Farmington Valley Golden Retrievers

Today we had the last of the new puppy owners come to visit the little ones. They have an older female and want to add a second to their family. Their children don’t know yet, so this post will be a nice big surprise to them when they open this blog. How exciting for them!

As for the pups, they are more lively now after eating, and romp all around the box. They started to play with the smallest of the toys today. And they are definitely more attentive to the world around them. Still a little early to see much individual personalities. But of course way cute every one.

Every day now brings a sea of change. More puppy energy, more excitement, and more work. Their eyes are now widely open, their sense of hearing much improved, and their teeth are beginning to come in. Still happiest cuddling, their heads are lifted and they are paying much more attention to their surroundings.

With their rapid gain in weight and size, we had to switch to larger food platters so all could fit around the table at once. Their appetite and zest for the puppy food is remarkable. The two large dishes are usually empty within a few minutes. Emma hangs around because she is entitled to the leftovers. Not a scrap remains when she is finished.

Local neighborhood interest continues to grow and we have visitors scheduled every day of the coming weekend.

Growing up, the closest my sisters and I came to holding a puppy was visiting the local puppy store at the mall. That was always a special treat. In those days, all the animals were behind the glass partitions and despite longing looks from both the pups and us, no one got to have any hands on contact. This is so much more satisfying to see the wonder in the children’s eyes when they visit and imagine the puppy dreams they will have from visiting our whelping box.

With the pups getting larger, it is harder and harder for everyone to find space for a drink at the same time from Emma. There are several cute scenarios that occur because of this lack of space situation. A pup that doesn’t fit will start to push from either Emma’s front or back end dislodging the puppy nearest from a nipple. Then that puppy will move to the next pup in line until he/she gains control of that nipple. This forces the dislodged pup to move down one spot and so on. This continues until the pup at the farthest end loses its position and has no one else to dislodge in the same direction. So after a few moments of indecision that last puppy will then start the dislodgement process in the other direction. So the best spot in line is in the middle since you never end up without a nipple when the musical chairs stop.

The other observation is that the the puppies all push forward like football offensive lineman to get and hold a nipple. They also climb over each other and seem to be able to nurse upside down or even sideways. Emma takes all the jostling in stride even when she ends up with a leg/paw in her face. (Look closely at her in the last photo).

In my mind, happiness is a quiet nap in the middle of the day with no timed start and no timed end. With our children now grown, it gets easier to accomplish this than in our prior more harried younger years. And the best companion is a golden or two or three curled up beside you. The softness of their fur, their easy rhythmic breathing, and heat of their body curled against you is more relaxing to me than any fancy spa massage or other body treatment could ever promise. The pups seem to agree whole heartedly with me. As you have already seen, the pups seem to have an endless combination of poses they assume when sleeping. Almost like an ever changing puzzle, they move and climb and nestle until comfy. Today with all the hours we spent around the whelping box there were some interesting combinations…

And so a day that began with me coming off a busy night of call, moved to the refreshingly crisp cold of a long walk with the big dogs, then to the pleasant company and conversation of an afternoon of golden people, ended with an uplanned little nap in the family room with Riley curled in my lap. This is certainly not Mayberry village, but still close to a perfect day in my own mind. Thanks Barb for taking the photo. Good night.

Today was a very fun day here in Dogville. Lots of neighbors, friends, and soon to be new golden owners came to visit. There was magic around the whelping box with warm smiles and peaceful vibes emanating from all who came and sat for awhile. Even better than quiet conversation at a coffee house, we heard stories of goldens past and present, all much loved and cared for. And every golden a true friend that gave back memories that far outweighed the forgetten monetary and messy house costs.