Bringing up Puppy

2008-06-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been very good at keeping this blog updated. I am going to try harder. Last week was more busy than usual, so I wasn't able to update any of my blogs. There will be plenty next week though.

Mico is almost six months old now. I think he is just about done growing. He is almost as big as his brother Max. He still has one ear that does not stand up, but we are hopeful it will. His ears have so much fur on them I think it is just top heavy. I keep telling the kids I bought a Papillon that would have two standing ears and we may have to return him!

Mico loves to be around us. He is such a people dog. He no longer spends his nights in his kennel, he much prefers sleeping with us or Cody. He is very good about staying in one place all night and does not get up until one of his peoples do.

We have put a doggy door up (thanks Aunt Judy) and he has become used to that and has not had an accident in the house in weeks. I am SO grateful for that!

Mico will NOT settle down until everyone is in bed and settled for the night. One night he came in and got in bed with me. Cody was still up watching his new favorite show The Alaskan Experiment and Mico kept getting up to check on him and then would come back to bed but would not fall asleep. Finally, when Cody went to bed, he was able to relax and sleep.

The other day Casey and I went to the park for a playgroup date. We took Mico along. He loves to go, go, go and makes it difficult for us to go anywhere without him. He races us to the door and gives us those, well, puppy dog eyes. He makes it really difficult to close the door and say good bye.

The park we go to is a pretty good sized dog friendly park. Since our group was the only one there I let go of Micos leash and let him wander around and dig. I did keep a close eye on him because he still tries to eat things he shouldn't. Puppies!
The little girls at the playgroup kept thinking he was getting away from me so they would pick up his leash and had fun walking him around and returning him to me.

He enjoyed the park and took a nice long nap on the couch when we got home. You know it was a good day when you can wear out the energizer puppy!

walk

2008-05-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Mico loves to go for walks. We normally take him on two walks a day. Morning and then again later in the evening. His morning walk is usually when I walk the boys to school. He knows that when the boys put on their backpacks it is time for him to go stand by the door. He also seems to know that on the way to school we have to hurry along and don't have time to stop and sniff. On the way home he gets his chance to mark his territory.

If for some reason I can't take him he makes it difficult for me to get past the door. The he stands and whines and scratches at the door after I leave.

We also take frequent mid morning walks to the mail box or around the block. He really enjoys those too. We are trying to teach him to heal and walk with us and not ahead of us. It is an on going process and learning experience.

He is getting very good at knowing that when we stop he is to sit and wait. We still have to tell him on occasion to sit, especially when there is a lot of people around and he is excited. But most of the time he will just sit on his own.

When we get home Mico usually gets a big drink of water and takes a nap. We probably shouldn't let him get on the furniture, the dog whisperer frowns on such behaviour, but look how happy and comfy he is.

We can really tell a difference in Mico's personality when he isn't getting the exercises he needs. The walks keep him healthy and happy.

brotherly love

2008-05-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

We took Mico for a playdate with his older brother Max. They were SO glad to see each other and played almost nonstop. Mico was unhappy about having to come home, and he is exhausted.

finding his place

2008-05-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

Mico is a little over four months old now. I am thinking he is about the age of a three year old. Not quite a baby anymore but not really a big boy.

He doesn't spend the night in his kennel any longer. He sleeps with the kids or us now. He doesn't wander the house at night and will whine if he needs to go out.

He seems to be having trouble finding his own place in the house. He has a bed and will sleep in it sometimes. He likes to stretch out on the couch or on the floor. But he always seems to be looking for something, somewhere to just be.

During the day he stays in the front of the house, preferring the living room, kitchen and backyard to anywhere else.

Cortney has been sick and staying in her bed or my bed most of the day these last few days. I tried to get Mico to stay with her but he bolts for the front of the house when he gets the chance.

Yesterday Mico was tired. We had walked a long walk and he had played quite a bit. He was beat. He walked around the house whining and laying down in different spots just for a few seconds before looking for another place to lay. I finally put him in his kennel and shut the door and he gave me an almost relieved look. He instantly laid down and went into a sound sleep.

Saturday night one of the sick kids threw up all over the bed (and me). E had to take all the bedding to the Laundromat. When he got home with the still warm comforters I yelled for him to come help me with a vomiting baby. He dropped everything by the door and rushed to the bathroom to help me. Mico's warm sensors kicked right in and he buried himself in the warmth of the fresh, clean and ultra warmth of the snugly comforters.

We didn't have the heart to disturb him so we left everything there until he decided to move. Yea, he is getting more and more spoiled everyday.

growing

2008-05-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

I finally got a cable for my camera. I was looking back at pictures of Mico from the last month or so and I can't believe how much he has grown!

Easter was fun for Mico. He loved the Easter eggs. He thought they were lopsided balls, much easier to chase down and catch since they didn't roll away from him.

Mico loves to dig. He has three rather large holes in the backyard. Every once in a while we fill them in so he can redig them. He does try to dig in the front yard from time to time but we keep his holes contained to the backyard. Or at least we try. He stands and watches me pull up weeds and thinks that I am just starting holes for him.

Cortney thinks it is fun to dress him. Here she has put a purple sweater on him. He doesn't look very happy about it. But look how big he is. The white spot on his head is starting to shrink.

Kicking back in the backyard laying in the sun. One of his favorite past times.

Mico's week away

2008-04-27T13:45:00.001-07:00

We left Mico with Max's family for a week while we took a trip to Utah. I was not worried about him at all. Max's parents spoil Max just as much as we spoil Mico so I knew he was in good hands.

What I was worried about was if he would remember us or even want to come home with us. He seemed happy to see us when we got there but went off to play with Max after a few minutes. Max turned 1 on the 25th so Max's mom had a little party for him. Yes, we are nerds. But it was a good excuse to spend some time together and have brownies and ice cream. Don't worry, the dogs had treats from the local dog bakery, they did not have brownies and ice cream.

Then it was time to come home. We took the dogs out front and they played a little more. We got to the car and put Mico in the front seat. He sat down and seemed happy to be going with us. I was afraid he would try to jump out or whine for Max. As we drove off he got in my lap and laid down and went to sleep. He was happy to be going home with us after all.

Max will be spending the next holiday weekend with us while his parents go camping. This arrangement is working out nicely for all of us.

I can't share pictures because Mico chewed up the cable that connects the computer to the camera. I am have a very difficult time finding a replacement.

update

2008-04-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have neglected this blob, mostly because I am not able to share pictures at this time, and I love to share pictures.

Mico i four months old and he is growing and learning more and more daily. He seems to be out of the piranha stage, thank goodness! He is loving and sweet and loves to play, eat, sleep and lounge in the sun. He is also spoiled rotten. Housebreaking has finally seemed to click with him, thank goodness! I didn't know what I was going to with him for a while.

His older brother Max came and spent a week with us last week while his parents were on a ski trip. They LOVED each other. It was so much fun to watch them interact and play. We miss Max terribly. I do believe Mico went into a depression stage for a day or so after Max left. Next week Mico is going to spend a week with Max's family while we are on vacation. It is a great arrangement for all involved.

beach doggie

2008-03-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

We went to San Diego this past Sunday to Mission Bay.

At first when I put Mico down on the sand he didn't like it and seemed to be walking on his tip-toes.

But after just a minute or two he decided it wasn't too bad and wanted to play. First he had to try to wrestle that pesky lead off.

He couldn't get it off so he tried to pretend it wasn't there.

He SO loved running up and down the beach. We each took our turn running him. I so wish we could have taken his lead off and just let him run and play but he is still too unpredictable, and I wasn't so sure he would come back.
As soon as we got in the car he collapsed on my lap and slept the whole way home. He recharged and was ready to play again as soon as the wheels hit the driveway...

fun at the park..sorta

2008-02-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day today! We took Mico to the park for some sunshine, fresh air and running. He wants to run a lot but we just don't have a big enough back yard for him sometimes. So, what does he do? He sits.I thought it would also be a good opportunity to try to teach him to walk on a lead. We were using a harness but he hated it and getting it off and on him was difficult. So I picked up a collar the other day. It is adjust to the smallest setting and it is still too big for him. Shh, don't tell him he can get out of it if he really wanted to.

If you look closely at the above picture you will also notice that his left ear is almost in the standing position. Not sure what is up (or down) with the right ear.

Cortney wants to do some agility stuff with Mico so we have been doing some pretraining. Like going over and under. We thought we would try the slide at the park and he liked it!

Of course he stopped to pick up everything in the grass and try to eat it.

He still fights the lead sometimes, but not as badly as when he has the harness on.

These dogs were SO excited to see him! Mico was a bit interested in them but would not get close. He seemed to know they were a lot bigger. They were friendly, but I wouldn't have let Mico get close to them. It was just interesting to see how he reacted.

busted

2008-02-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

Mico likes Cheetos, apparently. I am not sure how he got this bag of Cheetos but I suspect Casey left it down. I walked in the living room and there he was with a Cheetos bag stuck to his face. He wasn't whining or even trying very hard to get it off so I took a quick picture. When I took the bag off his head he did manage to snag a cheeto before I could pick them up.

I took Mico to the vet this morning for his second puppy shots. Poor guy, he cried and put up quite a fight even though two techs were holding him. He did manage to bite the tech...hee hee. It didn't break the skin but she ran in and was washing her hand and putting ice on it...lite weight. Really, she was very sweet with him.

He gained a whole pound over the last three weeks and now weighs three pounds. I know he is getting enough food now. He doesn't even sore tonight, last time we couldn't even look at him and he would squeal because he was so sore.

Mico making a new friend

2008-02-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

While taking Mico out this morning, he discovered that there was something in the bushes that looked similiar to him, yet still so different. Of course he had to investigate because he is a puppy, and well, puppies have to investigate and lick everything within thier reach.

Luckily the cat was just as curious about Mico as Mico was about the cat. After circling each other the sufficient amount of times, they decided that there was no threat involved on either side.

So, they touched noses and sniffed each other for a few seconds before parting ways. Mico would have loved to have played with the cat but the cat, well, being a cat, turned tail and walked away.

Maybe the cat will come back to play another day...

Note: The cat's name is Tony, he is a friendly neighborhood cat. We knew he was no threat to Mico or we would not have let the contact take place.

Mico in the country

2008-02-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

We went to see Mico's country cousins this last weekend and I can't believe I didn't take one picture of him with any of his five dog cousins. This is the only pic I took of him with Patsy the pony in the background. Mico loved his cousins, even though they are older than him and didn't really want to play too much. He would wag his little tail like I have never seen it wag before when they were around.

will work for peas

2008-02-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

Cortney is still working on training Mico to sit and she uses peas as a reward. He LOVES peas and gets so excited when he sees them come out. He is doing pretty well at learning, he gets one pea as a reward and a lot of praise.

calm moment

2008-02-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

Nap time! Mico was awake for three hours this afternoon and he finally just passed out, poor guy. Casey and Collin are playing with thier little people toys near his kennel and he doesn't even seem to hear them. Oh how I wish I could sleep like that!

Cortney has started teaching him the *sit* command. She gives him peas as a reward, oh how he loves peas! It is slowing going, but I think he will get it in time.

growth spurt

2008-02-04T08:31:00.001-08:00

This morning I opened Mico's kennel to let him out when he woke up from a long nights slumber. First he puts his front legs out and has a good stretch then his back legs come out for some more stretching. Wow, I could swear he grew last night. All of the sudden he looks so much bigger.

I tried to get a picture of him standing still sideways to compare with older pictures but that was impossible. Below are the pictures I ended up with. He is just too interest in playing with whatever is around him, including trying to get my camera strap.

Over the weekend, after much work on our side, he has quit biting so much. His time outs have dwindled quite a bit, we are trying to redirect him by giving him a toy when he gets riled up and that seems to be working. Growling is only allowed when he is playing with a toy. Not while we are holding him.

He has never been left alone. So, now that we are not using his bigger kennel as a time out place as much, we are attempting to get him comfortable spending time in his kennel while we are out. I have been putting him in there for short amounts of time with his toys. We are in the room and he is content playing. We are going to start leaving him in there for short amounts of time to see how he does. I am also going to start training him to go in in his kennel by himself. Sheesh, puppies are so much work, it is a good thing he is so cute!

Mico's first bath

2008-02-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

Doesn't he look sad? He did much better than I thought he would. I did avoid his ears and head since this is his first bath and he still has puppy ears. I read somewhere about putting cotton balls in his ears during his bath, I should have done that but I forgot and it was too late.

He came out a lot whiter! I didn't think he was that dirty but I guess he was. He also got his first shots yesterday so I had to be very careful washing his side, he is extremely sore!

After his bath and blow dry and brushing (yes he is spoiled, are you really surprised?) he wanted to go out in the back yard and play with the yard full of kids in the worst way.

He stood just inside the house and whinned and cried. He just won't go down steps yet. I really didn't want him to go out since he had just had a bath.

I finally gave in and took him out.

Of course he went straight for the dirt pile and mud.

Yesterday I took Mico to the vet for his puppy visit and vaccinations. Poor guy! It was such an ordea for him but he did a lot better than I thought he would.

We are still convinced he is part pirahna but it is getting better. We ignore the bad behaviour and put him in his big kennell with no toys for about a minute for time out. The first night the kennell door was like a revolving door. Last night was much better and today was even better, not perfect but he is coming along. Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement. It helps knowing I am not the only one with a dog that has puppy rage.

playful pup

2008-01-28T21:06:00.000-08:00

No socks are safe in our house, they are always in danger of being pounced on and subdued. Even if you are wearing them. The best thing to do is to keep your shoes on!

Luckily he wears himself out pretty quickly. He does like his kennel. We put him in there when he falls asleep or even when we think he is tired and he will go to sleep on his own. When he wakes up he plays with his stuffed buddy for a while and when he is ready to get out he goes to the door and puts his paw on it.

Things aren't all roses though, he is becoming quite the biter. We are struggling with ways to get him to stop biting our fingers and toes. He gets himself all wound up and starts growling and biting. We do not want him to continue with this aggressive behaviour. He bites me the least so I pick him up and wait for him to calm down. We have also started putting him in a laundry basket for a little time out. I don't want to use his kennel or bed as a place to punish him. I would welcome any suggestions on how to deal with this problem...

settling in

2008-01-27T15:04:00.001-08:00

Kicking back taking one of his many, many naps.

Mico (still his name) is settling in nicely. I can't believe how much he sleeps! He loves to sleep in his crate, it is like a little cave to him. But he also enjoys sleeping on a warm body. He is such a good puppy, so happy and playful and when he gets sleepy he loves to snuggle.

This morning I took him out front to go potty. While he was sniffing around the yard and I noticed a cat under a bush watching him, wondering what he was. I moved closer to Mico to protect him, I was afraid the cat would think he was some kind of a rat and try to run off with him. Mico was oblivious to the cat.

Mico also met his brother yesterday. My friend has a Papillon that has the same mother and father as Mico. They sniffed each others noses and then ignored each other. So much for brotherly love.

night three

2008-01-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

It was a good night last night. Mico is doing great! He went to bed at 9:30 and didn't wake up until 5:30 AM when the phone rang and it woke him up. It wasn't for me, so this is what happened. Hee-hee.

homecoming

2008-01-24T17:26:00.000-08:00

Our puppy has finally come home. Cortney and I picked him up on Tuesday night. We are calling him Mico (pronounced Meecko). I am not sure if that name will stick but it was the only one we could agree on. It is a French name since Papillon means butterfly in French that is the name we came up with. It does fit him. I may change the spelling or we may change his entire name, but for now he is Mico.

He is such a good and sweet puppy! He is so happy and playful and just goes along with us. He is so much fun to play with and loves to give kisses and snuggle. He does like to bite on us with his puppy teeth and we are working on breaking him of that. His little teeth are sharp! He has his own little schedule, sleep, eat, pee or poop, play, sleep, eat pee or poop, play, sleep..., well, you get the idea.

House breaking is going pretty well too. We take him out quite a bit and he has only had a couple of accidents in the house.

The first night actually went a lot better than I thought it would. I thought he would keep us up all night whining looking for his mom and litter mates. But he only whined when he wanted to go out, at 11:20 and 4:45. The second night he didn't wake up and start whining to go out until after 5:00. He sleeps in a crate next to my bed and does well in it. He would rather sleep on top of me but he is so little I am afraid he will get squished.

Mico's first car ride home, asleep in Cortney's lap.
Bonding with Casey.
Waking Cameron up in the morning. The kids get up in a good mood when I put Mico in bed with them and he licks their noses.

Mico bonding with Collins Webkin frog Hoppy. Collin wasn't too happy about Mico chewing on Hoppy's eyeballs.

He loves his kibble and he is a good eater.

six week video

2008-01-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

six weeks old

2008-01-20T22:05:00.001-08:00

The pups have really changed this week. No more box, no more pen. The breeder is working on house training them and they are doing pretty good with it. Their fur is getting a lot thicker and they have all their puppy teeth now. They like to remind us of their teeth by chewing on our fingers, which we are no longer allowing but redirecting with a chew toy. Those little teeth are sharp, no wonder the mama dog runs from them when they are running towards her now.

Also, one of the pups ears are now standing up, the other two pups, including ours, are still down.

We were hoping to bring our pup home last night but the breeder doesn't feel that he is ready to come home yet. So, maybe tomorrow or Thursday or whenever he gives us the green light. We are anxious but would rather wait and be sure he is ready to come home. They are 99.9% weaned and would rather be on us than with each other now. They used to whine for their litter mates but now they just seem to get jealous when one is getting more attention.

We are getting closer to agreeing on a name. We still want a name with a French origin and think we have it narrowed down to two.

Today we are going to go shop for puppy supplies, just the basics, so we will be ready when the breeder gives us the green light.

I also have a video to post in the next day or so.

Helping his ears stand up

This little guys ears are already standing up.

Playful

Our pup checking out his brothers.

This little guy walked up to me and put his paws on my leg, I picked him up and he was asleep in my arms in about two seconds.

Casey has two puppies, she couldn't be happier.

He was asleep like this, he was just so comfy and happy in this position.

multi-use

2008-01-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine loaned us this puppy crate for our pup. I think I have found another use for it! I need to get four more, one just isn't enough.

five weeks old

2008-01-16T18:24:00.000-08:00

This week when we saw the pups they went from being in a box to a pen. Once they started walking they figured out how to get out of the box really fast. They have grown and their personalities are really coming out. They are still just little cute and cuddly fur balls.

They loved Collin this week. I think it was the penguins on his shirt, they thought it was their mom.
Our sleeping baby on my lap.

I wish we could take both of these pups, they are attached to each other but it would just be impossible.

Elmer holding sleeping puppies.

2008-01-15T13:34:00.000-08:00

In this video the pups were drawn to Collin. We aren't sure why, we theorize it was because Collin was wearing a t shirt with a large penguin on it. Maybe they thought it was their mother.

I have more pictures to post later in the week...

chosen one

2008-01-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

We chose the one with the black face. In this picture he is about half asleep with his little tongue sticking out a bit. He is always just so relaxed when we hold him and loves to snuggle into us. He would also stay by our feet when he was on the floor and just seems to like people more that the other two. Even when we were leaving and he was in his pen he would come over and sit by where we were standing just to be close to us. He is also playful with his brothers and loves to roll around with them. So, even though he isn't home yet, we are considering him part of our family now.

We just hope the other two get a really nice home too. I asked the breeder if I could sit in when people come to look at the other two pups. We are attached to them too and want to make sure they get a good home and are taken care of. He thinks I am kidding, but I am really only half kidding.

Now to think of a name. We all have our own opinions on what to name him and no on can agree. Not much different than when we had our human babies.

I have more pics and a short video to post during the week.

decision made

2008-01-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

We made a decision. We picked our pup tonight.

decision time

2008-01-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

The breeder called to tell me that a lady is coming to look at the puppies on Sunday morning. So, that means we have to pick our puppy tomorrow so she doesn't buy it. How will we ever decide? they are all SO cute.

four weeks old, another video

2008-01-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

I could sit and watch the puppies play all day. They are just starting to bark and yelp and wag thier tails. They have a hard time getting traction on the wood floor but they were getting the hang of it by the time we left. I can't wait to see them again, I am sure they will be experts at it by then. I don't know how we will ever pick one! We are still leaning towards the one with the all black face.

four week old pictures

2008-01-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

The puppies have really changed this week. They are walking on all four paws now and getting around pretty well. We really enjoyed watching them play with each other. They are also starting to find their voices and let out little barks and yelps while playing then they look shocked about the noise they made. They are wagging their tails like crazy and their little tails are starting to curl up. Oh, and they have teeth now and they love to chew on fingers

Playing on top of their sleeping
brother.

Sleeping puppy, this one is Cortney's favorite.
Don't worry, we didn't leave him out for long.
This is the mama Papillon, Buttercup.

This is the dad, Buzz.

Look at that face!

four weeks old a video

2008-01-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

We tried out the video feature on my camera tonight when we went to see the pups. I have a couple of others to post and some cute pictures too later in the week.

In this video the pups had just woken from a nap, and well, we all do this after a long slumber...

withdrawl

2008-01-03T10:38:00.000-08:00

Cortney and I are going through serious puppy withdrawal. Two more days and we can see the sweet babies again...

three weeks old

2007-12-31T10:29:00.000-08:00

The pups are three weeks old now and just getting more adorable every time we see them. They had also grown again and my favorite is no longer the biggest of the trio. Last week he was noticeably larger than the other two but they have caught up.

Their eyes are wide open now and their tiny ears are just starting to perk up. It is hard to believe that their ears are SO small as puppies and then get so large as adults. We noticed this week that their personalities are just now starting to peek out. We are really waiting to decide which one we want when we can see more of their personalities. We figure with a family our size with young kids we need a frisky dog to keep up.

The girls were much more interested in the pups than the boys. The boys all ran outside with the breeders son to play with their lite sabers. Casey couldn't wait to hold a pup.

My favorite is the one with the all black face and is stretching out in the above picture. He seems to be the most feisty so far.

This one is Cortney's favorite. He really is a cutey too. I like the white nose, he looks like a bandit. It is just so hard to choose between them. We also pay a lot of attention and love on the third pup too so don't think we leave him out.

Casey really is good with the pups. We practice being nice to animals and proper petting/holding with stuffed animals. She has come a long way from when she was two. The father of the pups came in the house and she kept carrying him outside. She was very gentle with him and he was very patient with her. A good sign on both sides, hopefully a patient father (and mother) will mean a patient pup/dog.

When it was time to leave we put them all back in the box so they could eat and nap. They started trying to play with each other. They were so uncoordinated and kept rolling over on their backs, they hated that. It was so much fun to watch and so cute. Next week they will be much better at it.

We have friends that got a pap pup from the same breeder several months ago. We found out that our pup and their pup have the same mother and father so they are brothers. We plan on getting the dogs together as soon as possible so they can bond. Then we can trade babysitting when we go on vacation.

Next week I will be sure that my camera battery is charged. I want to get pictures of the parents too.

ah man

2007-12-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't you know it, I only took three pics and the camera battery went dead! Well, at least I got three pics. I am charging the camera battery now and will post pics later today or tomorrow.

weekly visitation

2007-12-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

We are going to see the puppies again tonight, they are three weeks old today. I can't wait to see how much they have grown. I will take my camera and post more pictures of them in the next couple of days.

healing steps

2007-12-24T14:19:00.000-08:00

Cortney and I went to see the our pups brothers a couple of nights ago. They are two weeks old and they are HUGE! (It made me realize that our pup was just not thriving.) They are SO cute and and SO sweet. I could have sat there and held them and petted their soft fur all night, as could have Cortney. Above Cortney is holding her favorite and my favorite. My favorite is the one facing the camera. He is the biggest of them all.

This little guy facing the camera is Cortney's favorite. He is a super sweet little guy too. They are just starting to open their eye's. I would love to have them both.

Cortney is holding all three now, they just curled up in her lap and went to sleep. They are just so sweet. I think I already said that. Really, it is impossible to pick between any of them. We are going to wait and see what their personalities are like. It would be nice to take all three but that would be impossible. We will have to make a choice eventually. They each have one ear that is just starting to pop up, so cute.

I am holding my favorite little guy here. Honestly, I could have held him all night. He would make the sweetest little puppy sounds.

We are healing from our loss. We have good memories of our pup and are looking forward to providing a loving home for a healthy pup when the time comes.

sorrow

2007-12-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

Our pup curled up and asleep in my hand on day 11, so sweet!

Thursday afternoon I had to get the puppy up at 2:30 to feed him. He was no longer waking to eat. He no longer cried or squeaked. He was no longer moving or rooting around. He was hardly eating and he was no longer urinating. His tongue which had been a nice healthy reddish pink was now brown. After he ate he just laid on his side on my leg. He breathing was labored and his mouth was open a bit. I believe his organs were shutting down. I believed that he was starting to suffer and I could not let him die a slow painful death, so I made the decision that every pet owner dreads. It was time to let him go. Cortney, my 11.5 old daughter was sitting next to me as she always did when I fed the pup. She was my faithful assistant, even getting up in the middle of the night to help and hold the pup for a little while and helped me get him settled back in his bed. I had a strict rule of not disturbing the pup while he slept.

I turned to Cortney and told her it was time to let him go. She tried to be strong, but I told her it was okay to feel sad and cry. We both sat on the bed and looked at the pup and hugged each other and cried. I told her that it was okay to be sad and cry and that it meant that we loved and cared for the pup. I told her that even though we knew that letting the pup go didn't mean it was going to hurt any less.

I called my mom to come stay with Cortney and the other kids. I wrapped the pup up in a warm towel and made him comfortable in a box. Cortney brought in a little present she had wrapped and put under the Christmas tree for the pup and opened it for him. It was a tiny stuffed puppy. We put it in the box next to the pup. I called the kids in one at a time and explained to them what was happening and gave them the chance to say good bye to the pup. The older kids were sad and my 9 year old son cried even though he hadn't really become attached to the pup. The younger kids really didn't understand, but I thought they should have a chance to say good bye. Cortney stood by and silently cried. My mom showed up and Cortney clung to her and sobbed as I left.

The drive to the vet was so much different from the day before when I was driving the car while trying to keep the pup in his box, he kept trying to climb out. Yesterday he just laid on his side and didn't move.

When I got to the vets office I went in and I had to wait at the front desk for a moment. That's when I noticed the towel moving. I lifted it up and the pup was trying to sit up. He was so weak but he was trying so hard to be strong and brave. Of course watching him try to recover made me have a mini break down. The staff was very nice and took me right into a room to have some privacy.

This is so hard to write, I keep having to pause to wipe away the tears. I really thought it would be easier to write about today. Getting this out will be therapeutic for Cortney and myself.

I held the pup and petted him and told him how much we all loved him and how brave he had been. I told him how beautiful he was and how sad we were that we wouldn't be able to watch him grow and turn into a beautiful full grown adult dog. I told him how we didn't want him to suffer anymore and that we would see him again in Heaven. I then called the tech in to come get him. I had to sign something that I didn't even dare read. I could just imagine what it must have said and I was afraid it would set me off again. Not that I could really see it through my tears. I took the stuffed puppy out of the box and said one last good bye to our sweet beloved pup.

The tech was only gone a few minutes when she came to get me to let me know it was over. I wish I had been strong enough to be with him until the end but I just couldn't do it.

I came out of the room and I was a mess. Everyone in the waiting room fell silent and all eyes were on me. I could feel that the room was full of sympathy for me and my pain. I handed over my credit card and had no idea how much I even paid and left. Again, I could feel all eyes watching me cross the room and leave. They knew that I was experiencing every pet owners nightmare.

When I got home the kids were doing better and we were trying to pretend that we were all doing okay while our hearts were broken. I knew it was time for me to try to be strong for Cortney's sake. I talked to her again and let her know it was okay to feel sad and that if she wanted to talk I was there for her, as always. I gave her the little stuffed puppy back and she has been carrying it around with her ever since.

I did the things that had to be done last night then put my pajamas on and climbed into bed at 6:30. I was physically and mentally exhausted. The older kids laid in bed with me and we watched some mind numbing TV, we were all tired and feeling a bit numb. My husband had come home from work early to be with us and he took the bed out to the garage to wash everything and put it away. Everytime I looked next to my bed I expected to see the pups bed there and when I saw it was gone and the memory came back a little bit more of my heart broke. Cortney said that she thought that she had heard him squeak a few times. I told her that was natural and we would probably hear him and look for him for a few days.

We only had our pup for four short days, but he made a big impression on us and took a big chunk or our hearts. I do not regret taking the pup and trying to save him. Some may say it was the wrong thing to do, and that we were just setting ourselves up for heartbreak, in hindsite they may be right. I know they had our feelings in mind and the pups feelings and had the best intentions and way more experience with puppies than I do or will ever have. Even though we lost the pup, and it was excrutiating for us, especially Cortney, I do think it was a good lesson for the kids. They have never really experienced loss, and it is important to learn how to deal with it and cope. It never gets easier but they will learn that time helps heal all wounds.

We will always hold our dear pup close to our hearts and we do have more good memories than bad. We also have this short little blog to remember him by.

We are supposed to take one of the pups brothers when he is old enough and weaned. We had already planned on it so it wouldn't feel as though we are trying to replace our pup. Honestly, I am ready to just say we tried and call it quits, but I am going to let Cortney take the lead on that one. I do have a picture of the other puppy we planned on taking and I will post it at another time. I am hoping to go to the breeders house this weekend to see our pups brother to help ease our hurt.

I want to thank you all for your supportive and loving comments and e mails. They have meant the world to me, more than you will ever know. Our pup was loved by so many, and I know he felt it!

Cortney and pup

gone

2007-12-20T18:25:00.001-08:00

Our sweet beloved pup is at peace now. I am both physically and mentally exhausted. I will post more tomorrow or the next day when I don't feel so raw.

day twelve - losing

2007-12-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

First, I want to thank you all for the supportive comments and e mails. They have meant a lot to me.

I took the pup to the vet yesterday. The vet is a very sweet older man who was very gentle with the pup and talked to him while he examined him. He took a lot of time with us. He is not optimistic about the pups survival. He said that he thinks the pup has more deformities than we can see at this time. He does not believe that the pup has a cleft pallet but that his hard pallet is connected to his nasal cavity. That is why his lip goes up and one of his nostrils is open. He believes the pup will have a lot of problems eating since there is an opening. He recommended euthanasia.

My heart sank, I felt sick and I had to sit down. So much for not getting to attached to the pup. The vet was very nice and could see that I was not ready for that so he helped me make a plan for the pup. He changed his formula and gave me a infant feeder for him. He told me to give him another 48 hours to eliminate since the vet didn't feel any obstructions in the pup. He didn't feel the pup was in any distress at this time. The new formula seems to working because this morning he had a large elimination.

There are a couple of other problems that we found. He said the pup is facing at least 2 surgeries in his future. At least 2 surgeries.

As of about 2:00 am the pup seems to be losing his battle. He is no longer crying or squeaking, he doesn't seem to have the energy. He seems to have lost his fiestiness and is very lethargic. He is eating some, but now he is not urinating well.

So, if you are a praying person, please pray for our pup. Not necessarily that he lives, but that we trust and understand that God knows what is best for our pup, and that we accept that. We do not want our pup to suffer in any way. Please pray for our pups comfort and peace at this time.

I will update again later.

Eleven Days Old - new best bud

2007-12-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

I bought the pup this little stuffed toy yesterday. It is for puppies, there is a warming bag inside of it that we microwave for 30 seconds and it gets all nice and warm. Pup loves to get underneath it and snuggle with it. He bonded with it immediatly and they have been best buds ever since. If he gets fussy and it isn't time for him to eat yet, we warm up his friend and put it next to him and he calms right down.

We seem to be settling into a routine. He eats about every 3 hours, sometimes sooner and I never let him go more than 4 hours without eating. I would like to start keeping track of his weight but he is way to wiggly for the kitchen scale.

We are still waiting for another elimination, nothing happened yesterday so if nothing happens by this afternoon another enema is in his future. That IS not going to be fun! I am thinking of adding a touch of Karo Syrup to his formula to see if that will get things moving.

Today I am optimistic about the pups future. He seems to be getting stronger everyday and I noticed yesterday his posture is becoming more like a pup and less like a fetus. I am still preparing myself and my kids for a possible heartbreak.

Update: I got a few e mails and a couple of comments about puppy not being warm enough with just his bud. He also has a heating pad in with him set on low so he is staying warm. Thanks for the concern.

ten days old

2007-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Can you see him? After his 5:30 am feeding I was getting his bed ready so I set him on my bed. I kept a close eye on him and watched him crawl over to Casey, who is always in bed with us by this time, and snuggle up to her to get warm. They looked so cute together, both in polka-dots.

Yesterday the pup went to the vet. He hadn't pooped in a couple of days so a procedure (enema) was done to get things started. And it worked. I think it might be the formula that is constipating him. I need to figure out a way to help things move along. With my babies I just gave them a little juice, but I don't' think that would be good for the pup. I need to do some research.
The vet did a little exam on the pup and gave his prognosis. The pup may live, he may not. He may need surgery to repair his lip and nose, he may not. Um, yea, that was quite helpful.
Last night things were a bit better, I think I got more sleep. Pup ate at 8:00 and my husband was supposed to feed him again between 10:00 and 11:00. I fell asleep at 9:00 and I woke up at midnight. All the lights in the house were still on and my husband was asleep. I woke him to see if he had fed the pup and he had not so I had to get and feed pup. Pup was still snoozing but I woke him to feed him. I don't want him going longer than four hours without eating. He ate quickly and went back to sleep but was up again at 2:00 am. I just could not get out of bed so I woke my husband to get up and feed him. Strangely enough, he got up right away! I can count on one hand how many times he got up to help me with out five human babies in the middle the night.
At 5:30 pup started to cry again so I got up to feed him. He gave me a scare. He was quite warm when I got him out and he wasn't as feisty as he usually is during feedings. He did eat well and he relieved himself but he just curled up in my hand. Usually he moves and squirms until I get him back to his warm bed. So, I held him close, kept him warm, petted him and talked to him for an hour. I sat him down on my bed and he started searching for a warm spot (picture above) and moving quite quickly so I put him in his bed and he rooted around and went to sleep. I started to feel better watching him move. He seemed much better at his 7:30 feeding so I am wondering if he is just starting to gain weight and doesn't feel so frantic about eating anymore.
I did notice during our time together, early this morning, that his nose is getting black spots on it. Also one of his ears is starting to stand up and he also getting a lot more fur. I did get a chance to get a look at the top of his mouth and it looks good to me. I didn't see any holes and it really looks perfect. I am wondering if his only problem is his lip and not his pallet. Time will tell...
The end

nine days old, the first night

2007-12-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

The above picture was taken when the pup was finishing his morning feeding. You can see a tube at the end of the syringe that he seems to prefer and works well to get the formula down his throat so it doesn't spill out of his mouth.

The pup is nameless, I haven't even had time to think about it yet. I think it would be better to wait until he is older and we can see his personality. He is starting to show a lot of personality already, he is just a sweetheart.

Last night I fed him at 10:00 pm and put him to bed. Bed is a cardboard box with a heating pad in the bottom, turned to low, and a soft t shirt for him to waller around in. His bed sits on a stool next to my bed. It reminds me so much of when I brought my babies home and kept them in the bassinet right next to my bed so I could hear every little noise. He wallers and squeaks until he finds just the right spot. He has the softest little squeaks.

I went to bed at 11:30 pm and set my alarm for 2:00 am. When my alarm went off at 2:00 am he was still sleeping so I warmed his syringe of formula and then I woke the pup up to feed him. He woke right up and ate and went right back to sleep. I reset my alarm for 6:00 am and didn't doze off until 3:30. At 4:30 I started hearing him squeak and move around. He would do that occasionally and then stop. I imagine he is looking for a new warm spot. But the squeaking didn't stop. It started to grow in intensity, so I got up at 4:45 am and fed him. Unfortunately my 3 year old daughter got up as well. She watched me feed the pup and clean him up. Feeding also includes stimulating urination and she thought it was fascinating how the puppy pees on a Kleenex.

Pup was then satisfied and happy. I put him back to bed and he went right back to sleep. Unfortunately my 3 year old did not. She stayed up until 6:00 am and then she dozed off. I get up at 6:30 so I just stayed up. Not much sleep for me last night.

Pup got up again at 7:15 and started crying. My 11 year old daughter got him out and held him while I warmed his formula. We noticed that he looks bigger today and stronger. When he was at the breeders he spent most of his time alone in his box. Since he is half the size of the other pups the breeder was afraid that the other pups would get on top of him and hurt him or kill him by accident. Now that he is here he is getting a lot more attention, when he wakes up he is being held, petted and talked to. I really think the contact and attention is making a difference. He is also being fed more on demand rather than by the clock. Like my babies were.

I hear him waking now, I better go get his mid morning meal ready.

The beginning - 7 days old

2007-12-16T22:14:00.000-08:00

A bit of a back story here...we have waited years to get a puppy. We have had babies or toddlers for 14 years and now that our baby is 3.5 years old we have decided it was time for a puppy. We picked a Papillon for several reasons. We have a friend at church that breeds them so we put in a request for a girl pup. Of course the mama had four boys. We went to look at them and picked out a healthy fat and happy black and white pup. He is only a week old but we got to hold him and love on him. Then we heard about another puppy. A puppy that was born with a cleft pallet and could not nurse. He is hand fed but is thriving. I of course became attached to him and gave him extra attention. Our friend called us the next day and asked us if we wanted him. We felt that we needed to take him and care for him, that he was meant to be ours. So, he came to his forever home today at 8 days old.

I am going to post pictures and updates everyday of our little pups journey. Okay, I will try.