Bandit

A stud for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Bandit is the sire of this litter. Incredibly, his grandfather is a dog that I nearly bred our Otter to, but instead chose Brix and ended up with Bee, Rain's mother. Nice to pick up these lines a bit later in the game!

Bandit is a sweetheart, but no, the flowers weren't for Rain.

Are we there yet?

Rain about 6 hours before the first pup arrived.

White toes

Some pups are born with white toes, which helps us keep straight who is who. This litter, not so much... figures!

Day One

As Steven Wright wryly notes in his Baby's Diary: "Day One - still tired from the move."

White chest

Like white toes, markings on the chest help us distinguish pups from each other. This pup, of course, stands out without the white. So of course she has it.

Done, done & done x 4

One very tuckered momma dog

Twelve!

They just kept coming. We figured quite a few but twelve???

Mom's big paws

Looking at them 6 weeks from now, it will be hard to remember that once they were so small.

Meal time!

No need to call them twice for dinner. These pups believe in tucking right in.

A mess o' pups!

I love the way pups sometimes line up in neat, tidy ways or in pretty designs & patterns. Sometimes, it's just a pile of pups.

Sorry - closed

This shot was taken for Miss Bialek's kindergarten class (hi kids!) who are tracking the pups' progress. Wanted to show them that pups are born with ears and eyes closed.

View from the Goodyear Blimp

Pretty soon I'm going to need the Goodyear Blimp to get far enough up to fit them all in one shot.

Mom assisted

Also for Miss Bialek's class, this photo captured Rain's helpful assistance in keeping her pups clean and dry.

Just five days later...

Suddenly, that 4x4' whelping box is looking a bit small...

Curled up with Rain

Really - is there anything much better than curling up with your mom and taking a nap?

Bucky on her back

Bucky's been a standout from day one. Her distinctive coloring (very much like a beautiful buckskin horse, hence the name) and determined attitude makes her the first pup to be named.

Go ahead - count 'em!

You can see the differences in this group shot. But it's still hard keeping track of who is who without cheating.