The puppies experienced their first car ride to the vet yesterday for their wellness checks. Although they were unsettled initially, we had treats to distract them and they settled down and slept, a good part of the way there and all the way back. They’ve had their vaccinations and have been microchipped, too, ready for families coming to meet them this weekend.

This morning was rainy (and chilly) so the puppies did most of their after-breakfast romping inside, part of it with their mom, Finley.  Number 3 (Ooly, the little girl in the group) will live with us, so Finley won’t lose her entire brood.

The puppies’ attraction to the garden has been ongoing, and the perennial beds near the barn are now pretty trampled. As curious as the puppies have been to check out the leaves, stems and flowers, what they seem to love most is tearing through them, as if running and leaping through a forest.

There they are, from left to right, puppy number one, number three and number two, napping after breakfast this morning.

Plans for today include time with Jan (our puppy care provider) while I’m in town, connecting with quail, time in the pool, and we’re planning to do a practice ride in the car (in crates) to prep them for their upcoming trip to the vet for their wellness checks.

And here’s the face that got us into all this – Chev, sitting with me on the sofa the other day. The look of Griffons change as they develop. Their coats and furnishings develop over time. We love the puppies and we love the big dogs.

In this final week before the boy puppies will depart to live away from their mom (and us,) we notice how capable they are. They are confident, alert, curious, coordinated, affectionate, sociable, they eat dog food, drink water, carry interesting objects in their mouths, respond when we call them (most of the time) and give us clues (some of the time) when they need to poop or pee. They’ve been introduced to pheasant, quail and pigeons and have responded with great interest, as expected.

They now whiz through the doggy door, sometimes carrying toys from outdoors to inside and vice versa. They continue to take deep naps throughout the day but those naps have longer and livelier awake periods in between. They’ve been introduced to the crate and we’ll be putting collars on them this week when we go to the vet for their wellness check-ups. The changes in 8 weeks are incredible and it’s been a pleasure to be part of their growth.