Getting Ready for Round 2

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Painted Whelping Box
Painted Whelping Box

I decided there isn’t time to build a new whelping box, as I had wanted. Instead, I painted the old one. It’s a great box my son built. If and when I build another, however, I will not use particle board because it is difficult to clean. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed this one again (it gets scrubbed at least once a day when puppies are using it) and decided only a new coat of paint would do.

Despite my efforts to keep the other dogs—and dirty paws—off the deck until the paint dried, someone made it past the gate and had a grand time…

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Sometimes I wonder why I bother with gates as most of the girls jump right over them anyway.

My boys rarely jump fences or gates, but they do climb trees and grape arbors…

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Cute paw prints, though, eh?

I’m glad that anyone that would ever come here won’t mind if there are doggie paw prints in paint all over the deck and the side entrance door… In fact, it fits in just fine, doesn’t it? At first I panicked and thought I better try to scrub it all off… Then, I thought, heck, it looks kinda cool and wondered why I hadn’t done it on purpose much sooner. 😉

Anyway, by this morning the box was dry and looks great and I even decided to leave the black paw prints on the bottom, that wouldn’t scrub off, instead of painting over them, and moved it—and believe me, moving that monster is no easy task—into Puppy Room 2. Addie and her puppies are on the other side of the kitchen in Puppy Room 1. When the pups are about 3-4 weeks old, I start bringing them into the kitchen, where they mostly live until they leave for their new homes. They have access to the deck on one side and a fenced-in grassy area on the other, and then of course the “big” yard for big fun playtime and exploring.

Okay, so I just about have everything ready…Heat lamp hung. Check. Tons of towels. Check. Whelping supplies, scale, notebook, camera, clock, stool for me. Check.

I believe I am ready for Nash to whelp her puppies.

Nashua preggers with Ranger Puppies
Are you ready, Nash?

Are you ready yet, Nash?

Yikes! The poor girl looks gigantic!

I’m sorry, Nash.  It’ll be over soon and you will be back to your fit self and ready for slamming grouse in no time.

Ranger
Ranger

How about you, Ranger? Are you ready to take care of all your puppies?

Ha, ha, yea, right… he could care less.

Don’t forget to enter the contest—guess when you think Nash will have her puppies as well as how many of each sex—and win a cool prize if you guess it all correctly.

Stay tuned…

M.