Zanna is feeding the puppies les and les. Down to 2 times a day now.

At night when I take my 3 dogs for their short last walk to do their “business” I put the puppies in the garden to do theirs too. It works really well, everyone is happy and ready for bed at the same time.

The puppies sleep downstairs in their whelping box while all the grown dogs sleep upstairs with me.

In the morning I go down with Zanna. First I open the back door ready for the rush, then I go into the lounge where there are 3 (last week 4) eager puppies waiting to be set free. I rip out the partition to allow the puppies out, run though the kitchen and outside while calling “Zanna” and “puppies” and all the puppies rush outside after Zanna. It really is a great system LOL.

Once outside Zanna stands still and lets them drink for about 5 minutes. Then she asks me to be let inside and the pups go their own way to do their “business”.



This morning was the first time that Zanna didn’t come straight down with me. But by now the puppies are so used to running through the lounge and kitchen to get outside they followed me easily. They all did their wee and poepies in the garden, they really are ever so good.

And then I heard the back door creak open and there stood mama Zanna looking ever so pleased with herself that she had demonstrated her weaning skills…. Obviously she had decided she had let the kids wait long enough and came outside to feed them after all.

The pups are eating pretty much everything, just the harder bones are escaping their gnawing abilities for now. But each day their neck and chest muscles are growing from the work out they get from pulling off the meat, and jaws get stronger from the hard chewing they do on the bones.



And now to shock you a little, the pups sometimes get dead one day old chicks. These dead chicks used to give me the creeps, but I’m nearly used to them now.
Actually my own dogs wont eat them… they think they are creepy too, although since the pups eat them Zanna has started to too. It started that she got hold of a half chewed chick off one of the pups. The pups are teaching the older dogs new tricks.

Sun Bear now knowen als Bono


Hippie will probably stay Hippie :-)


Sweetie now knowen as Nina


and little Pixie is now knowen as Gioja

The following I wrote a few days ago but when I wanted to post it my computer refused to cooperate again… and I had no time to look into the problem…just too busy last week and to think I am on holiday ha, ha, ha. I really must find myself a multi-functional partner….. One that can fix computers, printers, does plumbing, paint, hang up toilets, tile walls and floors, loves dogs, has lots of money would be cool…. And if he can cook too, gosh that would be a stroke of good luck LOL.
When the owners of the puppies dad was here we took some lovely photos of the pups, will post them soon I promise.
Oh, and today the first puppy left to her new home…. A few tears flowed, but they were happy ones because Gioja, known up till now as Pixie, has left to have a great life with a very loving family with some very beautiful looking cats. The rest of the pups leave next Saturday and Sunday… still plenty of cuddling time, although I must admit Gioja was my lap dog while typing on the computer so she is missed extra now.


09-12-04
The puppies are doing fantastically.

On Tuesday I took them for their first walk in the park along with my 3 grown dogs. Well I am ashamed to say that I forgot my camera to show you…. And yesterday, Wednesday, I took them on their next walk in the bush. This time I had my camera!!!.... but it was dark weather and the photos were not very good.

Well I guess the main thing is they all had a great time.

The pups walked and ran with one of the 3 grown-up dogs. So they actually went quite a way away from me. The ones that chose to follow Flecha had the hardest job. But being true Lagotti they showed no sign of giving up and I had to make sure Tieka, Zanna and Flecha all stayed with in a reasonable distance and that we turned back to the car quite soon as Lagotti pups also don’t tend to give up easily and would probably run till their little legs drop off.

Getting back to the car and being placed back into the bench caused some protest. “WE WANT MORE!” they yelled for a few moments and then dropped off into a deep sleep. That’s such a charming thing puppies have, full of life making you wonder if there is a “off” button and then just as quick as you like they turn themselves off and look like little angels.




Yesterday the owners of the puppies father came to look at the pups. They seemed very pleased with them. Its always very nice to have a second opinion from someone with a critical eye, and they had promised to tell me the truth even if it was going to hurt hahaha. Well their comments were all positive so I’m pleased as punch.

But they don’t believe that the puppies have so much energy. Isn’t it just typical that the pups should act like a group of drug uses when people that have been following my stories about how active the pups are, are around.

The pups are so unbelievably active now. They are running around with a meter long sting with four 10 centimetre plastic sausages attached to it. Then on each end the girls playing tug of war.
The boys laying in ambush as their mother is chewing a bone. Hippie crouching at a safe distance barking at his mother who gets mad if they get too close and makes a lot of noise herself.
Pixie and Hippie rush after each other, Sweetie trying to dig though the basket. Tieka barking on the other side of the lounge door after deciding she would rather be terrorised by the “awful four” rather than lay upstairs on the comfy waterbed with Flecha.
Before all this they spent time in the kitchen, had a meal of chicken mince, did a wee outside!!! Ran around outside for about 20 minutes in the cold….. well they had the choice to come in so I assumed nature would tell to go inside before they freezed to death.
And just when you start to wonder if they will ever get tired they just drop and sleep and look like the sweetest puppies you have ever seen…….
Sun bear climbed up my legs into my arms, Pixie on my feet……oh wait, before we go to sleep just one last attempt to annoy grandma Tieka, all pups gather around her as she plays with one of their squeakily toys. Try to annoy mama Zanna just one more time… and after Zanna and Tieka’s abuse they decide they really have had enough for now and…….SPEEEEEEP. Thank you Mr Sand man for finally coming again…

The cord of the vacuum cleaner was more interesting than the vacuum cleaner its self! It doesn’t bother them at all, and I can assure you that a puppy that doesn’t get bothered by this noisy thing can stand any vacuum cleaner you present to them LOL.



If you ever have a puppy get one of these “sausage strings”!!! All the pups love this “sausage string” and rush around with it dragging behind them looking like proud hunters, they prance so proudly.



The pups are eating really well. They love everything I present to them so they will be easy eaters when the grow up.
My dogs, being kibble feed when growing up, can sometimes look really disgusted at new foods I present them and it can take a few times before they try something new. Sometimes I have to be creative, first making mince meat of it, mixing it with something they know well. But up till now, always after the first time they will eat the new article with joy.
But usually they like the new foods straight away. They love the variety and sit patiently in the kitchen while I “create” their meals.
The only thing I still always have to mince is fish. I use mackerel these days as Green peace declared this as the “safest” fish.



And after the meal time for a drink while mum cleans up the dishes.



Too nice not to show you.
Grandma Tieka and grandson Sun Bear