Chennile had her pups early thursday morning. She had a 6.5 oz. girl. She was about a week early. The second pup was premature and didn't survive. These pictures were taken the following day and she has plumped up already. She is a very sturdy little girl with a rough coat and colouring very similar to mom. She gained weight steadily and reached 16 oz. before she was a week old. With no competition for mom's milk she is really thriving.
Here are a couple of pictures taken Mar 14 showing how quickly she is growing. This is the pups favourite pose.
She is over a week old now. These pictures were taken Mar 18/19.
In the next few days her eyes will open and a couple of days after that she will begin hearing. She can't hear Mrs JRRanch cooing at her yet but that doesn't stop her. Already she loves to be cuddled and as an only child should be really spoiled when our grand kids visit. We put a few toys in the whelping pen to give her something to play with when she starts that. After her eyes open she will begin to raise off her belly and take some real steps. Then the fun begins. Stay tuned for more pictures at week 2
March 25 2006
The pup is still packing on the weight. She may be a bit overweight now but as she gets more mobile she will lose that. Her eyes opened fully yesterday on her 14th day. She is getting around a bit more and staying awake more as well. By next week she should be real mobile and depending on her progress may make her first trip outside the whelping pen. Mrs JRRanch has named her Judi and I think it is going to stick. We usually run through dozens of names before one seems right.
April 2 2006
Judi is a little over 3 weeks old now. She is starting to walk now but will take a little longer to get the hang of it because she is so fat from being an only pup. She will lose a lot of her baby fat as she starts to get more active. She will probably take her first trip to the kitchen next week. As these excursions last longer each day, she will soon be ready for the X-pen. With the warm weather she may get outside a bit in her 5th week. She will get her first shot at 6 weeks and then we will feel more comfortable having her outside for longer periods. Then the walks down the lane with Mrs JRRanch begin. Stay tuned for updates.
April 4 2006
Judi took her first trip outside her whelping pen today. She did very well and took it in stride. Often pups will whine and shake from this first experience but not Judi. She inspected everything for a few minutes then we put her on a very comfortable bed and she quickly lay down for nap. These outings will increase in length over the next several days and in a couple of weeks she will be spending the major part of her day in an x-pen in the kitchen. We caught her tasting mom's food this morning so in a few days she will get a bit of her own.
April 8, 2006
The first few times we took Judi out of her whelping pen she was a bit nervous and liked to crawl into safe places. Here was her favourite spot under a chair. Since then she is getting more and more adventurous and exploring everything. She has also been outside for short periods. More photos soon.
April 16, 2006
Judi spent most of the afternoon outside yesterday. Today, weather permitting, she will spend almost all day outside. She is beginning to notice more things and beginning to play with her toys. Mom is enyoying her time away from her baby but they get together in the whelping pen at night.
They will soon be separated completely. Mom will be taken for walks with her baby but not allowed to nurse after that.
The grand kids are going to be here today so Judi will get lots of attention and handling.
The goats are grazing in the pasture 20 yards away from her but she hasn't noticed them yet.
April 18, 2006
Judi goes for several short walks every day now. She spends the rest of the day outside on the deck with her crate and her toys. She is getting good at doing her p&p outside now. First thing in the morning Mrs. JRRanch carries her outside to the grass and she does her duty.
She has lost her baby fat but is still a cuddly little character.
She will soon have the stamina for long walks down the lane.
April 27, 2006
Judi is almost 7 weeks old here. She is on her daily walk with mom. She is quite the going concern. The top right picture shows her attitude watching mom run around. Its a wonder she gets any exercise at all because we always want to pick her up and cuddle her. This past week she has really begun to develop and gain confidence. This is about on schedule with previous litters. After 6 weeks you have to watch them every second to make sure they aren't getting into something they shouldn't. She spends almost all day outside now between her x-pen and many walks.
May 6, 2006
Judi loves to go for walks with her new buddy Tick. She goes for 2-3 long walks every day and spends the rest of her day playing in her x-pen outside. Her appetite has always been good but in the bottom right picture she may have bitten off more than she can chew. She is trying to get her teeth around uncle Pete's bone.
