Pupdates...

It's been a week of firsts... fun but busy. I thoroughly enjoyed taking the pups outside for their photo shoot this week. Always interesting to see their initial reactions to the great outdoors. They're typically a little unsure but I try to keep them entertained and out long enough that they gain a degree of comfort...  There's lots to get used to though. Wind, obstacles, a variety of different noises, grass rubbing their belly and dirt to name a few. Generally I try and take them out in groups of two or more as well as one big group but after looking at the forecast, if I was going to get the weeks photos done, time was of the essence. I can't believe how cold it got and quickly. It's supposed to dip into the twenties the next couple nights. That's Florida though. No chance to acclimate. Not complaining; I much prefer the generally brief cold snaps over acclimation. But for the pups, the way the forecast looks, they're unfortunately going to miss about a week of outdoor time. Very disappointing. I think they can do temps in the 60's but the 50's are too cold for their age. The 60's might be but I'll give it a try. While at Walmart today I thought I'd check to see if they had some inexpensive little jackets. They had all of two. A sweater that was probably too big and a Mossy Oak that was cute and might have fit but I thought @ 13 bucks it was just a little too spendy. I left it there but then got to thinking how simple they would be to make. I've got a ton of fleece so I picked up a sheet of poster board, went back to the jacket and traced an outline of it. Jackets I'm hoping will help us weather whatever the next month decides to throw at us. They might not end up being of professional quality but a few degrees of warmth is the goal. Might get to work on that project tomorrow. May be good in a way to get them used to wearing things when young. Some of my dogs will wear jackets... some tear through them and end up naked in no time flat. I've learned not to invest too much cash in coats. 

Skye continues to distance herself from the pups. A little more than I'd like actually. She spends the bulk of her time on my bed. I think she's missing being a puppy herself. She's always been big on toys and has gone back to her balls and such. Interestingly enough though, she keeps throwing her ball in with the pups. I guess she's encouraging them to play as well. And they've started to. They play a lot with each other but a few of them will give the ball a whirl too. It's cute to watch them try and figure it out. 

This morning I found the first pup of the litter outside the whelping box when I woke. Yellow girl was making strides around the room like she owned the place. That means it's time to graduate them to their next habitat; a corral complete with shavings, a feed station and a sling bed. Will likely get that set up tomorrow. 

I'd also like to ad a slideshow of the extras from Wednesdays photo shoot. I added 3 of my favorite photos of each pup to their individual pages but sometimes it's tough to select from the mix. Regarding the pages, the smaller photos in each group can be enlarged by clicking on the photo. A nice feature of gallery. 

Sounds like I've got lots on my plate as far as the pups go and we'll see how much I get done and how long it takes... The rest of the farm calls too. I had the Vet out yesterday to look at Ginger, one of my horses who hasn't been feeling well. The roof over my computer room sprung a leak with the first heavy rain this week... again! And the chlorinator on my water system decided now was a good time to work overtime. Seems it's lost it's ability to shut itself down. There's always something! I'm sure each of you can relate. That's three for me though and if it is as they say, maybe I'm done for a while. 

Good night. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!