The puppies' eyes are opened, they're moving around and crying for mom periodically, she's been an excellent mom and everything in their world is going well!
The biggest puppy at birth was JerryLee (and the last puppy) but JohnnyCash has rapidly picked up the most weight and is almost twice the size of either of the other two... We've taken to calling him 'the moose' and at times, singing that child's song ("the mouse, the mooooose... sitting in the water")... :)
Nothing has changed in RubyDee's demeanor... I had to handle the puppies after they were just a few hours old as we removed the birthing blankees and bed... Didn't faze her a bit... RubyDee was rooting around in her bedding when they were just a few days old and she accidentally flipped JohnnyCash out of the whelping box... I heard the unusual cries and rushed there to find him laying on the carpet by himself... I picked him up, cuddled him a few seconds and RubyDee quickly licked him all over, settled him in and they all went back to sleep and nursing...
Throughout the day, she is in and out of the Xpen with the pups... She knows how to climb (and can) up the side (it is a short Xpen) when she wants to come out... And she quickly realized she ONLY gets the goats milk in the Xpen with the puppies, so when she sees me with that particular container in hand, she rushes to the Xpen~!!! (and they say dogs are dumb! DUH)...
Now that they are moving around, we've taken the whelping box out and laid the Xpen with thick blankees and doggie bedding... JohnnyCash has already become interested in that strange smell when I replenish RubyDee's bowl with goats milk... Once or twice he has stuck his head into the bowl and taken a taste, but for now, he is more content with mom's milk and snuggling...
On occasion, you can hear their cries, but for the most part, Mother Nature is doing her thing... RubyDee is a FANTASTIC mom and she's so sweet and easy going, I've noticed that her puppies immediately start wagging their tails when you pick them up and nuzzle with them... There is so much to be said for 'home-raised' puppies versus petshop/puppymill puppies... You can tell people about this until you are out of breath, but until you've watched and experienced it first hand, it is hard to believe that environment and/or mindset can play such an important role in how a puppy's persona eventually turns out to be...
RubyDee is a bit aggressive towards any of the other dogs coming too close to her Xpen with the puppies, but otherwise?... She's interacting and friendly with all... I've caught her playing outside with Nacho a few times and although she's still loaded heavy with milk, she kept up with him... I look forward to the next few weeks once these puppies go from milk puppies to weaned puppies... I'm not a fan of puppies at all (give me the older guys no one else wants any time) but this has been an enjoyable experience to go through...
