They’re here!

Finally!  Of all the times to be overdue, this was the most stressful.  Every other litter Lucy has had her puppies 2 days before the 9 week mark. Every one!  This due date butted up against my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary, but I was confident the pups would be nearly a week old before the celebration… Never assume when it comes to nature.  I always learn the hard way.  

And as Lucy grew bigger and bigger and the days kept ticking, I grew more and more anxious.  What was too late?  When should I call the vet?  After consulting with some seasoned breeding friends, it was decided I should call the vet if there were no puppies by the next morning. 

A nice long walk up our hill to get things moving!

That night I felt certain things had to be moving along.  Lucy was obviously restless and uncomfortable.  And she did her usual: moving from here to there, in and out of the house, in the whelping box, out of the whelping box.  She couldn’t make up her mind when to be where.  I knew she had to be close.  As we went to bed, I tried to get her to sleep in our bedroom so I could keep a better eye on her.  That worked for a few hours.  About 3:30am she was pacing, laying her head on me in bed to get my attention.  She wanted to go outside and it has always been my biggest fear that one of these times she would have a puppy outside in the dark.  So I followed her with my flashlight.  Of course, no spot seemed right so we were up and down hills, in and out of the woods, until she decided she had to go in.  We did it again about an hour later.  Only this time I lost her.  Easy to do when she moves faster and can dip out of the light pretty quick.  I started to call and listen for any kind of rustle in the leaves.  I began to get a bit frantic thinking that maybe she really had decided to nest in the woods somewhere.  As I headed up to the house to make a plan, there was Lucy waiting patiently for me at the door.  Harumph.   

Finally at 5:30am I had her settled into the box sure that the moment had to be close.  And out came the first little pup - a sable male.  Colored a lot like his mama.  15 minutes later out came a deep shaded sable female.  Each time Lucy calmly strained and quickly cleaned up the newborn and the afterbirth. 

She was an excellent and efficient mother, as always.  Quickly came 2 more.  By 6:45 she had 4 pups.  And then she stalled.  This happens every birth.  Just get the mom moving and usually along comes another puppy.  We waited. I got her up and moving again (This is easier said than done. Once a mama has her puppies in the box she is unwilling to leave them for any length of time.  I usually have to literally put my arms around her and pick her up out of the box, often hooking her to the leash and dragging her out.  But I learned my lesson last litter.  When I wasn’t insistent enough, our last puppy staying in utero too long and she was stillborn.  I wasn’t about to let that happen again.  So I dragged poor Lucy out without mercy this time.) 

Finally she strained and there was a burst of fluid. I was sure a water had broken and a puppy would emerge.  But then nothing.  Another 30 minutes ticked by.  I took her out for a walk and she continued to strain.  I was getting a bit concerned.  This seemed to be a big one.  Finally, back in the box.  She really began pushing and I took a peek.  There was a little brown nose, yes, a puppy was coming.  And I was right - no sack.  It had already burst.  I hoped the puppy hadn’t been in there too long. As he emerged I could tell he was pretty dry already.  Lucy didn’t have the benefit of the slippery sack to slide him along.  I worked some coconut oil around him as best I could while she pushed and finally the little guy popped out and began to wriggle.  Alive!  8:45 am - 2 hours later.

Again she stalled after Big Head.  And after several walks I began to wonder if she really only had 5, which seemed unusual after having 8-9.  However, we had used a different sire this time.  But then she was so HUGE! Surely there were more?  I walked her around the yard, up the hills.  Her panting continued.  But then she would settle in the box. THREE HOURS LATER, unheard of really, she pushed out number 6.  A sweet tri-color female.  After several more walks, Lucy seemed to really settle in and sleep as she nursed her new little brood.

Apparently, 6 would be the number this time.  I watched her closely over the next few days.  Concerned that her bleeding wasn’t tapering off as it should and on the verge of my parent’s 50th, I decided to take her in for an xray to set my mind at ease.  Thankfully, she had no more pups in utero, all was well, and I was free to let Lucy do her thing as the wonderful mother she always is, and I could invest in our special family time.  

That’s that!  They are here and only one is left to reserve.  If you are interested, apply below!  

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