We captured this shot of Reine this morning.  Her pregnancy grows more evident by the day and she is getting BIG!  She runs and is active for parts of the day with intermittent naps, often on the cool tile of the bathroom floor.  I’ve begun assembling and checking supplies – whelping box liners, thermometer, scale, blank puppy data forms, towels and blankets, baby bottles, etc.  Although we’re expecting her to whelp on June 16th, we want to be ready ahead of time.  We’ve found some wonderful teen and college aged students to provide support, too.  Reine will be x-rayed on June 9th, so we’ll get a better sense of numbers then.  Biff and I are both thinking it’s going to be at least 10 puppies.  Stay tuned!

Tuesday (yesterday) marked the 6 week mark since Reine and Chev were bred.

It’s a beautiful evening and the dogs spent some time chasing and sniffing around after dinner.  Reine (above, right) is still moving really well, just not fast for very long.  Chev (above, left) seems convinced there’s something in the fenced garden, although nothing ever seems to be there when I let him in to check it out closely.

The dogs know where the treats are kept, in the cabinet above the kitchen sink (next to the human treats.)  The trick is making sure they don’t get too many in a day, so I buy some of the smallest treats available and often break them down so they’re even smaller.  Xupe is so active (and his metabolism is high like Finley’s) that I can give him a whole piece.  The others don’t notice that they’re getting a smaller portion.  We usually give them 2 or 3 pieces each time we treat them, so the calories can really add up over the course of a day.

That’s Chev, Xupe and mother-to-be Reine (L to R) waiting hopefully at the sink.

I just looked at the packaging.  The Charlee Bear treats (right) have 3 calories per piece.  The Old Mother Hubbard mini-bones have 8 calories.  That’s just a 4 calorie treat when those are snapped in half.  The package to the left, Nature’s Variety “Prairie” biscuits are 20 calories.  (That’s a brand I won’t purchase again.  The dogs don’t seem excited by them at all.)

All four of the dogs and I spent some time in the backyard this afternoon, a great beginning to a 3-day weekend.  I had freshened up the water in the “kiddy” pool and had moved on to watering the garden when I looked back and saw Reine ease herself into the cool water and rest her head on the edge.  I snapped this shot of her from a distance. She looked so sweet.

Her underside is showing sure signs that puppies are on the way.  Her nipples are enlarged and she’s thickening.  June 16th is nearing!

About a year after construction began, the barn is now completely livable for dogs, puppies-to-be and the humans that care for them.  The interior details are substantially finished and it’s partially furnished.  Here are some shots of the exterior and interior, upstairs and downstairs.

It’s about 50 steps from the house to the barn.

 There are just 4 kennels, each with a doorway flap to the inside.

There’s a ‘frig and microwave and a good stash of dog food and treats.

The door under the steps leads to a composting toilet.

Our old, old sofa makes a perfect dog sofa.

This is the “lounge” upstairs.  There’s even a big bed in the left corner.

Composting toilet

Reine’s at 4 weeks and 2 days in our 63 day count from breeding to the expected arrival of puppies.  We’ve noticed nipple changes in her as well as some feeding changes, both signs of pregnancy.  I politely refrained from photographing her underside so there’s no photo to accompany this post.  Signs are looking good!

We’re still a little over 4 weeks away from Chev and Reine’s puppies arriving but it’s never too early to start thinking about life with a new pup.  For those who like to get ahead of the game, here’s a link to a post from our last litter with lots of tips.

https://www.norlingrise.com/news/pre-puppy-preparation/

On Tuesday this week it will be 3 weeks since Reine and Chev were deep into their breeding.  It’s too early to see any signs of pregnancy, but we’re confident that there are puppies developing in there.  For now, life is leisurely with bursts of running and hunting down the various smells that come with the season.  These two shots are our mother-to-be Reine.

How many Griffs do you see?  There are four – Reine standing, Chev and Xupe snoozing and Finley in the background keeping an eye on the ponds.  All four of them chased down ducks this morning, following them from the ponds to the wetland.