Boy, Are They Cute!

Well, the Cute Factor in this house is going by the hour. Not that Andy and the adult dogs aren't cute but the 4th of July Gang are cuter than most of us can stand. This is such a wonderful period in our time with our pups. They are becoming little individuals who spend their waking moments playing or exploring but they haven't yet developed the sharp teeth, loud voices, blazing speed and intense curiosity that make slightly older pups the challenges they are. Now, we get to enjoy every moment with them!

The pups are having regular human visitors each day, a key part of our socialization program. So far, they have met over 35 different people and that number will go up rapidly as the pups become more active. Corey and Dreamer have also become an important part of their socialization. Corey is a favorite aunt because she lets the pups climb all over her, pulling on her tail and ears. Dreamer is like the favorite older cousin because she loves to play with them. She is also learning to help me find the pups when they crawl under the furniture. There is a cute sequence of photos of her telling my Mr Red was under a cabinet. On the other hand, Una ignores the pups because they can't throw a tennis ball. Some grandmother she is!

The puppies are enjoying the x-pen and are doing a great job learning to use the litter area. Yeah! We had them out playing in the dining room yesterday and two of the boys actually made their way back into the pen to potty in the litter. They got yesterday's Gold Stars because the rest of the litter just climbed on the Big Dog's bed and peed there :-{. Two steps forward, one step back.

I have to tell one funny story before I leave you. One of our pups' favorite items is a cat bed cube. It's a hollow, cloth-covered, foam cube that has a hole in one side so they can go in and take a nap. I put it in the pen yesterday because they are now coordinated enough to get in and out. I loved watching them all come over to check it out. They played and napped in it throughout the day.

At 2 AM, I woke to howling and yapping. I lay in bed for a while, thinking Risk would go down and feed the pups. However, the noise went on and on. At 2:15 AM, I decided to go find out what the problem was. I found Risk in the pen nursing the pups. Yet, there was still a howling puppy. Then I realized that the cat bed had rolled over onto its door so there was a puppy stuck inside. I roll it back over and out pops Mr Red, quite upset about the delay in his feeding schedule. He threw a short hissy fit as he roared into the midst of his littermates looking for a free nipple. Once he accomplished this, all was calm for the rest of the night.

More photos and videos are posted. Enjoy! And come visit!