The puppies arrive

So Disa had her puppies one week ago. She did amazing for a first time mama. She had seven puppies, five boys and two girls, we think. (We keep checking!) I was a little worried because it took her a while to push the first one out, over an hour, but after that first one, there was only a break of a few minutes between each. She ate all the placentas, broke the cords, got each one cleaned up, all by her lonesome. What a good mama she is.

So far, she seems to have enough milk for all of them. They certainly sound like happy, contented little puppies. When they all line up at the milk bar and their little tails are all wagging, it just slays me. I’ve dipped six of their tails in different food colors to help me in telling them apart. They are one week old today, and all but one are just over a pound. I’ve been watching them chub up in real time! They are really adorable. Disa’s breeder (Solhunder Icelandics tells me that the color that they are behind their ears now is the color they will be as adults.

Disa herself is quite the working mom. For the first few days, she didn’t leave them, at all. I got worried about her because she wouldn’t even go pee. (Obviously, I’m a first-timer!) But one week out, she’s following me around on chores twice a day. If the animals get out, she’s right there with me to put them back. Then she’ll take a quick potty break and want right back in. She’s really torn when I go run errands in town, because she’s usually my companion.

We are doing something called Early Neurological Stimulation, a short little program of five simple steps done every day from day 3 to 16. Disa’s breeder did it with her, and I find her an amazing dog, so I’m not arguing with success. It’s a bit stressful on all involved, except now that we’ve been doing it for several days, both Disa and Bjarki don’t seem to care anymore. They know we won’t hurt the puppies, and everyone gets tuna after. (Well, Frank and I get a glass of zin.)

I’ve got quite a number of people on a waiting list for puppies. They will be ready to go at the end of March. There are still a few who need homes. Let me know if you are interested, and please pass the word! We love this breed and want to do what we can to spread the joy. There’s a page dedicated just to selling these little guys!