who have Meet & Greets this weekend!)

I’d love to find some local people who can come and visit the puppies. I’m missing my regulars in Pennsylvania. I even had a Girl Scout troop that came over to play with pups.

I do my best, playing with them as much as I can, but still they sit in a line at the puppy pen fence waiting for me to finish my work. Luckily (so far) they aren’t very whiney. But with some definite hound dog heritage, they do know how to pull the long face.

Today I will set up their outside play area. They are big enough and rowdy enough to need it. That should help in terms of exercise, but not personal attention. I have a puppy sling that is useful for carrying around the last puppy adopted each time (it’s that or listen to the pup cry in the pen all alone).

I’m still attempting to do a Facebook Live each day in the Another Good Dog Facebook group. So you’ll know who’s who:

Maraschino is the larger of the two lookalike pups. He has distinct freckles on his nose and is wearing a purple collar. Maraschino is a beautiful puppy who looks to me like the definition of ‘puppy’ you’d find in the dictionary or a children’s book with his floppy ears, beautiful white markings, freckly nose, constantly wagging tail, and sturdy build. He is an outgoing puppy – maybe the most outgoing, but Ranier, his little twin is also.

Bing is the black puppy with the defined markings of a rottweiler (in miniature). He is absolutely striking and has a gorgeous coat like a seal that is black with tips of gold. He is an independent guy who is content playing with a toy or chewing on a the zipties that hold the pen together. He is all in when invited to wrestle. He’s a great ‘poser’ (I can set him in a sit and take lots of pictures), so I think he’d make a great Instagram star, especially with those eyebrows and curious face.

Ranier is the smaller version of Maraschino. For a little guy, he is very solid and sturdy. He has a few drips of white fur on the back of his neck and the most interesting nose – partly white, partly brown, partly pink. He is a happy, busy guy who challenges his bigger brothers to wrestle all day long. He’s an excellent sleeper – often the last to wake and the one that disappears under the raised dog bed to nap.

Utah Giant is the biggest of the pups (but not the heaviest – that goes to Bing!). He has the sweetest face with white markings slipping off the side of his nose. He is a sweetheart who loves attention and isn’t afraid to ask for it. He loves playing with his brothers and also wrestling with the Kong food dispenser (he knows there is food in there but hasn’t managed to get any of it out).

Tart is the littliest in size and a whole three pounds less than Bing. He has a slight build and isn’t densely packed like the others. He is a doll baby who is smitten with me and can sit alone at the fence watching for me for long periods. He loves to be held and even lets me hold him like a baby doll – such trust in his dear face. He is quieter than the others, sleeping a lot, but does hold his own when challenged to a wrestling match.

All the puppies are adoptable through Operation Paws for Homes.

And if you (or someone you know) is in the market for a good dog, I’ve got four (clockwise from top left: Cherry, Argus, Stelaluna, and Darla). If you’d like to meet Stela or Argus, join me in Woodstock Saturday morning August 26 from 9-11am at the South Street Barn Market. They’ll be hanging out there with me (and three other OPH dogs).

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on me, my writing, and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

If you’d like regular updates of all our foster dogs past and present, plus occasional dog care/training tips, and occasional foster cat updates (!) be sure to join the Facebook group, Another Good Dog.

And if you’d like to know where all these dogs come from and how you can help solve the crisis of too many unwanted dogs in our shelters, visit WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org and subscribe to our blog where we share stories of our travels to shelters, rescues, and dog pounds.

If you can’t get enough foster dog stories, check out my book: Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs . Or its follow up that takes you to the shelters in the south One Hundred Dogs & Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues.

I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to support the work we do (and save the rescue and me some money), shop our Amazon wishlist.