Taking care of Ginger and helping her take care of her puppies is pretty much my life right now, and what a fine life it is! The puppies are still nursing a lot:
As well as napping a lot, but now sometimes apart from their mother:
At first Ginger didn't want to leave her puppies even just to run out to the yard to do her business, but on day three (Friday) she "demanded" a walk, and tried to drag me farther than just around the block. Today she wanted to run, and despite being worn out from nursing, she is in better shape than I am! While we're out, she never wants to go home, but once we reach the door of the house, she remembers her babies and claws at the door desperately, then dashes through the house to get to them. She even wiped out once taking a turn on the kitchen tile!!! (She's fine, by the way.)
As recommended, I'm feeding Ginger 2 to 3 times what a dog of her size should ordinarily have, and only high quality puppy food. Still, she is looking very lean because the puppies are absorbing a lot of nourishment and getting nice and chubby. This is especially apparent when they roll onto their backs to take a nap after nursing:
My roommate, who thought I was a nuts for taking so many photos of Ginger, DEMANDED that I take a picture of this moment:
(That's Blackie's foot in the upper left corner. I noticed that Spot has pink paw pads, Blackie has black paw pads, and Brownie has brown paw pads. Everybody's claws grew in literally overnight the night before last.)
The dogs wind up in countless amusing sleeping arrangements. When I woke up this morning, I found Mama Ginger wearing her daughter like a hat. Unfortunately Ginger started to wake up as I knelt down, so Brownie slipped off, and as a result, this picture is only a tenth as funny as what I saw:
My roommate is in love with the way Blackie (the younger boy) sleeps on his side with his arms straight out. Spot seems to have to no qualms about nuzzling his brother's butt:
This afternoon I found the little girl, Brownie, sleeping all by herself at the edge of the box. I put her on my tummy to warm her up, and she went right back to sleep. I just can't get over how adorably smushed her face is. Pictures never seem to do it justice, but this one comes close:
And this one:
Blackie is hard to photograph because his silky, silky fur is so very, very dark, and all his white and brown bits are on his legs, lower face, and underside. This is the best I could do in a prolonged photo shoot that made his mother very nervous:
Spot, however, is easy to photograph:
And let's not forget Ginger! I finally took a picture that shows her funny black smile, her floppy yet attentive ears, her shiny cartoon-dog eyes, and her mischievous little eyebrows . Unfortunately, she's standing in front of my dirty laundry, an electric cord and an old hat. Where's a field of wildflowers or a Victorian chaise lounge when you need one? Oh well--in this photo she's enjoying a well-deserved break from feeding and warming her puppets--and she's so happy, she doesn't seem to realize she's standing on her own foot!:
Thanks so much for stopping by! We'll see you later!!
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