Where have the last 7 weeks gone?

Time has passed so quickly since the arrival of Jess' little wonders. It seems like only minutes ago that we had these 7 tiny, helpless little creatures arrive and now they are 7 chunky barrels of fun and frolics, they can run, jump, eat solid food, they fight and bite one another, they have come so far in such a short time. We are slowly coming to terms with the fact that next weekend our little babies will be leaving us. We are both going to miss them so much, but in the last few days it is becoming increasingly clear that as the pups have grown and become more demanding, they now need more time and attention individually than Andy and I are able to give. So in some ways this thought softens the blow for us. The pups will each get much more love and attention than they are getting now, with their very own people. We are delighted with all the owners that we have found for our puppies and we know that they will all be going to loving, caring homes and will be very well looked after.

My blog updates have been a little sparse recently, due to boiler breakdowns and having to go back to work after the christmas break. So there are a few pictures and bits of news that although a little outdated, I thought I would share.


We started to wean the pups at three weeks old, and they took to mushy biscuits really well. Jess feeding them was gradually reduced down to once a day, in the evening and we put a stop to that at 5 weeks. At first Jess was a little uncomfortable as she was still producing milk, she also was a little sad at not being able to feed her babies. Andy and I had to come up with some way that Jess could have access and play with the pups, but they would not be able to feed off her.

She is possibly the only dog we know who wears North Face! But it works and it means she can still play with the pups and give them a good telling off now and again when they overstep the mark!

We try and bring the pups upstairs one at a time, to spend some time with us and away from their litter mates. They are all quite confident now and love running about in the big space. They are very inquisitive around Molly, but she doesn't hang about long enough for us to get any photos of her anywhere near a pup. They just have to give her one sniff and she's up and off. It's surprising how fast she can move when she wants to, the old girl!

Of course when they do come upstairs, we can't resist giving them lots of cuddles, they are all big softies when they want to be. The picture above is no 6, he is adorable and loves to be around people. He still gets stuck into the puppy fights but as soon as you walk into the room his eyes are on you and he is the first onto your knee if you get into the pups crate.

Not sure which pup this is but I have posted it so I can look back and remember when they were as big as the skirting board! It really is amazing how fast they have grown, Andy and I tend to notice it more when we weigh them - always a shock how much they have put on, although considering how much puppy food we get through in a week, it shouldn't be! It is always funny when people who haven't seen them for a week or two come round and they are always gobsmacked to see how huge they have grown. There have been some very surprised looking owners visiting this weekend, ha ha. Be warned, they have a lot more growing to do yet.

The pups are now enjoying completely dry food. We started gradually making it less and less mushy until eventually at the weekend I started them on dry. They had no issue with it at all, they all got stuck straight into it. I think it is much better for them actually as they have to give it a good chew and it makes them all eat a lot slower. They do look very cute whilst they are eating it. They take a mouthful and then sit down whilst they chew, it's really funny, and Jess used to do exactly the same.