PUPPIES!

It is hard to believe that 11 days passed between puppy visits! This is an unheard of number of days between snuggles! But this visit was extra special, because it was Olive's final day of nursing, and at just six weeks old, her puppies are eating solid food and ready to get to growing up! Olive is home, yay!! She had a bath, double yay!! (and she climbed right in the tub--so she must have known she needed it :)

As soon as I set them down in her play yard, Fern managed to snag my keys (and I have a lot of keys). With them dangling from her mouth, she pranced proudly, just like her mama, straight towards the water bowl!! EEEK! I caught the keys before they took a plunge, but she was astonishingly quick for a puppy that started walking like two weeks earlier :) Both puppies are big fans of the water, so they were completely soaked most of the time I was there. The breeder said they are going to be BIG dogs, like Olive. They are still pretty sweet and little now, even in their hugeness (from a puppy standpoint :)

Could Piper be any cuter? I just don't think she could!

Hashtag Goals, right little lady?

Wait, come back! :)

So, the pup-date is that because of their slow early development physically, the vet tech does not recommend these pups for service animals. However, Miss Fern is so laid back and easy-going, they are going to keep her for another six months until she's old enough for the genetic and structure testing. If she passes these with flying colors, she will likely also go to a guardian home to become a future mama in a couple of years. Miss Piper will go up for adoption in a couple of weeks when she's old enough. But both puppies will undergo the special brain/socialization testing all the puppies go through.

In fact, the older litter just completed this testing and did better than any litter before them! Seven puppies entered the service dog program and are already receiving basic training at the facility. These four are up for adoption even though they also did amazing on the tests. There's just only so much room for new puppies to formally train.

The breeders have decided they will NEVER do two litters at the same time again--that's just so much work! So, Olive is off the hook for at least a year :) I learned that the heat cycle resets when nursing is complete, and they will skip Olive's next heat. Now we just need to get her trained on the backyard underground fence and she will be footloose and fancy free!

I think she misses her puppies, but she seems happy to be home :) She even helped me pack up a box or two of Caelan's plants--we call it the Brennen's Room Deforestation Project, heehee ;)