Week 1...well, actually 1 1/2

My camera bit the dust so week one photos are some group photos taken with my phone.  Luckily the stud owner lives nearby and will be coming over this weekend to take some photos of the pups so I can get some good individual shots now that they are moving around a bit.  Eyes will open up soon and I am looking forward to the pups showing some personality.  Cornelia is taking wonderful care of the pups and they are growing like weeds.

 We had some sad news last week as mr. light blue passed away a couple days after birth.  The remaining 8 pups are thriving and doing well.  They are starting to get too big for the ready box I use to contain them when I am changing the bedding in the whelping box!

 Here are the two girls- Miss Naked and Miss Yellow.  They are the first two on their feet

 So cute!

 Mr. Green was one of the last to get up on his feet but at just over a week old, he was the first to escape the whelping box.  I had to raise the sides of the box to keep him in.  Poor Cornelia now has to jump a much higher wall to get in to feed the pups- not fun when you are dragging big, milk filled udders!

 Here are the boys enjoying a snack by themselves while I weigh the girls

 So much better when you only have to share with 6 instead of 8.  Don't worry, the girls were able to have the milk bar to themselves while I weighed the boys and changed their collars.

Nothing like eating and napping at the same time.

Puppies are here

Moonsong Cornelia Marie and Sandhill Ranger welcomed 9 beautiful pups into the world on tuesday, january 15th.  Cornelia continued my streak of only having daytime deliveries, starting at noon, though she continued until around 11:00pm.  The whelping was uneventful- she did take a 4 hour break halfway through, which caused a few worried phone calls and a relay of oxytocin shots from my vet to my friend Ginger to my friend marlene who drove the shot to me.  We did not need it but it was reassuring having it here.

The newborns nursing.  This is my first ever litter with all the pups the same color.  They are also very consistant in size.  There is one 1# male and the rest of the pups are between 14 and 14 3/4 oz.  Not huge pups but good sized for a smaller female.  they are all vigerous and strong.

Cornelia cleaning her pups- she is a very attentive mom anad keeps the pups very clean.  She does get worried getting in the whelping box- she is so afraid of stepping on a pup that she takes forever to find a spot unless I help her and move pups out of her way. 

Cornelia has a lot of milk but 9 pups drain it very quickly!  she will need to eat and drink a lot to keep up with her brood of 7 boys and 2 girls

A well deserved rest with her new puppies

A puppy pile!  She has 10 nipples but the pups always fight for the best spot

 

puppy jostling

 

Finally everyone has a spot

Here are the first four pups together.  Cornelia still had a round tummy so I knew more were on the way

4 is so peaceful- better get milk now before the milkbar fills up!

Cornelia delivered 4 pretty quickly then took a nice 4 hour break before the second half of the litter was delivered pretty quickly as well.

First two boys- so darling!>

Ranger is passing out cigars!

 

Ranger showing just 2 days before his pups were born- he had a great weekend of showing then welcomed 9 wonderful pups.