Not much to report - the puppies are getting fat and seem content. At this stage, their eyes are still closed so all they pretty much do is sleep and eat. But with puppies, no news is good news - they're so fragile at this stage.

However, in (sort of) related news, the male pit bull we tested Connie with before we pulled her (to make sure she didn't have any dog issues) was sprung from the shelter tonight! He was in his final days, and a wonderful couple contacted us to see about adopting him! He's with a temp foster tonight, then he's heading to the vet tomorrow to be neutered, then off to his adoptive home.

The employees at the shelter were so excited that he was going to a home - they even added notes in his paperwork saying "I [heart] this dog!!" and "!!!!!!!!YAY Randy is leaving!!!!!!!!", and all came out to see him off. His paperwork is really heartbreaking, though - for all his butch bully looks, he's a timid boy who was clearly on his own for a while before ending up in the shelter for 4 months. His muzzle is pretty scarred, and he was thin enough when he came in that they switched him to puppy food. His temperament test is great, but shows a dog who hasn't been treated nicely but so desperately wants to be loved. The folks at the shelter called him "Scooter" since he'd scoot side to side in his cage, just trying to be near anyone who came in the room for the 4 long months he was there.

Randy and Connie (and her babies) are the best sort of rescue stories - sweet dogs that made it. But they almost didn't have a chance - pitbulls rarely make it out of shelters. Through some luck and with the help of a great foster (for Connie) and wonderful adopters (for Randy), though, both now have the opportunity to for great lives.

This makes all the rescue heartbreak matter just a little less.

Giardia

Connie's had diarrhea so we had her tested and it turns out she has giardia. It's been a struggle to keep her fully hydrated between that and nursing, but hopefully now that we're treating her it will be fine. We're hoping the puppies don't start showing signs of it, since they can't be treated until they're at least 2 weeks old and can get dehydrated really quickly.

A Group Photo

Sometime in the next week or so the puppies' eyes and ears will open up and they'll start learning to walk on their legs - right now they scoot around like baby seals! They are generally pretty quiet but when one of them rolls off of the puppy pile, s/he squeaks until s/he's managed to get back with the others again. They also squeal whenever Connie leaves the whelping box, which makes it very hard for her to get any kind of break from them. It isn't easy being the mother of quintuplets!

Naptime

Connie's Whelping Box

The sixth grade class at Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville built a whelping box for their class project this year! A whelping box is especially designed for mother dogs and their newborn puppies and has special features to keep everyone warm, comfortable and safe. This is so much cozier than the area I had created for them using a pair of old speakers, a crate and a bookcase.

The rails around the sides are called pig rails, they prevent a mother dog from trapping and smothering a puppy against the walls (this actually happened with one of my first foster dog families). The front panel is hinged so when the puppies are older I can put the side down to let them out. It's down right now to make it easier for Connie to get in and out herself.

Thanks to all of you who helped with the box!

Pup Update

Everything is very quiet in puppy land which is just as it should be. The puppies' eyes are closed, as are their ears, and all they pretty much do is sleep and eat. Connie is an exceptional mother. She only leaves the puppies to eat, drink and do her business, otherwise she's curled up around them. I only handle the puppies once a day when I need to put them into a cardboard box so I can change the towel they sleep on.

Connie is such a loving, devoted mother: as soon as I've moved all the puppies into the box she climbs in to join them - it isn't a very big box, so it's funny to see her try to squeeze in with them. My husband Steve has been taking her on walks but says that Connie starts whining after only five or ten minutes, she is so anxious about leaving her babies.

More puppy pictures

Connie is a very attentive mom, constantly grooming her pups and keeping tabs on them. She doesn't like to be away from them for long, especially when people are around, or (even worse) cats!