***Chime's Precious Gemstone Puppies*** Born May 20, 2011
The pups discovered their new outdoor play area this morning and hit the ground running! They loved it! Within a minute, they were climbing and running all over the equipment. We have more to add, but this is their start.
Ms Minnie-Pearl recovering from her trip outside.
Sleeping soundly in the litter box...one of their favorite places to sleep.
It's been a busy week for the puppies. They go outside every day and they love the grass and hopping all over. In case you don't know, 5 week old puppies hop around like popcorn when they run. It's so cute.
It's been raining here all week, but they don't seem to mind playing in the rain. Luckily we have big overhead trees to help protect them a little from the rain. They just need a good drying with a towel when they come in.
They are getting good at pottying when they go outside.
Chime continues to nurse them frequently and has plenty of milk. The pups weigh in at about 6 1/2 pounds, with Ms Minnie-Pearl at 5 1/2 pounds. They have to be carried outside right now in a laundry basket and 30+ lbs of puppies is a lot to lug out there. A few more days and they should be able to maneuver down the deck steps so they can get out there easier. The "follow" gene hasn't quite kicked in yet totally, but they are really learning to come with the "pup, pup, pup" call. They are soooooo smart!!!
Hopefully, the weather will be much better tomorrow and we'll be able to get some good pictures outside. And some video.
Their faces have changed overnight. Their noses are getting longer and they are starting to look like real puppies instead of piglets.
More pictures tomorrow, I promise!!
Sleeping soundly after our outdoor adventure.
Nothing like a puppy bed to hang out of!
Our first outdoor adventure....getting a snack.
Wow! This grass is so cool!
Aunt Kerri making sure they are doing okay in the grass.
Oooooh.....this feels good.
4 weeks old-June 17, 2011
Their new home. Lots of room.
Enjoying the new bigger area to play in. Cool!
Learning to eat standing up. Not as easy as it looks.
We're having trouble fitting!
The pups are 23 days old and they are getting soooooo big!! They are all 4.5 lbs except Ms Mini-Pearl and she's not quite 4 lbs. They are really starting to play with each other, but still sleep a lot. Chime and Kerri work very hard at making sure they get cleaned with each nursing session.
We took head shots of them tonight, so enjoy. Still need to get some action video yet.
The pups are 3 weeks old today and doing great. They have reached 4 lbs, except for Ms Pearl, who is close behind. They are learning to bark, howl, and walk like big dogs. I haven't seen anything to indicate they can hear yet, but they can sure smell their momma if she walks by!
Chime tried nursing them standing up last night, which doesn't quite work yet, as they aren't quite tall enough to hang on, but they are trying. This works to strengthen their back legs, but it looks rough on the pups trying to reach and falling over.
I'll post more videos tonight.
Sleeping with her belly showing
Puppies enjoying their new bed
The pups are two weeks old and are growing like crazy. Fat little butterballs. They are all over 3 lbs or very close to it. Chime continues to be a great efficient momma and Kerri a very devoted Aunt.
Kerri went to weave class the other night and when she came home, she climbed in with the babies and went to sleep with them. She wouldn't even come out when I tried to get her to come to bed with us. It was like she had missed them so much during that four hours and didn't want to part from them.....it was so cute!
The pups are out of the Yoda stage and their eyes are starting to open. I took some new head shots this morning, so enjoy. No flash was used, just room light, to protect their delicate eyes.
Ms Mini-Pearl says Hi Everybody!!
The pups are 12 days old today and their eyes are little slits trying to open. So we've darkened the room and won't be taking any more flash pictures for several days until their eyes are open and adjusted. Their eyes are sensitive when first opening.
They continue to gain weight, with Ms Grayblue and Ms Black leading the way at 40 oz. They are pudgettes!!!
Chime thinks she's hungry all the time now and will take your fingers off for a few pieces of food. She's up to 6 oz four times a day and would like more. I'm slowly increasing it and watching her to make sure she doesn't get too thin or too fat. She usually gets about 10 oz per day, so 24 oz a day is a big increase for her.
Kerri continues to be a great Aunt. As I write this, she's in the whelping box curled up with all the babies and they are all sound asleep. She sure loves those babies! I told Chime I think I have more pictures of Kerri with the babies than Chime with her own puppies.🤩 Grandma Abbi is content to watch it all from afar.
The pups are working on crawling up on all four legs now. Not great at it, by any means, but they are trying. They can really crawl over to find their momma when she comes to feed them!
Waiting in the basket for their bed to be cleaned. Almost too big to fit!!
Kerri trying to be the mommy.
My girls and the lupine plants.
Do you think he is part pug? With that black mask, sure looks like it!!
Ahhhh, our tummies are full and we're content
New footing and sleeping the night away...
Pudgy little seven day old Gemstones
May 27, 2011
The pups are seven days old and growing leaps and bounds! Ms Minni-Pearl is 19 oz, Mr Red 24 oz, and Ms Black, Ms Grayblue, and Mr Orange are 28 oz. They continue to be very content babies. And Aunt Kerri is totally in love with them and really helps Chime keep them very clean. Check out the video of her cleaning them tonight.
VIDEO
Everybody is relaxed and just hanging out.
May 25, 2011
The pups continue to do wonderful. And Big Sister Kerri is in LOVE with the babies! Tonight she got in the whelping box with Chime and laid down and let the puppies crawl under her searching for the milk bar. She knew she was supposed to do something to help them, so she lifted her rear leg to help them find it. It was so cute! She then spent the next 15 minutes laying in there and helping Chime lick them completely clean. The best Auntie ever!
Enjoy the pics.
Big sister Kerri helping clean babies.
A little guidance helping them find milk???
Hey, that's the wrong momma!! There's no milk there!
Chime and her babies 5th day
May 24, 2011
The puppies continue to gain weight and be content. They have started their bio-sensor exercises and tonight they will start smelling a novel scent (one each day for 14 days). They have all their pigment in the pads of their feet and most of it on their noses. They are moving into the Yoda stage, where their ears stick out like Yoda in Star Wars....very funny looking. Chime continues to be a wonderful momma.
The puppies had their first visitors today. Lise, who is in Michigan to breed Dart to Rocky (yup, same Rocky as Chime's babies daddy), Jan and Carol, and Myra came to visit. So that's four down of the hundred people they are to meet before they go to their new homes. They handled it very well too 😎
I've posted pictures tonight of each pup. It took several shots to get their pictures, due to their squirming, so even though you might not be able to see their colors, believe me that I could see them in the shots that were too blurry or heads up too high to post, so I know who they are. Have fun!
The puppies are doing very well. They are getting fat little bellies on them and are very content all of the time.
Chime has been such a good momma too, as I always knew she would be.
Mr Orange sleeping on momma's foot
Four of the five just hanging out
Wow, this is a very soft spot to sleep.
Precious Gems: Ms Black, Mr Red, Ms Pearl, Mr Orange, Ms Blue
We welcomed Chime's Gemstone litter May 20.
Three girls and two boys.
They are adorable and Chime was quite surprised when she woke up from her c-section that they belonged to her. See the attached video for them right after their birth.
They are:
Mr Red 10.8 oz
Ms Black 13.6 oz
Ms Blue 13.1 oz
Ms Pearl 8.6 oz
Mr Orange 12.2 oz
All together in the incubator
Already sleeping upside down
Everybody getting some sleep-post anesthesia
May 14, 2011--Getting ready
We've set up the nursery and are ready for the pups that are due in six days. Chime thinks the whelping box is okay, but nothing special. She's doing great, still feels hot from the pups, but hasn't started nesting yet or digging holes in the backyard, so things are relaxed around here for now.
May 20 is the c-section and we'll keep you all posted.
pregnant belly before haircut