Avril Munson's Blog

Well I have done it now there is no going back! When Pie mated Annie’s Gracie I knew I would find it hard to resist the puppies! But really I didn’t mean to have a new puppy this year, really! You will have seen the photo’s on the blog already of the litter, so I am sure you can sympathise with meJ

It is done so we might all make the best of it nowJ so I am going to do a puppy diary, I am hoping it may be useful to others with new puppies or thinking about getting one, I look forward to your comments!

Meet Betty

Day one:

Coming home in the car I had Betty on my lap, she wasn’t Betty at that point, as I drove I went through various names, none of which seemed to fit nor got Betty’s approval,  as we passed Braintree and came on the A120 i said “Betty” and she immediately laid down and went sound asleep! So Betty it is, as we neared home Betty woke up to be sick, I instinctively put my hand under her mouth and caught her last meal, she promptly ate it again! She obviously wasn’t too stressed then!

On arriving home I let The Pie out to meet her, he was not so impressed, he has always like puppies but seemed to guess that this was a permanent resident and needed to learn who was in charge here, giving a quiet grump if she went near him, Betty reacted by crouching low to show her submissiveness, isn’t it amazing how they know to do that!?

I put my cage up in the kitchen ready for her with the towel I had brought from Annie’s and some toys,( Annie had used a crate for all the puppies so this was familiar to her already) Pie removed them the moment my back was turnedJ. I spent the evening either in the garden with both dogs or sitting nursing Betty, when she fell asleep I put her in her crate, where she soon settled down and so started the task of her getting used to being without the litter. I was acutely aware that just hours ago she had the constant company of her litter mates and a source of constant entertainment and warm bodies to snuggle up to.

upside down swinging on the camera cord!

Forgive me I haven't learnt it is rude to yawn yet!

Annie had kept the puppies in her utility room with access to her patio to toilet, therefore I had  only to put her on my patio and she was toileting already. Come 10pm she was fast asleep in her crate in the kitchen and not wanting to disturb her I went off to bed wondering how much sleep I would get, I had put a crate up in my bedroom also, so that when she awoke I could take her to the toilet and then up stairs by my bed. I woke twice in the night to silence so slept on until 6am when I could wait no longer and went to the kitchen, dear little Betty was very pleased to see me, trembling with excitement! She had been out into the kitchen to do two poohs and two little puddles, far too young to go through the night yet toilet wise, I thought she had done really well to settle herself down again and sleep until I got up!