The Latest Puppy Pictures

Okay, so where is winter? Not that I love cold weather, ice, and snow. Not that I enjoy scraping car windows and scooping the driveway, Not that I appreciate icy winds and below zero temperatures, but this is really weird weather for Illinois in January! It makes me wonder what big, nasty surprise Mother Nature has in store for us in the coming months.

How well I remember last year at this time. Our October puppies were old enough to leave home and their new owners had difficulties getting to Macomb because of the snow and extreme cold. We stayed home from the usual winter dog shows because we were fearful of late night travel in the cold and thought the trips just were not worth the hassle of loading and unloading dogs and equipment in the freezing temps or the risks of the bad roads and blowing snow.

Olivia and Gracie, 6 weeks

About the puppies -- they are growing and becoming more rowdy. They love to explore and manage to get into places I never imagined. You would think that after all the puppies we've raised in this house that I would have a better idea of how to puppy-proof things, but the problem-solving ingenuity of these puppies is hard at work! Their personalities are emerging, and getting to know them is interesting. We have a couple of rabble-rousers and a couple of "I'll hang back and watch and see what happens" types, and a couple that are in-between, depending on the circumstances. Their attitudes adjust quickly from day to day. They move fast and more than once I've nearly tripped on, stepped on, or shut the door on one of them. They've discovered the thrill of chewing on shoe laces and tugging on pant legs. They've met the cat, who was not happy to be approached by a horde of curious puppies. You would think he'd be used to puppies after living here for 4 years. He just leaps onto the highest perch he can find and watches them, sometimes with an evil look in his eye, crouching in attack position as if he were some kind of cougar ready to spring.

Gabe and Rafe, 6 weeks

We've begun to wean them, although Dancer is none too keen about being away from them very long. She is a good mom! They like the mush that the puppy food becomes when mixed with hot water, but they still mob their poor mother every chance they get. She is calm, tolerant, and easy going in her approach to mothering. She loves them, and it is so sweet to see her curled up napping with the puppies cuddled against her.

Our granddaughter loves the puppies and I appreciate her interest. It is great to have puppies around young children again. Klara is 5 now and is doing a nice job to help us socialize the puppies. I did not let her help me name them. Her choices were by far as odd as my own children's choices used to be!

Sebastian and Griffin, 6 weeks

We're working (it's going slow) on paper/piddle pad training. It's hit or miss, but a couple of the puppies are making really good progress and manage to get in the general vicinity of the piddle pads the majority of the time! Unfortunately, it is not the same two each day! One step forward, two steps back -- never a dull moment.

The coming weeks will bring more "firsts" as we begin to extend Dancer's time away from them by a few hours each day and introduce them to more new things. The next planned 'first' comes at the end of next week when they get their first car ride -- to the vet's clinic for their first shots. 

I hope you enjoy the photos. More later!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce