Friday, January 25, 2008

Long overdue update

Hi folks!

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but there have been a lot of milestones in the last week that have required my attention.

Last Saturday, at three weeks and one day old, the puppies tasted their first solid food.
















They are getting really big...


















...but they still love to cuddle. My foster mom swears, she didn't put them there!

















We've all had a bunch of visitors in the last few weeks, and the puppies don't seem to have a fear of strangers, which is great because they don't come any stranger than this one.

















They also met some kids for the first time, and although they weren't exactly gentle they sure had a good time!




















So, to recap, here is what has happened since the last update:
- first solid food. Puppies are now eating two solid meals a day.
- first intestinal reactions to solid food. Puppies are now requiring regular cleanup!
- first manicures and pedicures. All nine (including me!) behaved beautifully when getting their claws cut.
- first potential adopters. Although the foster home isn't yet open to the public and we aren't technically up for adoption yet, some friends of our foster family have put dibs in on some of the puppies. So if you have a favourite, get your name in soon!

That's all for now. More to come, and I'll try to post more frequently.
-Holly

P.S. Don't forget, in about 3-4 weeks we will be available for adoption from the P.E.I. Humane Society!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

What the Ling house looks like right now!

Hi everyone,

The puppies are up, moving, and making lots of noise!





They are VERY cute. Here's proof, in case you don't believe me.


Jude, and Jude's rolls.





Penny's sweet face. I know it seems that I am biased and post a lot of pictures of her, but she's the only one who always looks!




JoJo was a little model today, posing for the camera.




A perfect pose from Sadie.




Where's Waldo? I guarantee that all eight puppies are in this pile.

Remember, each of these puppies- four males and four females- will be available for adoption from the P.E.I. Humane Society in about a month or so. Click the link for more info on the shelter, including adoption rates.

Have a nice night!
Holly

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Puppy faces

Good morning!
Now that everyone's eyes seem to be open, I thought it was about time to post some pictures of puppy faces. Some of the shots are a little blurry; these puppies are getting pretty mobile! I don't have shots of them all because some (mostly the boys!) absolutely refused to keep still. But we'll get them eventually!

Here's big ol' Jude:














And sweet l'il Lucy:













Pretty Penny (who seems to be a crowd favourite):













And of course, adorable Ellie:













The pups are getting very mobile and are starting to wrestle and play with each other. Everyone seems happy and content and they are all growing lots. As my foster mom says, my job is almost over but hers is just starting. Pretty soon she'll be chasing after them, cleaning up messes and starting them on kibble. Personally, I'm looking forward to a break.

More to come! Keep checking back!
-Holly

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Benchmark!

We have open eyes!!!!!

Jude's teeny tiny eyes popped open today while we were cuddling. That means the others aren't far behind! Jude is the biggest by quite a bit and is one of the most mobile (after Ellie, who is determined to be across the pen as often as possible), so no one is surprised that he was the first to have a look at the world around him.

The puppies are now twelve days old. Things are about to get interesting!

-Holly


Update: Here is that long-awaited video!




My firstborn: Sexy Sadie, making some noise! Check out my belly and how HUGE it still is here. Believe me, I deflated like a balloon once they were all out.



Here is puppy number three, getting cleaned off. My foster family says that this process wasn't nearly as gross as they expected it to be. That's because I tried to be tidy and conscientious!



Speaking of noise, here are the first five babies. My foster family couldn't believe how much they sounded like human babies!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Pup-by-Pup Bios

Hi everyone!

Here, as promised, are the descriptions of the individual pups. Right now, they don't really have personalities, but I'll update when they do!


Maxwell (male) is mostly tan with a white crest on his head and a small white spot at the back of his neck- perhaps he was hit with a silver hammer?





Penny (female) is the darkest in colour, with a dark brown coat and a lighter tan undercoat. She has a large white spot on the back of her neck that stretches across her right shoulder, almost like a lane.






Sadie (female) is fairly dark in colour, with a sexy mohawk of white.








Desmond (male) looks like he should be the singer in a band, with his very cool light tan fur and dark stripe along his spine.







Ellie (female) is almost the opposite of Penny, with a light coat and a dark undercoat. She is very social; never lonely.







JoJo has some psychedelic swirls happening on his tan coat. All over his back, you might say.








Jude (male) is plain tan, and is our resident giant. Nothing needs to get better.








Lucy (female) has a sweet little diamond of white on her head. Other than that, she has fairly dark fur.





Since I am currently typing one-pawed (holding a little puppy), I am going to sign off. Enjoy!
Holly

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Today's Photos

Your daily quota of cuteness is about to be fulfilled:

Look how big the babies are getting! No camera tricks, same hand as a few days ago.


They used to only fill half of Lily the cat's bed. Now look:


Here are our boys, JoJo, Desmond, Jude, and Maxwell:



And our girls, Sadie, Lucy, Ellie, and Penny:


We sometimes get visits from Lily, one of the previous foster pets who stuck around:




But that's okay, we all get along!


Stay tuned! Tomorrow, I'll post individual pics and descriptions of the puppies. They have some distinctive markings that makes it easy for me (and my foster mom) to tell them apart.
-Holly

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

About me!

Hi everyone,

Since the puppies are only a few days old they aren't terribly interesting yet. They are growing like weeds, and I do intend to post some new pictures (and hopefully that video, although youtube is giving me some attitude!) tomorrow.

In the meantime, I thought I'd tell people a little about myself. As you know, my name is Holly. All my foster family knows is that I was abandoned by my owners when they moved out of an apartment, and it was the kindly landlord who brought me into the shelter.

I will be up for adoption once my puppies are weaned. Here's a list of good qualities I have that might make me the ideal dog to join your family (I hope it doesn't sound like I am bragging!):

- I will sit and shake a paw on command.

- I don't need to be on a leash when we go outside (although a little of this is because I want to get back to my puppies).

- When my foster family says, "Hurry up and pee, I'm freezing!", I hurry up and pee.

- I get along well with cats (there are two living with me right now).

- I have a remarkable vertical leap (lesson learned, says my foster mom, of leaving the Milkbones on the pool table. But she only had to yell at me once and I never did it again!)

- I will sit quietly by your hand and wait for you to pet me, without being obnoxious about it.

- Other dogs don't seem to bother me.

So have a look at this face:







...and tell me you don't want me to be part of your family!

Keep warm, all you Islanders! I'm off for one last pit stop, then to bed. Wading through all this snow is exhausting!

Love,
Holly