and then there were puppies.

As some of you know, and from previous post, we have dogs. I have been working with Linda, the breeder of our dogs, helping with grooming, walking, cleaning, etc. This helps her keep on top of all the things she must do to not only keep a clean house but also, to keep a clean house with clean dogs! Golden Retrievers shed a lot … haha

One of the perks of this is that not only have Linda and I had the chance to get to know each other much better – we’ve become friends. She asked me if I would like to help out with the puppies when they arrived in March – and of course, I jumped at the chance.

She called yesterday morning and said Bella was in pre-labour and did I want to come sit with her for a while so she could deal with some odd jobs she needed to do and it also meant Becky could step out for a while as well. Her water broke on me at 1pm! I guess the puppies were ready to come into the world :)

This is Linda talking to Bella, coaxing her not to start pushing as we were waiting for Linda’s ‘canine midwife’ and good friend to arrive to actually deliver said puppies.

They did not get there in time and Head Boy was born into Linda’s hands shortly after 2pm. She was anxious but it went unbelievably well – Bella was such a good mom as this was her 3rd time whelping puppies.

Then Head Girl and Left-Shoulder-Boy was born as people started to come home to help.

We changed the bed and weighed them all while we waited for the 5th puppy to come down the channel. It’s a long way for them!

Bella cleaned and they suckled and we waited impatiently. So we ate dinner :)

Linda and Becky were expecting 7 puppies from this litter according to x-rays, so as Bella continued to pant through the end of the birth to pass some of her placenta’s, we just helped her out, let her eat and comforted her. She knew what to do though.

A tired but satisfied Bella that her work is nearly done.

Another bed change so they are put in a laundry hamper for safe keeping and warmth.

And then we had a surprise! An 8th was born at almost 10pm – and he was the biggest of the litter :)

We marked him up and put him in with the rest. He was fine.

Now she’s done. And she can rest with her puppies through out the night.

This was my favourite photo, right as I was leaving to head home. It’s hard to tell but Bella’s eyes are closed and she looks very peaceful. The contractions were continuing as she needed to pass more matter, but she did a fine job.

What an amazing experience.

P.S. Here is a photo of Bella from the Kulalani Golden Retriever website, which is the kennel these dogs are a part of :) Bella is about 4 years old and this will be her last litter of puppies.

finally, spring.

Yesterday really was a perfect day so we decided to load up the truck & pack a lunch to head out to our favourite spot.

You can’t get any better than this, huh? I hope you had a beautiful Sunday as well :)

umwelt.

The weekend passed quickly as we were busy with some dog-related events, as well as a quick visit to Fibres West. I did, very naughtily, buy some madelinetosh tosh DK at the show as I just couldn’t pass up the colourway. More on that quickly-growing project later.

As it’s Wednesday again, I’m joining Ginny in her weekly Yarn Along.

A good friend of mine is turning 30 with me this year and we are going to have a joint birthday party to celebrate together as we’ve known each other since we were in preschool. She doesn’t read this blog so I can safely tell you I am knitting another Pinkerton Shawl, this time for her in a worsted weight. I am stash busting for this project and using some leftover Cascade 220 in grey 2401.

I am reading Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz. She was interviewed on CBC’s Ideas (Dogs Themselves, Part I-III) about a year ago and I finally had the time/energy to pick up her book. The reason I was drawn to the book in the first place was a comment she made on the show, which went something like, in response to the question, What do you think annoys dogs most? this: “The odours that we spray onto ourselves that mask the natural smells that identify us to our dogs.”

The discussion about a dog’s umwelt is fascinating for anyone who is a dog-owner or lover. This, along with a few other novels (eg. At the Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell and Dog Sense by John Bradshaw), have, I think, made me a better dog owner/friend.

I hope you are enjoying your knitting and reading :)