The Beginning of The End

On January 5, 2015 is the first year birthday of our first litter. It is also the same day we sell all our puppies of the second litter. We end the same day we start, only a year is past. 

I try to blog this entry at least three times before, but when I start to think of what to say I just see images of the puppies in my head. I am still sad from loosing them but I take comfort knowing they all are in good homes as I type this. I'd like to show you pictures of each puppy.

This is Dasher. He is the first to go to his new home. 

This is Kona. He is the second to go to his new home.

This is our third puppy to leave, Junior. 

This is our fourth puppy to go to her new home and the first of the girls. We call her TearDrop, because she always cries for us to be with her or pick her up. My heart hurts when she leaves. Who has the tears now? Me. Her new name is Diamond. She is definitely worthy of that name!

This is our second girl to go and our fifth puppy to find its forever home. Her name is Bella, but I think her new family is changing her name. This picture makes me remember how the puppies bring happiness to their new families and enrich their lives. I am especially grateful to the love a child gives to a puppy. 

We have Brew and Allie a little longer than the others because the other puppies are chosen first. Both become a part of our pack, like the last two of our first litter.

This is one of the most beautiful moments I have with these two. I bring them both up on the couch to sit with me while I watch football. They can't pull themselves up on the couch, so they know this is a privilege. They sit right by me. 

This is my beloved, Brew. He is the special puppy I want to keep, but I know that the puppy nobody wants is the one to keep. He now goes by the name, Waffles.

Allie is the last puppy to find a forever home. I start to think she will be our puppy to keep. She stays with us an extra two days. Soon someone contacts us to buy her. I could not handle letting her go so I choose to play volleyball both nights she is bought and taken to her new home. Thanks to John I am able to save my tears for later, in solitude. 

This is Allie now. She goes by the name, Tofu. She looks happy in her new pack to me!

It is really hard to let go of all puppies I am supporting since, well, before Day 1. I am there during inception, as their mother grows them, and as they enter the world and we grow them together, as a team. I know I function the best in a team; therefore having my own team at home is like no other team feeling I ever experience. It feels similar to having your own human family of brothers, sisters, and parents, under one roof. Any animals under my roof, are my family, even though they are animals.

To this day, I still hear stories about our first litter puppies. I am still helping new puppy parents from our second litter with questions or concerns. I have a PuppyPals group on Facebook so puppy parents can post anything in relation to their new family members. My plan is to support all puppies by supporting their parents for the rest of their lives. It's good we didn't keep a puppy, because then we still have room for the years to come, if any of our puppies need a new home back with us. 

Cora will be in surgery January 29 so cross your fingers and wish us good luck that everything goes well. We are still sure that this is our last litter. I am missing the puppies themselves but not the hard work that goes with raising 6 or 7 of them at one time. I also am saving my energy and knowledge of puppy raising for others. I now feel responsible for 15 huskies that I know exist in our world. Whether these 15 live with me or their new families I will always have a place in my heart and home for any of them if need be.

Unfortunately, this is my last blog of husky puppies. I do not know what is to come but I can expect certain things. Although, I know from life that I can't say never. 

Thank you everyone for reading these blogs, especially those of you reading from Litter 1 and Blog 1. I really appreciate you taking your time to hear my thoughts about these two beautiful adventures and cherishing responsibilities. I hope to start another blog, but not tied to my choice of topic yet. Until then, keep reading all the time and everywhere out there. 

Remember the husky love and freedom I hope you see from all these entries. 

  

Lucky Seven

Everyone loves this picture. I show it to the Petco Cashiers and they always notice the puppy holding the other puppy like a pillow. Now, is their best time as puppies. They act and think like their future self. I see who is laid back and who wants to be the leader. I see who solves some problems by waiting and who solves some problems by fighting for it. They make more sounds, with lots of different meanings. Some sounds are so loud that I can hear them from the garage! Other sounds are so soft and playful that I almost want to cry hearing how nice they talk to each other.  

The days and nights are starting to become more of a repeated routine than all the other weeks. They nap during the day and sleep through most of the night. They eat and play more, of course. They can lap up water, when at first they were trying to suckle it out of the bowl. It was so funny and cute at the same time! All are able to eat hard food and less of Cora's milk. She tries to help feed them, but it's really gross how she throws up what she just ate for them to eat. A lot of times she asks to go in, but the puppies just end up running loose around the house after I unlock the gate, because she doesn't enter the room fast enough. Puppy stampede! They run under the couch, under the coffee table, under the dining chairs, and through the living room in the kitchen. The stampede is not as bad as it once was, because they don't potty as often. 

There still is potty! Don't get me wrong, it's always there, but they're doing much better about going potty in the right spot. We're down to conditioning them into going in one corner of the room. Hooray! It helps being home all day to clean up as soon as one goes in the wrong spot. Vital move to the potty training. We introduce potty pads and the best are from Costco. We get 100 in a box for $11.99! They barely chew those, versus the others we buy, and I have no idea why. Newspapers still help. They just don't hold as much waste as potty pads do. 

Here's a video of them, after just having food, water, and being cleaned up. They are so happy to play. Watch for the small puppy pile! 

They can entertain each other and with their toys, but it doesn't hurt to stimulate them. I have put in many types of materials and things to chew on or be introduced to, like a cardboard box or a bucket. Here's a couple pictures of their husky nature to new things! 

"Me first!"

"Scoot over!"

Huskies, and puppies in general, should be curious of new things. Some of the puppies hesitate and wait for the others to try things first. Some puppies want to be the first to try everything. Having no fear could get them in trouble. The curiosity of a Husky could be its weakness or strength, if nurtured appropriately. 

Although, this litter is one more than the last, it still is hard for me to tell who is who! 

 Brew, this is my favorite boy. He's got one blue and one brown eye. I call him Brew, named after the first Great Dane that I ever met, because he is the biggest of the litter. I'm thinking of keeping him since this is our last litter. Cora is showing him some love too. 

This is Cora's mini-me. She is the smallest, but the one with the most fight. She also hangs with Brew, because he's the biggest. She is the first puppy to escape and also one of the best talkers. She has two blue eyes. 

This is another girl. She can be a follower, but will start a play session anytime. She loves attention. She is the first puppy to ask to be picked up at the gate. I love rocking her in my arms. 

 

On the left is a girl. She's got one brown and one blue eye. On the right is a boy who also has the same color eyes. I constantly get him and her mixed up. I feel like I see double with them and can't figure out who is who so I can't distinguish their behavior tendencies. However, they are both pretty mellow in comparison to the other puppies.

This boy is a daredevil. He is the first puppy to do the craziest stunt, jump off the kitchen table to run away from getting his picture taken. He is okay, but he is the smallest in comparison to the other boys. He looks like Cora too. 

This a boy who looks like Brew's twin or a Benny Junior. He is pretty big and smart too. He is the first puppy I notice to potty in the right spot consistently. He is also another puppy that asks to be picked up a lot. 

I love them all. My secret wish is to keep all of them on a ranch somewhere in California and grow up happily with our Husky pack. They are always a lot of work, but the reward is so much greater. 

Sometimes it's better not to get what you wish for, but I ultimately wish that all these puppies find a forever home, either with me or someone who will love them just as much. We are still on puppyfind.com.

Thanks for reading and wish us good luck!

Puppy Faces

Every day I spend more and more time with them. Yesterday, for the first time, I sit down in their pen with them. One puppy curls up right next to me and falls asleep. The others try to crawl in my lap. They treat me like I'm a warm blanket. Which is exactly what they sleep on. They need help staying warm because they are still so small. A couple weeks ago one puppy decides to find its own warm spot. 

They are not crawling anymore and actually walking around. They try to run fast but they are still coordinating their legs. It's adorable to watch. They go to the bathroom on their own. They will eat soft puppy can food 3 or 4 times a day. Cora feeds them less and cleans up after them less. We have to clean up more now. It's not as bad as the first time around, because this time we know more things. For example, being out of the house for more than a couple hours means we come home to a huge mess. So we try to stay home as much as possible although we still have to go to work to make our money. 

I cut their nails twice, because they're growing so fast! They still make cute sounds but now the sounds come with body language which makes trying to understand them even cuter! Sometimes it seems they say these things: "Feed me", "I feel alone", "I'm not sure", or "I challenge you". Here's a video of them talking about getting comfortable enough to go to sleep.

Just like human babies, it's important to talk to puppies for brain development and learning. In the video, I try timing the sound of my voice with a sleep command, right when they are about to fall asleep, in an effort to associate my voice and command with that behavior. I do that when I feed and greet them. I use the same greeting every time I enter their pen.

Each one is special in their own way, but I can't help but make comparisons to their parents and the breed in general. I am able to scratch them in the same spots their parents like and get the same responses. I scratch their chest and a leg starts thumping, identical reaction as Benny and Cora. There's even a girl, who looks like Cora, that is escaping the pen whenever there's a chance!

There she is. Cora's mini-me. She and Cora are perfect examples of the escape artist Husky character. There is another puppy that looks like Cora, but it's a boy. 

The other five look more like Benny. The first two are girls. 

These three are boys. 

I still have to weigh them all before labeling them. The PuppyFind ad is up for them anyway. There are two puppies with potential future homes. We will be letting visitors come after their first set of shots, so that will be around December 15th. Sorry for the wait everyone! Stay posted on here for now. Thanks for reading and I'll try blogging sooner than later! 

2nd Round

We're back! Second round of puppies in our own home this time! 

Benny and Cora have 7 puppies this time. As one visitor says "She outdid herself." Cora's doing really well handling an extra puppy in comparison to her last litter of 6. There are 4 boys and 3 girls. Go ahead and count the puppies in the picture. There's seven!  

Cora is aware of taking care of herself this time around. She knows when to feed her babies and when to ask for food. She knows to go to the bathroom as often as the puppies do. She's eating more this time than last time. Even though the puppies are now 13 days old, they are already growing quickly. 

Right now, the puppies are less work than in the future weeks to come. All they do is make cute sounds, eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, and move around on their legs. At first, they move like wiggly worms on their bellies but now they can actually pick themselves up and use their legs. They move slow, but surely. They can walk under and over the blankets they sleep on. Their eyes aren't open yet, but we are expecting them to open soon. Here's a video of a puppy trying to get comfortable. 

There is less stress this time around. We actually sleep more too! Everybody knows how this goes from the first experience. John and I understand when to trust Cora to help herself and when she does need our help. I can distinguish puppy sounds and react accordingly. May and Benny know to give Cora her space. Benny sometimes lets her eat more dog food when feeding time happens. The puppies even have their own room, that we call the "Puppy Room". 

The puppy room layout will change, probably every week, as the puppies grow. Them having their own room is very convenient to all of us and how we live in our home. We all definitely have our own separated and designated spaces. In addition, we have floors instead of carpet. It is so much easier to clean, especially during the whelping. The picture of the puppies in the laundry basket is when we have to sanitize all the floors in their room. Their blankets are switched and washed every day. Cleanliness is key to healthy puppies.

John and I are constantly attending to Cora, Benny, May, and the puppies so our energy is emptied every day. All our animals are worth it, but having 10 pets under one roof is a lot of work. We are buying food like every other day. They eat more food than us! However, we are doing fine, especially with family visiting and helping us. In addition, many teachers have been supplying us with newspapers for reusing. The puppies are now on puppyfind.com, but continue to stay updated by reading this blog. 

That's all the energy for blogging I have now. Thanks for reading the first post of the second round! 

No Puppy Left Behind

This morning I thought I would sleep in later, than when the last two puppy boys wake me up, but I wake up the same time anyway. I think my body is still in automatic mode of a work schedule and living with puppies. Yesterday our last two boys went to their new home and ever since I've been trying to not think about them being here. It's hard. At first, I couldn't even clean up the garage without imagining them looking up at me with that what are we going to do now face. 

I'm on spring break, but have had most of it with all four huskies. It is fun to not have to go to work and stay as long as you want with your animal family. We have fun running around, playing with toys, and even napping together. Now all the puppies are gone. I'm so thankful that our last new puppy parents wanted to take both boys. It is a miracle, because that is what we waited for. 

All I want for each puppy in their new homes is to be HEALTHY and HAPPY. That's it. Each home is different and each of their lives growing up will be different, but in the end I just wish that they live a healthy and happy life. I'm not sad anymore of them being gone, but I will confess my tears when the first puppy and the last puppies left. I did my best to not get attached to any of them, but when factors like extra time and love are involved, it's almost impossible not to. I always tell myself that they are going to great homes and it helps heal the loss. 

Benny and Cora are not puppies, but I do look at them differently. There's a mature feeling I have when I look at them. I think I appreciate them more for what they have learned since being puppies. I also know this experience has given them more happiness to their life. So I see how they are as individuals and as a parent team. I love them for it. They are definitely less work, but still require husky attention. They deserve more walks, car rides, and chew toys than what we've been giving them since the puppies have come.

This whole experience is very rewarding and requiring of my money, time, and care, but again, they are all worth it. It's worth it to put all your energy into raising an animal the right way because it satisfies my conscious and their well being for life. I will accept another litter from Cora, but I think two is the most I can do. It's just hard when I work to carry this on. It could be different the second time around and in a new setting. 

Anyway, I'm tired but I need to get up and start my last few days of spring break with my animal family that's left. Still honored and proud to say that all our husky puppies went to great homes, loving families, and I wish the best and only good thoughts their way. 

Thank you for reading this blog, especially those of you who were with me since entry one. I really appreciate the support and comments from all of you during the journey. I will post more if a new litter comes soon. If not, you'll have to wait until the next adventure with husky puppies. 

Husky puppy freedom and love!
-Ms. F 

2 Boys Left

Hello MsFsHuskyPuppies Visitors!

As of right now, we only have two puppies left. Boy 2 and Boy 3 are hogging all our attention. I think these two boys should stay together and go to a new home together. They are the cutest growing up together! 

They do everything together. Boy 2 is the leader and Boy 3 is the follower. Boy 2 is more independent and Boy 3 is more playful. If Boy 2 drinks water, Boy 3 will follow. If Boy 2 wants to play with a toy, Boy 3 will try to take it. If Boy 3 gets a jerky treat first, then Boy 2 will try to take it away. They do act like little brothers. 

I am so happy to have two left and I didn't think I would say that. I am still sad to not see the other puppies here, but I'm not missing the work it is to keep them. If I live in a bigger house sooner than later, I will keep these boys. I know all the puppies so far are living in great homes where they will get a lot of attention from loving puppy parents. I still wonder sometimes what they would be doing when I think of each one.

I will continue to be patient and wait for two more good homes. These boys deserve it. They are curious, smart, playful, and so sweet. One day this past week, coming home from work I am really stressed and realize that I am on puppy duty alone. So I sit in the garage with one of my camping chairs. I take out my camping chair, turn a storage box over, and place my work laptop on top. I work away on report cards and emails while Boy 2 and Boy 3 chill with me there. Boy 2 and 3 love to sit in my lap, but Boy 3 loves it more. He always asks to sit in my lap. 

All four huskies living in this home are behaving like a real wolf pack. Benny tries to get everything first, whether it's food, treats, or toys. Cora knows to wait, but the puppies try to test Benny if he's not paying attention to steal whatever he is protecting. Usually Benny gives a scary growl and the puppies change their mind and wait too. They all lie down and eat together sometimes. I really can see the beauty in wild dog families. 

This whole experience is really making me want to work with animals. I love teaching, but sorry kids; puppies are cuter! Here's a video of the boys puppy wrestling. Enjoy until I post again!

Here's the link to these boys on puppyfind.com
<a href="http://www.puppyfind.com/l/?acct_id=717399">Puppies for Sale...</a>
I hope that works!

Sharing Puppies

This is the first night I feel in weeks that I can actually relax. There are no prospective puppy owners visiting, less puppy cleaning to do, and no other appointments life brings. I think I can go to bed before 11 o'clock tonight! Yay! 

The puppies are big. They run, play fight, eat jerky treats, chew on all kinds of toys, go potty most of the time in the right spots, and are living outside of their whelping box (still in the garage) safely on their own for most of the day. We are always around though and still only go out for a couple hours at the most. 

They are more social, because four new groups of people came to visit and say they want us to hold the puppy for them or not. Two are families with children and two are just a couple. All seem to have some understanding of what a husky is like. It is really hard for me to let these puppies experience new people only because I care a lot about how they feel. When the puppy is comfortable in the arms of the visitor is when I start to relax. I feel as nervous as if these were my own children meeting new people. The puppies appreciate us more after the visitors leave because we really are their sense of security.

All the puppies are awake more now. Not one sleeps more than another. Their bodies are growing proportionately but there is still one small and large one. We call the small one, "Corita", and the large one, "Benito". Cora and Benny are learning well to let visitors see the puppies, although they are still protective and bark to make sure we know they are not approving visitors no matter what. They stay outside during the visits but everyone still gets to look at them. 

Our animals are like celebrities! Everyone wants to see them all, take pictures, hold them, and stare at how beautiful they are. I really am happy to share our animals because they are the reflection of a Creator with unfathomable intelligence to form such wondrous creatures. 

This is a picture of the puppies all passed out on their parents' beds.

If you visit, you will hopefully notice that they are three sets of twins. Boy 1 and Girl 2 are similar to each other. Boy 2 and Girl 3 are alike. Also, Boy 3 and Girl 1 are identical looking too. Isn't the creation of life amazing? There are exactly three boys and three girls and remarkably, three sets of twins!

I love each and every puppy with all of my heart. I wake up at 3 or 4 am for them! I worry when they cry and am happy when they are happy. I play with them even if I am tired. Or I let them crawl all over me and nibble my nose and ears. They still are worth the work. Growing six huskies is an unforgettable experience that I am so happy to say I'm glad I made the choice to try it.