Progress Report: They grow up so fast

Very pleased to find that every puppy has cheerfully transitioned to eating softened kibble. They have no idea what I mean when I point out that they could have done this two weeks ago and saved me a lot of hair-tearing as I tried to find something they would eat.

Also, the puppies all get to spend half an hour or so playing in the living room after they’ve been outside. They are faking being housetrained. Very few accidents. It’s all a matter of timing and supervision and getting them outside or back in the puppy room at strategic intervals, which I’ve failed at … twice, I think. Two accidents so far in two weeks with five puppies is pretty good!

The ruby girl is not merely very teddy-bear-esque, she is also very person-oriented. She likes to be fed by hand, one piece at a time. She’s willing to eat out of a bowl, but sitting on someone’s lap is just better. I think she is going to be a very affectionate little girl.

The black-and-tan boy is happy to try to destroy shoes or dog beds or the couch, but fortunately does find dog toys an adequate substitute. Such a charmer.

I think these two are going to be steady and affectionate. Tri Boy is another lap puppy. Tri Girl Two is a lot like him. They certainly are a lot alike. I still have to look two or three times sometimes to be sure which one I’m looking at, even though as you see their face markings are somewhat different.

Really, the standout from this litter is —

So, my brother visited this past weekend, and I don’t know who started it, but by the end of the visit, we were calling this puppy Devil Woman. Now, that won’t be her registered name — which needs to start with an O — and I can’t quite see saying, “Devil Woman, Sit!” But obviously this suggests a lot of possible call names. Saffron, Bridget, and Yolanda all leap to mind. Of the three, I prefer Saffron. I can very easily see calling this puppy by that name. I think she will be witty and beautiful and (for a Cavalier) very independent — though I trust not duplicitous and backstabbing.

As a side note, my friend Deb tells me she’s now having exactly the same problem with a puppy that I had with Tri Boy and before him with Leda and her sister — a thrifty puppy that grows properly for the first week, but at some point in the second week suddenly needs extra formula every day in order to continue gaining, even though he looks perfectly healthy. It’s a mystery. At least I could say that in my experience, these puppies do just fine if you provide the support they need. Once weaned, they’re perfectly normal and gain just like any other puppy. It’s nice (in a way) to know that someone else is seeing this exact same phenomenon.

She nearly lost two of hers to a freak accident when they were born. Wow, puppies are so stressful. I’m sure glad my babies are out of the risky period and into the madly cute stage. I’ve imposed a 1000-word minimum for the present. That is such a trivial number of words. It would be ridiculous not to be able to hit that minimum every single day, even with Puppy Cuteness interfering. I haven’t (yet) declared that this word count has to apply to one specific project. But we’re halfway through July, nearly, and by gum I’m going to make some real progress on something this month.