At just about 5 days old, the puppies nurse frequently and sleep most of the time in between.  Then they scootch themselves around the whelping box to and from Reine, finding the places they’re most comfortable, often bumped up against a sibling.  As they sleep they twitch and some make little squeaking sounds.  The puppy just below didn’t even wake up for his weigh-in today.

That’s mostly just a tease.  We’re calling them Number 1, Number 2, etc.  We’ve numbered them to keep track of each.  That said we have also begun using descriptive names for a few of them in addition to their numbers.  Number 2 has a little hashtag mark so we’re calling her “Hashtag” for now.  The first puppy whelped had three clear dots on her back so we’re calling her “3 Dots”.  That’s her on the left.

This litter has a few puppies with similar markings (like dots down the back) and so we also use the “blazes” of white on the tops of their heads and other markings to keep them straight.

Weigh-in went well again this morning.  Everyone’s gaining well.  We’re supplementing Reine’s mommy milk with puppy “formula”.  Twelve is a big litter for one mommy to feed.

Part of the morning routine is to weigh each puppy and compare the weight to yesterday’s so we can make sure each one is growing at the rate they should.  Biff figured out that a wiggly puppy is best weighed if you warm the towel (that lines a shallow bowl) in the microwave for a few seconds just before setting the puppy down for its weigh-in.  Many of them relax into the warmth and become still enough for us to get a solid weight.  For others we get the best read we can as the numbers bounce around from the puppy jiggling.

Wonderful news!  12 healthy Griff puppies were born between yesterday afternoon and this morning.  There are 4 girls and 8 boys, and all of them are eating, moving and sleeping well.  Ten of them whelped late into last night, then the last two arrived early this morning with help from the reproductive vets we love in InverGrove Heights.  (It was 12, not the possible 13 they indicated.)  All the puppies had their first vet check and are “officially” strong and healthy.  Reine is an amazing mom, hanging with her babies through all their nursing and climbing on and around her, tending to them almost non-stop.

Biff and I are recovering from the all-nighter, thankful for the beautiful litter and all the work their mommy, Reine, does for them.  Stay tuned to watch them grow.  We’ll post daily whenever we can.

The whelping box is ready, all the supplies are nearby and we are ready for puppies! Reine’s getting close to becoming a mom for the second time.  Gotta say, having been gone for the last week, she looks notably bigger. Her sides are bulging and the vet’s x-ray indicated that she’s carrying 12 or 13 puppies. Her temperature dropped yesterday, a sign that whelping is getting close.  Biff’s out mowing the back yard.  I’m keeping any eye on Reine and catching up on the laundry as there will be many towels and blankets to wash in the days ahead.  Chev, Xupe and Finley are in the barn (our other house) and have been getting great care from the young adults who have been coming to care for them.  We will be busy during whelping and may not be able to post until all the puppies have arrived. Stay tuned.

This is the last post ’til I get back on 6/13.  Reine’s been moving really well – that’s her on the left running across the backyard with Finley.  She lies on her side at other times and looks very big.  She’s eating well and wagging her tail often, as is her habit.  We’re a week and a half away from her due date.  It’s just 11 days ’til June 16th!

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!