Izzy's 2023 Litter

Izzy's "intended" is Louie ("Brait Nouz Jazzman") owned by Lori Tuttle. As I had an upcoming judging assignment, Lori was kind enough to take Izzy early until it was time to do the breeding, after which Izzy would be returned to me. Lori is primarily a Westie breeder. When I got home late that evening, Lori sent me this picture of Izzy with the following note:

Getting along great with the girl crowd. There's talk of a girls night out this weekend ... Or at the very least a mall crawl. But they still don't have thumbs so they're trying to figure out how to call an Uber. But I know at least one of them has one of my credit cards ...

• Izzy being examined by veterinary students.
• Ultrasound picture 1
• Ultrasound picture 2
• Ultrasound picture 3
• Ultrasound picture 4
• Ultrasound picture 5
• Ultrasound picture 6

If all goes well, puppies are due around 8 June.

When Ali got Izzy out from underneath the shed, Ali called me again and said that Izzy was definitely having a puppy. Ali texted me a photo at 7:43 pm showing a sack starting to appear. I advised Ali to get Izzy to a quiet warm room and have lots of towels ready. I then called Liz, who started driving to Ali's house.

I then called Ali back and stayed on the phone with her. Ali told me that Izzy had vomited (which is normal), and was having contractions about two minutes apart. Ali sent me this phone video of Izzy having a contraction. (3gp format, best if you have sound.) I got verbal reports as more of the sack came out, and then finally out at around 8:05 pm. The puppy was born rear feet first, which is not unusual. I then advised Ali to rub the puppy with a washcloth while Izzy licked the puppy, until the puppy finally began to cry - which is a good sign as it meant the puppy was breathing. Ali noted that the puppy sounded congested, which is not unusual. At that point Liz arrived and was able to suction the puppy's airway using a DeLee suction trap. Here is a picture of the puppy - a male.

Liz then loaded Izzy and her puppy into her car for the ride to Liz's house. Liz called me later to tell me that she only got about five miles down the road when Izzy again went into labor and started grunting again. So Liz pulled over and the second puppy - another boy - was delivered around 8:40 pm. When Liz got home and got Izzy and the puppies settled, Liz weighed the puppies (Boy#1 147 grams, Boy#2 131 grams) and sent me this picture. (Boy#2 has the yellow collar.) Liz used a stethoscope but could not hear any more puppy heartbeats inside Izzy. So there were only two puppies in this litter.

And I missed the whole thing!

• Boy#2
• Izzy in her bassinet. Note the stairs (made out of crates) so that Izzy can get out and down to food and water.
• Izzy with puppies in bassinet

After my plane landed, I drove to Liz's house. Izzy was happy to see me. I got my first look at the puppies:

• Boy#1
• Boy#2

As Izzy's crate got left at my petsitter's house, I had to use a cardboard box to transport Izzy and her puppies home. When we got home, I quickly built next to my bed the nursery box (also known as a whelping box) for the puppies. Here is Izzy eating dinner in the whelping box while the puppies waited. I did the evening weighing of the puppies; again both boys had gained weight.

Morning picture. Note the discharge (stain) from Izzy. This is normal. I will be changing the bedding in the whelping box every day. My washing machine gets a workout when I have puppies!

For the first 12 to 24 hours after puppies are born, their intestines allow large molecules to pass through to the blood stream. This allows antibodies in their mothers milk to be transfered to the puppies. These antibodies will protect the puppies for several weeks. I was happy to see the puppies gain weight from the start, which told me that they had been nursing and getting that antibody-rich "first milk" which is called "colostrum".

Newborn puppies are born blind and deaf. The only sense that a puppy has at birth is the sense of smell (plus a puppy can sense warmth). Puppies can crawl; actually it is more like dragging - like a seal dragging itself over the ice. A puppy will drag itself to its mother and to a nipple.

• Boy #1
• Boy #2

I checked on the puppies multiple times during the day, especially when I heard a puppy squeak. Usually all I would see is mommy and puppies sleeping together. Izzy is being a very good mother, staying with the puppies with only a rare trip outside to go potty.

Puppies sleeping.

• Boy#1 Note the size of Boy#1's paws versus Mommy's paw. Also note the puppy's clear nails. In a few days the puppy's nails will darken.
• Boy#2. Another picture of Boy#2.

Boy#1 joined the 200-gram club today. Boy#2 lost a few grams between this morning's and evening's weighing, something that I do not like to see. Boy#2 has a fat belly this evening, so I hope this is just a temporary pause. As a breeder there is always something to worry about!

While I weigh the puppies in the morning and evening, my main job right now as a breeder is to serve Mommy Izzy. If something happened to Izzy, while it would not be impossible, it would be very difficult to keep the puppies alive. So I weigh Izzy in the morning and also check her nipples for mastitis. I feed Izzy in the whelping box so that she does not have to leave the puppies. I also bring Izzy water to drink. And importantly, Izzy now gets fed a large spoonful of cottage cheese twice a day. As the puppies get bigger, Izzy will need to make more and more milk for the puppies. To make milk requires calcium. Without supplemental calcium from the cottage cheese, Izzy could get hypocalcemia (low calcium) which can be fatal.

• Puppies together. Note how Boy#1 is bigger than Boy#2 (with the collar).
• Another picture of the puppies together.
• The puppies sleeping in a pile.
• Boy#1
• Boy#2. I like to see the puppies sleeping on their side. If a puppy sleeps too much on its stomach, its chest bones can flatten which can make it difficult to learn to walk.

I brought my other dogs home today from my petsitter. I was curious how Izzy would react. Izzy was initially very happy to see everyone. But when one started to go near the whelping box, Izzy jumped in the whelping box and gave a low growl, warning everyone to stay away.

Boy#2 had a respectable weight gain today. He continues to have a full belly when I check on him. I just wish he would gain more.

Izzy clearly has the puppies on some feeding schedule, known only to her. Today when I took my other dogs out for a morning walk, Izzy came along. I halfway expected Izzy to turn around after starting with us, but instead she did the entire walk with us.

I decided today to take the collar off Boy#2. I can differentiate Boy#2 from Boy#1 because of the size difference. However to make identification easier if I am just glancing into the whelping box, I gave Boy#2 a new collar of white yarn.

I am seriously worried about Boy#2's lack of weight gain. Boy#1 is now 100 grams heavier than Boy#2. All day today whenever I found Boy#1 nursing, I have pulled Boy#1 off the nipple and shoved Boy#2 in to make sure that Boy#2 nursed. Sadly at the end of the day it seemed to have had little effect on Boy#2's weight.

Boy#2 is not crying or fussing. He is active, meaning that he will crawl towards mommy. He seems to have a full belly. He does not seem to have a cleft palate. But Boy#2 is just not gaining. I have hesitated to tube feed Boy#2 - which has its own risks and drawbacks - as he seems to have a full tummy. I am going to see how he is in the morning.

Puppies nursing. Boy#1 joined the 300-gram club today. Boy#2 this morning still weighed approximately the same as the last three days ... which is not good. I do not know what is causing Boy#2 to not gain weight. But at this point I decided I must start to tube feed Boy#2 if he is to have a chance to survive.

Tube feeding is basically force feeding - one passes a rubber tube down a puppy's throat and into the stomach. The first risk is that one might put the tube into the lungs rather than the stomach, in which case a puppy will drown when you push liquid food down the tube. After putting the tube in, I make sure that the puppy can cry (by pinching a toe if necessary). If a puppy can cry, then the tube is in the stomach and not in the lungs.

Once the tube is in, then I use the syringe to push liquid food into the stomach. I use Esbilac, a commercial puppy milk. Some breeders swear by home-made receipes. But from everything I have read, Esbilac has the most calories per volume of liquid. Only mommy's milk is better.

The second risk with tube feeding is getting the tube out of the puppy without dribbling liquid that the puppy could aspirate. One does this by crimping the tube and pulling the tube out swiftly.

A drawback to tube feeding is that the puppy may come to rely on the tube feeding and stop nursing. Another drawback to tube feeding is that the mother may produce less milk because less is being asked of her by the puppies. I have been trying to observe when mommy Izzy is nursing the puppies, and then tube feeding Boy#2 afterwards.

I have continued to pull Boy#1 off a nipple (notice the milk around his mouth and nose) when I have found him nursing in order to let Boy#2 have a chance to nurse. (If you look closely, you can see the red of Boy#2's tongue as he makes a seal with a nipple.)

I started out lightly this morning with tube feeding to see how Boy#2 reacted. I have done more as the day went on, increasing the amount that he is being tube fed. At the evening weighing, Boy#2 finally broke the 180-gram barrier. A small gain, but at least the right direction.

• Boy#1 - 330 grams
• Boy#2 - 186 grams

I change the bedding in the whelping box daily. To change the bedding, I first have to put the puppies up on my bed. Mommy Izzy always gets up on my bed to guard the puppies and reassure them that everything is ok. I then disassemble the whelping box and take up the bedding. When I do, you can see the whelping nest. Note the wires on the right that run underneath the frame to the control unit (not in the picture). The control unit regulates the temperature. Then I put a new pad over the whelping nest and rebuild the whelping box. I then put the puppies - with mommy following - back into the whelping box.

Puppy lungs continue to develop after a puppy is born. (The same is true for human infants.) However there is a disorder - puppy lung developement disease - where something goes wrong with the development, the puppy has increasing difficulty breathing, and eventually dies. Upon autopsy, there is clear microscopic evidence of abnormal lung cells. In the past, I have had a total of three puppies die from puppy lung developement disease. It is horrible to watch. Sadly a recent DNA study (to which my puppies contributed) has not been able to find any mutation correlated with puppy lung development disease. I understand from other breeders that they have had puppies older than one-week come down with puppy lung development disease; however my experience is that it usually occurs during the first week of a puppy's life. So if a puppy makes it to the one-week mark, I start to relax and worry less about puppy lung development disease.

When Boy#2 stopped gaining weight, I immediately suspected puppy lung development disease. I have been watching Boy#2's breathing carefully, looking for any signs that he is having difficulty breathing. But Boy#2's breathing continues to seem normal. If Boy#2 had puppy lung development disease, I would have expected him to be dead by now. But Boy#2 continues to live and act normally ... just not gain weight.

After the puppies nurse, they fall asleep. When the puppies are sleeping, I often watch to see if they "twitch" - a sudden jerk and then they are still again. This is perfectly normal, and thought to be caused by nerves growing. If a puppy is not twitching, then something is wrong.

Because Boy#2 is not gaining weight, I took him to my vet today to be checked out. Of course, this meant that mommy Izzy had to come along, which meant Boy#1 also came. Here is Izzy in her crate at the vet's office. Izzy has the puppies tucked up against her.

The vet techs first weighed the puppies and took Boy#2's temperature. The thermometer looked so big compared to Boy#2. But he did not complain about the indignity.

My vet then examined Boy#2, listening to his lungs, carefully palpating his abdomen, and checking his reflexes. My vet could find nothing wrong with Boy#2. She agreed with my assessment that the only thing left to try is aggressive tube feeding - meaning tube feeding round the clock every three to four hours.

Several breeders have been encouraging me to try the homemade puppy formula by Myra Savant-Harris (towards the bottom of the page). At this point - with little to lose and down to a "hail mary" option - I cooked up a batch and I have started to use it when tube feeding Boy#2.

In spite of tube feeding every three to four hours, Boy#2's weight continues to remain around 180 grams. I have been talking with fellow breeders about Boy#2. Several have suggested occasionally giving Boy#2 something like a drop of Karo syrup for additional energy. I have been using Nutri-Cal, a high calorie nutritional gel for dogs, whose number one ingedient is corn syrup.

Puppies sleeping head to toe.

What I often see when I check on the puppies, the puppies asleep often using mommy Izzy as a pillow.

For the past couple of days, I sometimes have found Boy#1 sleeping on his back (which is normal). Today was the first day that I was able to get a photo of Boy#1 sleeping on his back.

Even though I am tube feeding Boy#2 every three to four hours, I have seen Boy#2 nurse today. Mother's milk is the best.

Boy#1 dreaming of being super-dog.

Boy#2 had a small weight increase today. (But not as big as his brother at the same stage of weight development.) Today I have increased the amount I am feeding from 2 ml per feeding to 3 ml, in the hope that the increase will help. Too much per feeding could hurt his belly.

Boy#2 is very quiet. Often I can not get Boy#2 to cry when I put the feeding tube down his throat. Thus I am having to go by feel as to whether the tube is in his stomach (where is should be) or in his lungs (which will kill him). More tube means it is in the stomach. Sometimes it takes me several attempts before I am confident (hopeful) that I have the tube in the right place.

I do not know why mommy Izzy has her paw on Boy#2. I am always amazed at how my mothers know where their puppies are and do not crush them.

Mommy Izzy licking Boy#2. Newborn puppies can not pee or poop without external stimulation. So their mothers lick them to pee and poop. And to keep the "den" clean, canine mothers lick up the pee and eat the poop. I am happy to see Izzy licking Boy#2, which tells me that Izzy still thinks Boy#2 has a chance.

The brothers sleeping together

I have gotten tired of saying Boy#1 and Boy#2. Now I am referring to them as "big brother" and "little brother".

Little brother continues to do some nursing, which I am happy to see. I really do not want him to become dependent on tube feeding. But it makes it difficult to know how much formula to use at a feeding. I am slowly increasing the amount.

I noticed today that mommy Izzy had scatch marks on her belly from big brother "kneading" her stomach to get milk to let down. So I cut big brother's nails (really claws) this morning. I used a human nail clipper, and really was just trying to take the tips off and blunt the nails.

Brothers sleeping together.

Big brother letting it all hang out. Notice the white dot just below the center of his chest. This is his "belly button" where his umbilical cord was attached. As he grows and gets older, his belly button will be impossible to find.

Little brother threw up this afternoon. Mommy Izzy licked up the mess and cleaned little brother's face. I suspect there was too much formula plus mommy's milk in his stomach. But later I found little brother nursing again. If I find his belly firm, I am delaying or skipping tube feeding him or I am using a reduced amount of formula.

Butts and tails.

Big brother joined the 500-gram club today. Little brother had a nice weight gain, the kind I like to see. Several times (like when I got up for the 3 am feeding), I found little brother nursing. So those times I skipped tube feeding. Any time I find big brother nursing, he gets pulled off and little brother put in his place. Usually big brother crawls back, and the two nurse together, like this time and another time.

Big brother sleeping on his side.

However a little later when I checked on the puppies, I found little brother on his back taking short rapid breaths. Here is a video (in mp4 format). My heart sank, as to me this looked like puppy lung development disease. I put little brother in my incubator with an oxygen concentrator (on the right), figuring that maybe the extra oxygen might do him some good. But I was pessimistic about his chances. The oxygen did seem to help little brother's breathing. I took him out occasionally so that mommy Izzy could lick him and to see if he would nurse. But he was not interested in nursing, all his energy went into breathing.

Little brother died late this afternoon. I put the body back in the whelping box, so that mommy Izzy could say goodbye. Izzy gave him a lick, but then walked away. I put the body in a plastic bag and then into my refridgerator (not the freezer). As soon as I can, I will take the body to NC State University for an autopsy.

Big brother - who I guess I will now just call "the boy" - continues to gain weight. He is spending more time out of the heated whelping nest. Here he is in the corner of the whelping box. He also feels warm when I pick him up. This means that he is now generating his own body heat, which means that he now has an additional defense against an infection.

It is a sad day in my house now.

First, I now weigh the puppy on my big-dog scale. He has outgrown the little postal scale that I used when he was first born. My big-dog scale has the advantage of averaging a weight over five seconds, which is helpful when a dog is moving around. The disadvantage is that my big-dog scale rounds to the nearest 5 grams.

Second, I now will weigh the puppy once a day rather than twice a day as I had been doing. More often than once a day will just drive me crazy worrying about any fluctuations in the puppy's weight.

Third is that both mommy Izzy and the puppy got worming medication today. Izzy starts on a three-day course of fenbendazole. The puppy got 0.1 ml of pyrantel pamoate, and will get another dose when at four-weeks, six-weeks, and eight-weeks of age.

Mommy Izzy guarding the whelping box. You can just see the puppy in the whelping box.

While I was changing the bedding in the whelping box, the puppy took advantage that mommy was on my bed with him to do some nursing.

Izzy brought a toy into the whelping box. I suspect that Izzy did this to treat the toy as a surrogate for the puppy she misses.

Puppy sleeping. Notice that his nails (claws) have turned dark.

This afternoon the puppy had a bit of diarrhea - probably because of the worming medication. Mommy Izzy cleaned up both the mess and the puppy.

Izzy is a fierce huntress. She is always killing small animals such as voles. I had to be out of the house for a bit this afternoon. When I got home I found Izzy in the whelping box with a dead bird. Izzy must have killed the bird when the bird landed in my fenced yard. I am not sure if Izzy brought the dead bird into the whelping box to show the puppy ... or for the puppy ... or for a late night snack for herself. Naturally I removed the dead bird.

Eating and sleeping are all that is happening right now.

I was happy to see today that the boy was again opening his eyes. Sometimes a puppy will open his eyes, then the next day keep them closed. If this happens, usually some crust is preventing the eyelid from opening. But it can also mean other (worse) things. If the eyes do not open again, I take the puppy to my vet.

Now that the boy is opening his eyes, I am putting toys in the whelping box to give him something to focus on. Otherwise he would just be looking at the white and beige of the whelping box. When I first put the toy in, the boy crawled over to investigate.

Looking at the camera with both eyes.

All of my other dogs have peaked into the whelping box, but none have jumped in to check out the puppy. When one of my dogs looks into the whelping box, Izzy comes up alongside and the other dog moves away.

A strange alien shape appeared in the whelping box that needed investigating and checking out to make sure that they are safe.

I decided today to build a nursery pen in my living room. I was getting tired of walking into my bedroom to check on the puppy. Of course, mommy Izzy had to inspect and do some rearranging. I put the puppy in the crate in the nursery pen and Izzy also climbed into the crate. I think Izzy was reassuring her boy that this new place was safe. Izzy stayed in the crate with the puppy.

Later I saw the puppy crawl out for the first time. He looked around and did some exploring. But then he decided that was enough for one day and headed back to be with mommy. The boy had some difficulty getting over the lip of the crate door, but finally made it back inside.

When back in the whelping box, there was more investigating of that strange alien shape. Actually I think the boy found that the artifact made a nice pillow.

Today was a quiet day in the nursery pen. The boy crawled out but then went to sleep. He soon woke up and wanted back into the crate, but mommy takes up so much room!.

Another time out of the crate, crawling and you can see his head is raised. The boy got so tired that he sacked out at the entrance to the crate for a good half hour.

Late in the day mommy Izzy decided that her puppy was sufficiently safe in the nursery pen, and she went off with my other dogs to chase the crows away from my house.

Sleeping in the crate in the nursery pen.

Nursing. The red is the boy's tongue making a seal with the nipple. A little difficult to see in this picture, but while the boy is nursing, mommy Izzy is licking his rear end. (Going in one end, coming out the other!) After nursing, the puppy crawled back into the crate.

If you look closely, you can see the puppy in the crate with mommy Izzy. Since the puppy is almost three-weeks old and doing well,, I feel confident enough to leave the puppy. I took the puppy (and all my dogs) to my petsitter for an overnight stay. I am taking my two-legged puppy (my 15-year old nephew who is visiting me for his annual summer visit) to see some Shakespeare plays in Staunton Virginia.

• taking a nap
• nursing
• on back
• being held
• being held II

My nephew and I saw "Measure for Measure" and "The Taming of the Shrew" over the weekend. We had fun on the drive home thinking of possible names for the puppy. I always choose puppy names from recent Shakespeare plays that I have seen. The names can be characters from the play or actor names or even some combination. And names do not have to be from a Shakespeare play; they can be from a book, movie, or another play ... as long as there is a Shakespeare connection. There has to be a "registered name" (formal name) and a "call name" (an informal name). Call names can be changed on a whim ... and often are! Some names that made the short list:

• "Shaksper Patrick Verona" - from the movie "10 Things I Hate About You", which we recently watched. Call name "Verona".
• "Shaksper Brandon Hortensio" - I just wanted to be able to say "Let's go Brandon".
• "Shaksper Duke Vincentio" - I liked the call name of "Duke". Most people think of a "Duke" as a big dog, which a Norwith Terrier is in spirit. My nephew wanted the call name of "Vince".

Since today is "name day", I finally decided on the registered name of "Shaksper Petruchio" with the call name of "Rocky". Petruchio is the lead male character in the play "The Taming of the Shrew". The name "Petruchio" is a form of Peter, which is thought to come from the Greek for "stone" or "rock".

We picked up "Rocky" and my other dogs from my petsitter in the evening and got home very late.

While still mostly sleeping, Rocky now wakes up and explores for a few minutes before going back to sleep. His time awake will quickly get longer and longer. Rocky is almost able to get up on all four feet. Here is another picture showing Rocky trying to be up on all fours. When Rocky tries to stand on all four feet, his rear legs slowly slide out from underneath him. Rocky does seem to be making very good progress on learning to walk. Impressive progress actually.

Aunt Gwynie trying to smell Rocky. Later I saw Rocky stick his snout between the bars of the pen ... and he was frustrated that the pen would not move! While mommy Izzy was outside, aunt Gwynie was the first of my dogs to jump into the playpen and visit with Rocky.

Again Rocky almost up on all fours. If you look carefully, you will see that the white towel has a little yellow tinge. Puppies instinctively do not like to foul their nest. When Rocky wakes up, he crawls out of the crate. If Mommy is not there to clean him, he now pees as soon as he exits the crate.

Rocky was nursing when mommy Izzy heard something, got up, and walked out of the playpen. Rocky was sucking so hard that he stayed attached to Izzy. Izzy essentially dragged Rocky out of the playpen. Rocky did not like my tile floor as it was slippery and he had even more difficulty trying to stand. After a minute or so of Rocky struggling, I picked him up and put him back into the playpen. Of course, Rocky immediately wanted back out of the playpen!. While the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak and Rocky could not make it over the barrier. But I predict that it will not be long before Rocky figures out how to get out of the playpen.

Grandmother Siri got into the playpen with Rocky and mommy Izzy (in the crate).

Rocky is now able to stand up on all four legs.

I thought it was cute that mommy Izzy had one leg resting on Rocky as he nursed.

Rocky got out of the playpen and went searching for mommy. The reason was to get to the milk bar. Here is a close-up of Rocky nursing.

Rocky looking at the camera.

I clipped Rocky's nails for the second time today.

I have not mentioned that I sometimes feed Rocky some plain whole-milk yogurt. I use a small syringe and slowly squeeze some onto his tongue. I started just feeding him 0.1 ml, but now he usually eats 1.0 ml.

I should also mentioned that mommy Izzy is now eating almost twice her normal daily amount of kibble, in addition to two large helpings of cottage cheese each day. I weigh Izzy every day to make sure that she is not losing weight. But when I look at Izzy she seems skinny to me. This is the time that the puppy is draining nutrition from mommy.

Today I saw Izzy carry something into the nursery pen. When I investigated, I saw that Izzy had another dead bird in her mouth and clearly was going to give the bird to the puppy. When I tried to get the bird away from Izzy, she ran outside and I saw Izzy eat the bird.

Even though I know from experience that puppies at this age are only interested in mother's milk, the bird incident made me try to feed the puppy. I put a little Royal Canin Starter canned food in a bowl and put it outside the crate in the nursery pen. Rocky came out of the crate to investigate the enticing smell. Then got closer. Finally Rocky took a few licks of the food. But then Rocky walked away. When I allowed mommy Izzy into the pen to eat what Rocky had not, Rocky showed that what Rocky really wanted was mommy's milk.

Rocky checking out his new travel crate. Today I took all my dogs - including Rocky - to my petsitter. I have a three-day judging assignment this weekend in Virginia. Rocky travelled alone in his own crate without any complaints.

• stroller
• sleeping
• boy
• on back
• lap

After finishing my judging assignment I drove towards home, picking up along the way Rocky and my other dogs from my petsitter. We got home in the evening and I finally got everyone settled.

Even though I offered him some breakfast, Rocky still prefers mommy Izzy's milk. Mommy Izzy is quite happy to eat the leftovers.

Grandmother Siri and Rocky.

There is a gap between the playpen and the wall. Rocky, like other puppies that I have had, seems to like running around the playpen especially in that back gap.

Rocky at lunch time. I am offering ground puppy kibble soaked in canine milk formula. Again Rocky only took a taste. It can take a while for puppies to make the switch from nursing to eating on their own. Mommy Izzy is definitely telling Rocky that it is time for him to learn to eat on his own. Izzy only allows Rocky to nurse at certain times.

Rocky went exploring and found the dog crates on the other side of my living room from his playpen. My older dogs are fed in the crates and often go into them to nap, which is why I leave the doors open. When Rocky is loose, I now have to do the "puppy shuffle" (sliding my feet, rather than stepping) in order to make sure that I do not step on Rocky. Rocky now can quickly dart into my path.

Rocky nursing when mommy Izzy allows. Izzy is unusual in that she will lie on her back to allow Rocky to nurse. A little later Izzy rolled over and Rocky had to nurse in a more conventional position.

Rocky eating breakfast. Rocky is still not eating much, preferring mommy's milk. Of course Izzy is quite happy to eat any leftovers. Now that Izzy is eating leftovers, I have to reduce what I feed Izzy so that she does not gain too much weight.

Outside

Rocky continues to explore and nap in the big dog crates (which are the same size as Izzy's crate in the playpen).

Rocky walking underneath aunt Ophelia. Ophelia started licking Rocky's face.

We had to get up and eat breakfast early, as I needed to take my two-legged puppy (my 15-year old nephew) to the airport for his flight home. I knew that I would be gone a long time (and as it turned out it was even longer than I expected). While mommy Izzy is cutting Rocky back from nursing in order to encourage Rocky to eat, I knew that mommy would not let Rocky starve. I left Rocky loose in my living room, figuring that I could clean up any mess if mommy did not clean it up first. When I got home, I found my first Rocky poop that mommy had not cleaned up. Rocky was clearly hungry when I got home, as is evidenced by the amount of food that he ate.

Rocky about to climb onto my porch. It is only a few inches from the slab of my porch to the ground, more in some places than others. At first Rocky would tumble off my porch onto the ground, but now Rocky accurately gauges and jumps off my porch (or goes to where it is less of a jump). Climbing back onto my porch originally took some effort and experimentation, but Rocky now seems to have that figured out also.

Rocky thinking about climbing out of my whelping box. A few minutes later Rocky did, although he took a tumble getting to the floor. When I put Rocky back in the whelping box, he wisely decided that staying in the box was safer.

It seems to me that Rocky is developing skills - walking, climbing, etc - faster than other puppies that I have had. Possibly this is because Rocky is not spending time wrestling with any siblings.

Rocky going through a wooden tunnel on my porch.

Rocky found that the big dog bed in my living room is a good place for a nap.

While mommy Izzy was eating some salad and distracted, Rocky took the opportunity to sneak a drink from the milk bar. Later, Rocky did his own grazing.

Where's Rocky? (Hiding in the pile of toys)

Today I cooked some ground turkey as a topping for my dog's dinner of kibble. I mixed some of the juice into Rocky's kibble to see if that would encourage Rocky to eat more. Rocky took a taste, but preferred the mixture with formula. The chef was devastated.

Stalking wild game in the jungle.

Rocky is now finding places to hide. I finally found Rocky in the donut bed underneath the ramp to my bed.

After lunch napping with mommy. Actually I think Rocky was just taking advantage of the opportunity to get some milk, as you can just see his butt in the picture.

Another Rocky hiding place. I have a line of crates along a wall, that my older dogs eat and nap in. Rocky thinks napping behind them is a safe place.

The chef offered Rocky some cooked ground turkey as part of dinner. Rocky would have nothing to do with it, and the chef was again devastated.

Sitting and watching the world go by with aunt Gwynie. (Actually Rocky was crawling all around Gwynie, trying to get Gwynie to play with him.)

Rocky going through my wooden tunnel.

Two pictures of Rocky on his back:

• picture one
• picture two

Rocky playing with a plush ball. Since Rocky does not have a sibling with whom to wrestle, Rocky has started wrestling with toys - biting them and shaking them around.

Mommy Izzy and Rocky napping together on the bed next to my desk. A few moments later I noticed that Rocky was taking advantage of mommy being near to sneak a drink at the milk bar.

Morning picture - after breakfast, Rocky taking a nap behind the adult crates.

Mommy Izzy "toughening up" Rocky. I do not know a better way to describe this behaviour. Izzy will pin Rocky to the ground, or sometimes try to pick Rocky up with her mouth. Rocky will growl in protest and try to get away. If it seems too rough, I call Izzy's name and she stops. I have seen other canine mothers do this, but I have not read anything that explains this behaviour.

Rocky tasting some of mommy Izzy's cottage cheese. I am still feeding Izzy two big helpings a day of cottage cheese. However since Rocky is eating (some) of the food I offer him ... and mommy Izzy is cleaning up the leftovers ... I have cut Izzy's food back to her normal (pre-pregnancy) amount, although Izzy is still getting puppy kibble.

I trimmed Rocky's nails for the third time today.

Rocky showing what all the boys are wearing these days for football practice. Rocky has his head stuck in the plush toy. Rocky was not making any sounds of distress, but was walking around bumping into things. I helped Rocky get his head out of the toy. Rocky immediately turned around and stuck his head in the toy again! After I again helped Rocky take his helmet off, Rocky left the toy alone.

For dinner, in addition to the usual bowl of ground puppy kibble soaked in formula, the chef prepared a plate of just plain ground puppy kibble. Finally the chef had done something right! Rocky then proceeed to demonstrate that the best way to eat dinner was to step on it!

Morning picture. Again Rocky was up this morning much earlier than I wanted to get out of bed. There seeming to be no remedy, I got up and prepared breakfast for everyone.

Mommy Izzy on top of the baby dogwalk on my porch, with Rocky trying to climb the ramp. Previous puppies tore the mat off the ramp. One of these days I will get around to gluing the mat back on. (And the mat at the other end of the dogwalk that is partially torn off.) Until then the dogwalk ramp makes another interesting surface for Rocky to navigate.

I noticed today that Rocky's baby teeth are starting to erupt. I found this out when Rocky bit down on my big toe and it hurt!

The little angel asleep. When Rocky gets up early he gets a nap ... but I do not. There is no justice in the world.

Who is that doggy in the window? I got out my puppy mirror so that Rocky could get used to a mirrow. Rocky spent several minutes licking at the mirror, trying to get the other puppy (his reflection) to come out and play. Notice also the water bowl in the picture. Now that Rocky is starting to eat (or at least taste) dry kibble, I want Rocky to have a source of water in his playpen. The water is in a heavy ceramic bowl so that Rocky can not tip it over. Rocky has investigated most of my living room, and gone into the adjoining bathroom and my bedroom. But Rocky has not yet found my big dogs' water bowl in my living room.

Rocky taking a nap. I thought it was interesting how Rocky's left front leg was just sticking straight out and not resting on anything.

First is holding Rocky and dragging his feet backwards along the surface of the scale. This is an old breeder's trick to get a dog to hold still for a few seconds. This worked on Rocky for about two days before I had to reach for my second level of trick - food! Now I give Rocky a treat (a Zukes Mini) when I put him on the scale. Now that Rocky is starting to get teeth, he sits down on my scale and tries to eat the yummy treat during the five seconds that my scale needs.

Aunts Gywnie and Ophelia were grooming each other (licking each other around the eyes). Rocky said "lick me, lick me!.

Rocky climbing over mommy Izzy to get at the milk bar.

Aunt Ophelia (on left), Rocky, and mommy Izzy all together. Izzy had just growled at Rocky to tell him that the milk bar was closed, and Rocky went over to aunt Ophelia.

Rocky had been playing with aunt Gwynie's tail, but then started to stalk the camera.

Rocky nursing. If mommy Izzy does not say "no", Rocky assumes that the milk bar is open.

Rocky napping on a dog bed in my bedroom. Rocky is now regularly going into my bedroom, where there are electrical wires from the whelping nest to an outlet. In the winter, I would block off the wires so that Rocky could not get to them. However because it is summer - and Rocky is generating his own body heat - the whelping nest is no longer needed. So today I picked up and stored the whelping nest. The whelping box now just sits directly on the floor.

I have noticed that Rocky while napping is starting to have small "puppy dreams" ... he sometimes makes vocal sounds while asleep.

Rocky lately has taken to attacking (biting) my ankles and feet. Since Rocky's puppy teeth are coming in, it hurts when Rocky bites. If Rocky had a sibling they would wrestle during play. If one bite too hard while playing, the other would scream and play would stop. So when Rocky bites my ankle or foot, I scream like I am being murdered and move away.

Rocky ate a good lunch.

Rocky napping in the toy pile. Rocky slept for over an hour. When he woke up, it was time for Rocky to begin his life of contributing to science. Since Rocky had not eaten or nursed in over an hour, I swabbed the inside of Rocky's cheeks with a DNA swab from Embark. Embark uses a Performagene swab which has a cotton swab tip. Young puppies tolerate a cotton tip much more easily than a bristle swab used by other DNA testing companies. I mailed the swab to Embark and in a month or two, I will get a report. Embark is a panel testing company, meaning that they test for lots of things with one DNA sample. Now I know from having Embark-tested Rocky's parents, that Rocky will be normal/clear for the five DNA health tests applicable to Norwich Terriers (out of the hundreds of DNA health tests that Embark performs). Of more interest to me is the raw genotype data that Embark makes available. This raw data can be used for genetic diversity studies.

At dinner time, I noticed that Rocky is now more attracted to the Royal Canine Starter canned food mixed with ground puppy kibble, than to ground puppy kibble soaked in formula. However like all puppies, Rocky's attention span is very short. Rocky will eat some, then get distracted and wander away. I then pick Rocky up and put him in front of the food bowl and he often will start eating again. Eventually Rocky remembers that Mommy will be coming to clean up leftovers ... and bringing the milk bar with her ... and refuses to eat anymore.

Rocky discovered my "tippy board" (really a balance exercise board), which I set out today. The board makes a load bang and spins when Rocky steps on it, which only encourages Rocky to play with it more. Rocky tried to bite the board to make it hold still. But Rocky was not brave enough yet to get all four feet on and balance on the board.

Rocky just outside my gate, with mommy Izzy inside my fenced area. When Rocky follows my other dogs outside my gate, I swoop in, pick Rocky up, and bring him back inside my fenced area.

I had to be out of the house for most of the afternoon today. I left Rocky in the playpen in my living room. I left Rocky with a lunch bowl of ground puppy kibble mixed with Royal Canin Starter canned food, and as an experiment another bowl with just plain puppy kibble that had not been ground up. When I returned home (around dinner time), all the food was gone! And Rocky had a big belly! So now I know that I no longer need to grind up Rocky's puppy kibble!

Mommy Izzy playing (wrestling) with Rocky. And a few minutes later, Rocky looking at mommy, as he came back for more play.

Rocky napping on the bed underneath my desk.

I am feeding Rocky four times a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-evening. Rocky had a good appetite for his late-evening meal - even asking for seconds!

Morning picture - Rocky's fenced yard within my fenced yard. (Aunt Gwynie is in the background.) When I take Rocky out to potty at night, I can not just put Rocky down and let him wander my fenced yard. It is too big and too dark at night that I might not be able to find where Rocky wanders. So Rocky has his own private fenced yard just off my porch. At night I put Rocky in his yard, give him his potty command, then often hurry back inside because my own bladder is demanding relief! Usually one of the older dogs stays with Rocky, but I am back outside in only a moment. Given how small Rocky is, I always worry about hawks and owls. Although I never have had a problem, I do not like leaving a young puppy alone outside.

I had to make a long car drive today to pick up Rocky's grandmother Siri (who had been visiting a boyfriend for a romantic weekend). I knew that I would be out of the house for at least ten hours. My older dogs can use my doggy door and take care of themselves for that period of time. But little Rocky can not. So Rocky came along and was my co-pilot for the trip! This was Rocky's first big trip away from mommy. Now that Rocky is eating puppy kibble, I knew Rocky would survive ... and mommy Izzy would probably be happy for the break in nursing Rocky.

I set up a small x-pen (exercise pen) when I stopped along the way to let Rocky potty, drink some water, and eat. Rocky of course attracted attention whenever we stopped. Rocky was good about letting me know when we had to stop. We did not have any serious potty accidents. Nor did Rocky get car-sick.

When we finally got home, mommy Izzy was happy to see Rocky. (You have to look carefully to see Rocky underneath Izzy's head.) But mommy Izzy did not want Rocky to nurse, which tells me that Rocky is now getting most of his nutrition from kibble.

Rocky has discovered the communal watering hole. Aunt Ophelia is licking Rocky's ear. The water is green because of a water additive - Healthy Mouth - that has the seal of the Veterinary Oral Health Council. Small dogs (such as Norwich Terriers) - with their small jaws but the same number of teeth as a large dog - tend to teeth problems. I fight these teeth problems with daily brushing with either a toothbrush or a dental wipe, annual dental cleanings, and supplements that have the seal of the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC). Products with the seal of the VOHC have some scientific evidence that the product does some good.

Mommy Izzy and Rocky playing/wrestling:

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• Picture 3

Rocky in one of his favorite places to take a nap.

Family photo - (from left to right) mommy Izzy, Rocky, grandmother Siri, great-grandmother Mandy, aunt Gywnie, and in the back, aunt Ophelia. Technically Ophelia is a first cousin (twice removed) to Rocky, but because of her age Ophelia gets the honorific of "aunt" to Rocky.

Now that Rocky is eating on his own, it is time to enlarge his palate ... and make his gut biome more robust. Rocky has been sharing mommy's daily cottage cheese. I have started giving Rocky a crushed blueberry with breakfast (plus a vitamin - one quarter of a Pet-Tabs Plus). Tonight for dinner my dogs got some (human) canned tuna fish as a topping on their dinner of kibble. I put the juice from the tuna can on Rocky's kibble. I will be watching Rocky's stool as I introduce him to new foods. If I see diarrhea, then I will know to cut back for a while.

Rocky playing with some grass that he ripped from the ground.

"I didn't make this hole!" Norwich adults - unless they are very bored - are not diggers unless they are trying to get to a critter. Norwich puppies, on the other hand, like to dig. This hole was made by previous puppies, but I noticed today that Rocky is starting to enlarge it.

I later found Rocky again up on my bed. This time Rocky's mother was nowhere in sight, so I have to conclude that Rocky has figured out how to climb the ramp to my bed. So now my morning routine has to include taking the ramp down. Everyone except great-grandmother Mandy can still get on my bed without climbing the ramp. Instead they use the ramp as a launching pad and jump up onto my bed. In the evening when Rocky is in the whelping box, I will put the ramp back up.

"I am not off the porch. See, I still have one paw on the porch." Rocky can now run about as fast as I can walk. And the forbidden outside (of my fenced yard) seems to call to him. Several times today I had to pick Rocky up from my gravel driveway.

Rocky dragging my toilet mat out of the bathroom. Besides dragging the mat, puppies like to chew the mat. I suspect it has something to do with the rubber backing which makes the mat fun to bite. Going forward, Rocky and I will have words about leaving the mat alone.

I noticed today that Rocky had some loose stool. So no more exotic food for a while, just plain puppy kibble with some puppy canned food. I mix half the kibble with the canned food, and put the rest in another bowl. Rocky will first eat from the bowl with the canned food, then eat from the other bowl. If there is a lot left over, I put it away and only allow mommy Izzy a few bites. Mommy Izzy's weight has gotten higher than I like from eating leftovers and cottage cheese, so I am limiting how much Izzy gets. Since mommy Izzy is no longer letting Rocky nurse as much, I have cut Izzy back to one helping of cottage cheese a day. Rocky is eating almost 30 ml of kibble during a meal.

• Sleeping. The dog bed in my bedroom is becoming a Rocky favorite.
• Head.
• Head II.

Rocky discovered the little pond of water caused by the condensation of my heat pump taking the humidity out of the inside air. If you look closely, you can just see a drop of water about to fall on Rocky's head.

Think of my fenced yard as a big square, with my porch at one corner. Rocky has been exploring further and further out from my porch. Today he got about halfway to one corner adjacent to my porch ... before turning back.

Putting Rocky on my grooming table just made him cring. I almost had a natural show photo of Rocky - but then Rocky turned his head to look at grandmother Siri in the crate. Rocky sleeping again.

Rocky showing his teeth. Those puppy teeth are sharp! Rocky is entering the stage when he will be teething and will want to chew on everything!

I do not know if it was a birthday present, but mommy Izzy seemed to play especially roughly with Rocky today. It was definitely play, as I saw Izzy do a "play bow" (lower her front while her butt was in the air) several times. Izzy clearly does not like Rocky nursing with his sharp teeth. Izzy has stopped going into Rocky's playpen to clean up leftovers - when Rocky would normally take advantage of Izzy's distraction to get some milk. (The leftovers do not go to waste - my other dogs are quite willing to eat them!) However Rocky is persistent about the idea of getting some milk!

Today for the first time Rocky ran through the baby tunnel on my porch. I missed getting a picture of the first time, but Rocky obliged by running back through the tunnel. So I was able to get a picture of Rocky's second time through the tunnel.

Rocky and mommy Izzy were playing and wrestling. Suddently Rocky ran to the water dish and started drinking. Mommy Izzy joined Rocky to get a drink. Evidently "water break" is one of the allowed ways to stop play.

Puppies - just like humans - often stretch when waking up.

Wrestling with the evil toilet mat:

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• Picture 3

Rocky continues to find new hiding places to take a nap. Here is Rocky underneath a dresser in my bedroom.

I clipped Rocky's nails today ... but this will be the last time with the clipper. Rocky has grown so much that his round claws hardly fit into the clipping space for a human nail.

Rocky continues to find new places to hide from me when he takes a nap. I went through the house twice today looking for him before I finally found Rocky napping in my bedroom.

Rocky was vigorously playing with the purple bear - shaking it and throwing it around.

My fence is actually a large number of x-pens clipped together. I pick up the fence when I want to mow, and then rebuild the fence after mowing. I have a cinder block on my porch that I use to anchor one end of my fence. Puppies seem to always like to stick their head in the block.

After eating a few meals of 30 ml of kibble, Rocky started to pace himself and cut back to meals of 15 ml of kibble, perhaps a little more. I set his food out in two bowls. One with kibble mixed with canned food, the other dry. Rocky always eats the canned mixture first, the if he is still hungry some of the dry. What Rocky does not eat I pick up and save for the next meal.

Both Rocky and mommy Izzy have been gaining weight. Rocky gained 100 grams to two days! It is hard to believe the amount remembering that at birth Rocky was just gaining approximately 10 grams a day. Mommy Izzy has also been gaining weight from eating leftovers, which I have now stopped. Since Izzy is not allowing Rocky to nurse as much I am also cutting back on the amount of cottage cheese she gets. Rocky continues to try to get milk from mommy, and sometimes succeeds for short amounts of time.

Morning picture. Fergus would not look at the camera.

While I was not quick enough to get a picture, Fergus used my doggy door and came from the outside to the inside. Later in the day he did it again, so it was not an accident.

Fergus found that he had grown and that his head would no longer fit in his helmet. Dreams of playing in the National Football League dashed, Fergus was unconsolable until mommy Izzy came over and licked him. Later I saw Fergus with all four feet on the balance board, but it was just a touch-and-go. Fergus really was not balancing on the board. But perhaps Fergus is now thinking of a career in the Premier League ...

Finally Fergus deigned to look at the camera.

I got some sticks from the nearby forest. Fergus thought the sticks were great to chew! Sticks - nature's chew toy!

Dinner today for my dogs included some cooked ground turkey. Fergus' stool has been firming up, so Fergus got some cooked ground turkey also.

More chewing of sticks!

Fergus took an intense dislike of the stuffed bear today. Fergus taught the bear who was boss!

Fergus and his sticks.

Today Fergus for the first time climbed the baby dogwalk on my porch. (Fergus has several times done the baby teeter - the green thing next to the dogwalk - but so quickly that I have not been able to get a picture.) After climbing to the top of the dogwalk, Fergus took a rest, before beginning his descent. Unfortunately Fergus came off the side - probably because of the folded-over mat - so it was not a correct dogwalk performance. (In agility, when descending the dogwalk a dog must touch the contact zone - an area at the bottom on the plank painted yellow.) Fergus then turned around and did the dogwalk again. (Notice his right rear paw is in the air.) This time Fergus did a beautiful controlled descent off the dogwalk.

I finally was able to get a picture of Fergus using the doggy door to come inside. (Great-grandmother Mandy is in the background.)

The stuffed bear had to be taught another lesson. This time Fergus was not gentle.

Fergus decided that sleeping on two dog beds piled on top of each other was the proper thing to do.

Fergus met an ice cube. Unfortunately the ice cube melted.

Today Fergus also met an empty plastic container. Fergus tried to bite the container, but Fergus had a hard time getting a grasp on this strange object.

Since Fergus keeps hiding underneath my dresser to take a nap, I thought that perhaps he does not like sleeping at night in the whelping box with its open top. So today I disassembled the whelping box, and tonight Fergus will start sleeping in a crate on a table next to my bed. We will see if Fergus likes - or complains - about these new sleeping arrangements.

Fergus finally travelled all the way along the side of my house to the other anchor of my fenced yard. Although Fergus had an incentive. My dogs were all along that side of the fence barking furiously at some hunting dogs that had strayed onto my property. Fergus wanted to join his elders in protecting the property.

Since Fergus did not mind sleeping in his crate, I now am starting to feed Fergus in his crate. Again, Fergus did not make any objection. "As long as the food comes" he says.

Mommy Izzy spent a lot of time today playing and wrestling with Fergus. Izzy is telling Fergus that it is time to stop nuring. When Fergus tries to nurse, at the most he gets a mouthful before mommy moves away.

Fergus trying to hide behind a blade of grass. But I can still see him ... and he can see me.

Since I live in the country, there are a lot of city sounds that Fergus is not hearing. I have a CD of city sounds that I leave playing anytime I have to be out of the house for a period of time.

Fergus has figured out that my doggy door works both ways; he now regularly goes in and out as he wants. Nnow I have to be very careful that my fence gate is closed any time Fergus is awake. And when the gate is closed then I have to be a gatekeeper to let my adult dogs in and out ...

Fergus investigating some paper that I dropped on the floor. Fergus did not find the document very interesting. When Fergus bite on the paper and tried to shake it, the paper would not move ... probably because Fergus was standing on the paper!

Today was nail day at my house. All my dogs got their nails dremeled. Fergus met Mr. Dremel for the first time. I was happy to see that Fergus was not frightened by the noise of Mr. Dremel. I proceeded to smear some Nutri-Cal on Fergus' face, which he liked as Nutri-Cal is basically glucose (sugar). While Fergus was licking his face, I held one paw and quickly touched the dremel to each claw. Fergus was less happy about my holding his paw and the dremel touching his nails. But Fergus was quickly distracted by more Nutri-Cal being smeared on his face, while I did the next paw. And then more Nutri-Cal, and the next paw. And then again for the fourth and last paw. My goal at this first meeting with Mr. Dremel was not to grind down Fergus' nails, but to get Fergus familiar with Mr. Dremel and what I would be doing. Next time I will try to do a little grinding of each claw.

Fergus was very popular when I put him down on the floor. Here is aunt Gwynie licking the face of Fergus to get the Nutri-Cal that Fergus missed.

Fergus with a new favorite toy - a milking machine liner, used for milking cows. The liner is light enough that Fergus can carry it around, plus has the right texture and give for Fergus's sharp puppy teeth. And it seems to be indestructible!

Fergus joined the other four-legged supervisors as I picked up the fence so that I could mow. Fergus followed me back and forth as I picked up the panels and put them on the porch. After I mowed, he again supervised the reinstallation of the fence. Fergus got a lot of exercise today!

Morning picture. Fergus taking an after-breakfast nap. Note the different dog beds that from which Fergus has to choose. Yet Fergus often prefers going underneath the small dresser that you can see at the top of the picture.

Fergus has begun to help me dress in the morning. Fergus' definition of "help dress" is to grab whatever I am trying to put my feet through and then pulling in the opposite direction.

I gave my dogs some of the juice from the can of salmon that was part of my dinner. Fergus thought this tasted great and asked for more.

Fergus on the dog bed underneath my desk.

Another group photo - from near to far, aunt Gwynie, Fergus, great-grandmother Mandy, mommy Izzy, grandmother Siri, and aunt Ophelia.

Lately Fergus has taken to "digging" in the water bowl, which makes a big mess.

Fergus on my baby dogwalk. Fergus is continuing the work done by previous puppies to take the rubber pad off the dogwalk ramp.

This morning I was on the phone while Fergus was taking a nap. Fergus woke up from his nap in my bedroom, came out to the living room - and before I could intercept Fergus to help him outside to go potty - Fergus went across my living room and out the doggy door, marched across the porch and into the grass ... and went potty. I was so proud of him! Fergus is still a long way from being completely potty trained. But this shows that my efforts to potty train Fergus are having an effect.

Fergus with a baby carrot. Fergus does not yet have the jaw strength to break the carrot. When I picked up the carrot, there were a number of tooth indentations from Fergus' sharp puppy teeth.

I heard furious digging in the crate in the puppy playpen in my living room. When I looked, Fergus had fluffed up the towel to both block the entrance and to give Fergus something on which to rest his head.

I put another branch in my yard. Fergus brought part of it inside and has been turning the branch into smaller sticks. Note that the guard hairs (the dark hairs) on Fergus are starting to thin out. If you look at the base of the ears, you can see the red that I expect will be the color of Fergus' coat.

Mommy Izzy "toughening up" Fergus. Or is it playing? Izzy is the only one of my dogs who "plays" with Fergus.

I watched Fergus go from one favorite toy to the next, sniffing each toy, sometime "mouthing" the toy (biting at it) ... before finally choosing just the right toy with which he wanted to play.

Dinner tonight for my dogs had sardines as a topping. I gave Fergus the juice from the tin of sardines.

Fergus again finding that some holes do not lead anywhere.

Mommy Izzy and Fergus together.

I forgot to take the ramp to my bed down and went to take a shower. Fergus took advantage of my lapse and climbed up onto my bed. It was still early morning so the light was not good for an indoor photo ... but Fergus is chewing the corner of my pillowcase .

I had to drop off my car at my local mechanic (and pick up their loaner car). I took Fergus along with me for the short trip. When we arrived, I took Fergus out of his crate and held him so that he could see the cars whizzing by on the road in front of the shop. (It was still early morning so there was only a car every few minutes.) He was a little scared at first, but got used to the cars going by. I then took Fergus inside where I knew he would receive a warm welcome from the ladies in the front of the shop.

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• Picture 3

When we got home mommy Izzy had to sniff Fergus to figure out who he had met.

With Fergus doing so well with his potty training, today I decided to pick up the puppy playpen. I left the toys and the crate, everything else disappeared. Puppies like to piddle on something soft and absorbant. So by removing the Pish Pad I am cutting down on the risk of accidents. I am still taking Fergus outside after naps and meals (and at night), but sometimes instead of carrying him I let him follow me outside. If I know Fergus is "empty", I have left him alone in the house for up to two hours. So far no accidents!

Fergus sleeping with his toys. It was very hot this afternoon (reaching 98 degrees Fahrenheit according to my outside thermometer). Everyone was staying inside in the air-conditioned and napping ... all expect mommy Izzy who for some perverse reason chose to nap outside on my covered porch.

Tuna fish for a dinner topping today. I will be watching what comes out the other end of Fergus tomorrow.

Fergus digging in the water dish. You can see his front right paw in the dish. The mat is soaked from all the splashing Fergus has done.

Fergus today was in the far corner of my fenced yard opposite my porch. So Fergus has now explored my entire fenced yard. I now also see Fergus going further out into the yard to potty, leaving the area near my porch for play.

Today I saw Aunt Ophelia offer a play bow to Fergus - twice. But before I could catch it with my camera, Ophelia was sniffing Fergus. Fergus did not seem interested in playing with Ophelia. I suspect Fergus is intimidated by the other adults in my house (except mommy). Up until now, the other adults have only growled at Fergus if he got too close.

Fred and Fergus. Fred came to give a tune-up to my air-conditioner system (really a heat-pump). So Fergus got to meet a new person, satisfying my goal to have something new for Fergus each day.

I noticed today that Fergus's ears are starting to stand up. Just the base of each ear is up right now, the tips still flop over. I call it the "Flying Nun" look, after the habit worn by Sally Fields playing a nun in the old television show "The Flying Nun".

I was watching Fergus and mommy Izzy playing today. I can identify some of the games, like "chase me" or "stalking/sneaking up on". I finally realized one of the behaviors that I have been seeing. Izzy would open her mouth and put her entire mouth over the head of Fergus, as if she was going to bite off his head. When I first saw this, I was startled. But Izzy was always very gentle. Today when I saw Fergus biting at the mouth of Izzy, I realized what Izzy had been doing. Izzy had been teaching Fergus "mouth wrestling". Humans have the game "thumb wresting"; dogs do something similar with their mouths. Usually I see puppy siblings "mouth wrestling". Since Fergus is a singleton, Izzy had to teach Fergus "mouth wrestling".

Fergus working on his hole. Each litter of puppies likes to dig around my porch. This is Fergus's contribution. The hair is dog hair that I stripped from my older dogs. I throw the hair out for the birds to use in nests. Some of the hair accumulates in various corners.

Fergus woke up from a nap in my bedroom and came out to the living room. I could see that Fergus was about to pee. Before I could reach Fergus to take him outside, Fergus squatted and started peeing. It was like those television commercials where something is spilled. Everything slowed down as I was going "Nooooooo". I grabbed Fergus and took him outside to finish his pee. I can not remember when Fergus last had a potty accident in the house. Now our record of "Days since last potty accident" has to restart.

Fergus and mommy Izzy. Both were looking at me when I started to take this picture ... and then both turned their heads away.

The ears of a Norwich puppy do not immediately go straight up. Sometimes they go down again, before going back up. Here is Fergus today. It is as if all his "ear stand-up energy" moved from his left ear to his right.

Morning pictures - Fergus playing with a toy. And as soon as Fergus saw me with my camera, Fergus charged me. (Notice his tongue sticking out.)

Fergus - a view from overhead.

Fergus playing with mommy Izzy.

I was cooking some ground turkey for the dogs for dinner, when I heard my doggy door open and close. My adult dogs were all at my feet. Before I had started cooking, I had noted that Fergus was in my bedroom asleep. When I investigated, I found that Fergus had woken up, walked all the way through my living room and taken himself outside to the grass to go potty. This makes up for his potty accident of yesterday.

Fergus eating his birthday dinner. Note the cooked ground turkey on top of his kibble.

I again had to take my car to my local repair shop. (They had the wrong part last time.) Again Fergus came with me. Fergus met some new people, as well as saw people he had met before.

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• Picture 3

Fergus playing with an ice cube.

Fergus settled in for a nice nap.

Fergus with his sharp puppy teeth defeated the orange elephant in unarmed combat. With the elephant's stuffing starting to come out, I gave the elephant a proper burial in the trash can. After his exertions in the life-and-death struggle, Fergus rested. Note the paw in the air.

Being the first of the month, this is when I give my dogs their monthly heartworm plus flea and tick preventative. Fergus, now being over six weeks old, got 15 mg selamectin (brand name Revolution) which is both a heartworm preventative as well as a flea and tick (but only some ticks) preventative.

Fergus on the dog bed next to my desk. Notice that his left ear still droops down more than his right ear.

Fergus napping underneath the dresser in my bedroom. I will be happy when Fergus gets too large to fit underneath. Currently I often have to get down on all fours to check if Fergus is underneath the dresser.

Since Fergus is no longer getting an evening meal, when I give my dogs their evening dental treat, I have been putting Fergus on my grooming table in order to teach him the "pretty teeth" command. I want Fergus to be comfortable with a person putting their hand over Fergus's head and lifting Fergus's lips in order to look at his teeth. I give Fergus a tasty treat and while he is muching on it, I quickly lift his lips.

I noticed today that the grass in my fenced yard was getting taller than Fergus. So it was time to mow. Again Fergus joined the other four-legged supervisors while I took down the fence, and later put it back up. Fergus was good about staying in the area, only once was I concerned that he was getting too close to the tree line.

Fergus did have one adventure while I was putting the fence back up. A lost hunting dog came into my yard. My dogs immediately gave chase and drove the intruder away. (I always find it amusing to watch these large foxhound-type dogs being chased by my much smaller Norwich Terriers.) Interestingly there was something about my dogs' bark that told Fergus "danger". Fergus turned in the opposite direction and ran directly into my house.

Afterwards Mommy Izzy and Fergus on the porch. Note that Izzy is still on alert for any more intruders.

When Izzy had a dental cleaning at the beginning of the year, the dental x-ray showed that Izzy had an impacted tooth (a permanent tooth that had not erupted) in the back of her mouth. My vet recommended that the tooth be extracted, but felt that the procedure required a dental specialist. We were able to get an appointment with the NC State University veterinary dentistry service in March. The day before our consultation appointment, Izzy came into season. We kept the appointment, and the concensus after looking at the x-rays and Izzy's mouth was that the tooth had to come out. Since Izzy was in season and I planned to breed Izzy (which resulted in Fergus), it was decided to delay the surgery until after Izzy was finished nursing any puppies.

Since Izzy is now done nursing, I contacted NC State to schedule the surgery. I was asked to bring Izzy in for a re-check just to make sure that there were not any changes. Today was our re-check appointment. I brought Fergus along for the experience and socialization.

During the car ride to NC State, when we were about half-way there, Fergus let me know that he really REALLY had to go potty. We stopped, I set up an x-pen, put Fergus inside, and Fergus when potty. (Fergus had to poop. Even though I had seen Fergus poop right after breakfast, evidently he had to go again.) Good boy for letting me know, and good boy for holding it until I could find a place to stop!

We arrived early at NC State. I set up the x-pen outside one of the entrances to the vet school, and invited everyone passing by to pet Fergus. Fergus met new people!

• Picture 1
• Picture 2

When we went inside for Izzy's appointment, the reception staff also wanted to meet Fergus.

While we waited for the vets to come into the exam room, Izzy and Fergus wrestled. I got this photo that if you look closely shows the sharp puppy teeth of Fergus. The vets examined Izzy and confirmed that she still needs surgery. Afterwards the vets were kind enough to look at Fergus's mouth. We were able to confirm that Fergus has six upper and six lower puppy incisors, just as he should. (The incisors are the small teeth in the front of the canine mouth between the large teeth that are often called the "canine teeth".) For comparison, Izzzy has six upper but only five lower incisors. We then made the long drive home, but this time without any emergency potty stops. Izzy's surgery is scheduled for mid-September.

Fergus on the dog bed next to my desk. Notice that both ears are now up by same amount.

Fergus napping with his paw over a toy.

Family photo - From near to far - great-grandmother Mandy, Izzy, grandmother Siri, aunt Gwynie (left), aunt Ophelia (right), and - in the back - mommy Izzy. I almost got everyone to look at me at the same time.

When I hold the gate open for my adult dogs, Fergus sometimes escapes outside of my fenced yard. Fergus can now run faster than I can. Fortunately Fergus can only do so for short bursts, plus he is easily distracted and stops to investigate. This allows me to rescue Fergus from the great outdoors ... although I really do not think he would go far. But I do not want Fergus getting lost in the woods. I try to pick Fergus up whenever I have to open the gate, so that he cannot escape. My adult dogs often want to chase something (usually a bird) that is around my house. I am constantly interrupted to let the adults out of my fenced yard and then let them back in again.

I dropped Fergus and my other dogs off with my petsitter, Ali, this morning. I will be judging in Chicago this weekend. Fergus will have a good time at Ali's house (where he was born). Fergus is now old enough that Ali's children can play with him ... and it will be great socialization for Fergus.

Morning picture. Fergus was running around so much this morning, that the only time he was still for a photo was when he stopped to pee.

Fergus sitting. Notice that his left ear is now up. And now charging the camera.

Fergua playing furiously with a toy that he was flinging around:

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• Picture 3
• Picture 4

Even when Fergus stops for a nap and I come in to take a picture, Fegus wakes up to see what I am doing. Finally I was able to get a picture of Fergus sleeping. Notice that his black "guard hairs" are falling out.

A rare moment when Fergus gets to be in his playpen crate. Often I see the older dogs inside taking a nap. Perhaps they are reliving when they were puppies?

This evening as I was holding the gate open for one of my older dogs, Fergus escaped and almost made it to the tree line. After I caught Fergus, I picked up some pine cones. I brought Fergus back to my fenced yard and gave Fergus the pine cones to destroy.

Up until somewhere between six and twelve weeks of age, puppies are protected from germs because of maternal antibodies that they get from their mother. Puppies get these maternal antibodies in the first milk (colostrum) that they ingest in the first 12 to 24 hours of life. After that time, antibodies are too large to pass through a puppy's intestines into the blood stream. However these maternal antibodies slowly die off. If you give a puppy shot too early, the maternal antibodies fight off the vaccine and the shot is wasted. So vets give a series of puppy shots starting around six to eight weeks of age - usually three shots spaced two weeks apart - in the hope of hitting the spot when the maternal antibodies have died off.

Instead of guessing when the maternal antibodies have died off, one can do a nomograph (titer) of the mother's blood. From the amount of antibodies for parvo and distemper (two deadly canine diseases) in the mother, scientists can give a more precise window of time when to vaccinate a puppy. So before Fergus was born, Izzy had some blood drawn and a titer was performed. So while nine weeks might seem old for Fergus to be getting his first puppy shot, it is not. The nomograph predicted that now is the time when Izzy's maternal antibodies in Fergus are starting to get too low to protect him. So now is the time to start vaccinating Fergus.

When we walked into my vet's office, the receptionists wanted to hold Fergus. We then waited for an exam room to open up. Then the vet techs did rude things such as take Fegus's temperature (with an anal thermometer!) and use a rectal probe to get a stool sample. Finally the vet came in and examined Fergus. She listened to his heart and lungs (everything was fine). She examined his underside to make sure Fergus did not have a hernia. Finally Fergus got his DHPPC vaccine shot. (DHPPC standing for Distemper, Hepititus, Parvo, Parainfluenza, and Corona.) And the stool sample was negative, so Fergus does not have any intestinal parasites.

Afterwards Fergus got held by the receptionist again. And Fergus got to meet more new people.

When we got home Fergus ran around and played. Fergus did not seem to have any ill effects from the vaccine. I did find Fergus napping underneath my chair. Now after dinner, Fergus is sleeping in the pink donut dog bed next to my desk.

It rained this morning. Unfortunately the "Days since last potty accident" counter had to be reset to zero.

Fergus is not very good about picking up his toys.

Mommy Izzy and Fergus on a dog bed. Note the stick that Fergus was chewing. At some point Fergus brought the stick inside all by himself.

Fergus is now eating like an adult Norwich; in other words, Fergus eats his food quickly and always seems like he could eat more. Fergus is now being fed two scoops of puppy kibble for breakfast, one scoop at lunch, and two scoops at dinner. (Each scoop is 30 ml.) This is the largest amount Fergus will get to eat, because he is a growing puppy. After this period, the amount he gets will be decreased. My adults get approximately one scoop at breakfast and two scoops at dinner of adult kibble. Sometimes less at dinner if I think someone needs to lose some weight. I am already thinking of cutting Fergus back to 1/2 scoop at lunch time as he is looking a little puggy.

Aunt Ophelia grooming Fergus (licking his face and ears). A few minutes earlier they had been playing. Ophelia did several play bows (down in the front, butt in the air) to Fergus, each followed by some rough play.

Fergus in his playpen crate. I think Fergus is going through one of those fear periods about which experts talk. Fergus seemed startled by dogs coming through the doggy door, which previously he ignored. And we had not one, but at least three potty accidents today. So I can understand Fergus wanting to be in a "safe" space.

I dremeled Fergus's nails today. After the first paw, Fergus figured out that I was not going to kill him. Fergus then let me do the other paws without any more crocodile tears (or cries in his case).

Fergus playing in freshly cut grass.

• Picture 1 Notice that both ears are up.
• Picture 2

Fergus made it all the way to the tree line while I was picking up and later rebuilding the fence. Fergus wisely decided not to go into the forest and both times turned around and came back.

In other news, today I got the autopsy report on Fergus's brother. As I suspected, the cause of death was puppy lung development disease. The abnormality in lung tissue is easily seen under a microscope. While a genetic component is strongly suspected, so far researchers have not been able to find anything in DNA samples that correlates with the disease.

Mommy Izzy and Fergus playing. While to others it might sound like fighting, it is really play ... or perhaps Izzy "toughening up" Fergus. At one point I watched as Fergus was chasing Izzy and biting at Izzy's tail.

Today I decided to cut Fergus back to 1/2 scoop of puppy kibble at lunch. (A scoop is 30 ml.) It is hard to know exactly how much to feed a puppy. Sometimes a puppy will look fat, but then have a growth spurt and then look too thin.

It was very hot this afternoon. Even Mommy Izzy wanted to stay inside and nap in the air-conditioned coolness.

Fergus and Mommy Izzy playing. As I write this, they are out on the porch running through the baby tunnel chasing each other.

Morning picture - Mommy Izzy and Fergus at the far end of my fenced yard. Fergus often follows Izzy around.

When I am working at my desk, my dogs frequently lie down nearby - on dog beds, on the floor around my chair, under my chair, and under my desk. Here is Fergus underneath my desk. The other body is aunt Gwynie. (If Gwynie looks a little plump, it is because Gwynie's pregnancy is starting to show.)

Fergus gave me quite the scare today. I came back to my living room just in time to see my adult dogs outside my yard obviously chasing something - most likely a bird that had the temerity to land in the field around my house. As I did not remember leaving the gate open, I figured that one of them - Izzy being the most likely culprit - had nosed the gate open and the rest had followed. I often do not lock the gate when I know I will frequently be opening and closing the gate while the dogs go out to chase something but then want back inside. If the adults were outside, where was Fergus? A quick glance around my living room did not show any Fergus. I went outside and out my gate ... but no Fergus was in sight. Back inside for a quick search of my house did not reveal any Fergus. So I walked all the way around my house, but still no Fergus. Back inside for a more thorough search of my house and all his usual hiding places ... but still no Fergus. All this time I am calling his name. By this time I am seriously worried. Another walk outside around my house, but further away from the house, closer to the tree line. I took mommy Izzy and aunt Ophelia with me, in the hope that Fergus might see them and come. Still no Fergus. I could not believe that Fergus would have gotten this far from my house. Puppies usually only explore a little way before turning back. So back inside the house for another search. I finally found Fergus in the corner of my bedroom underneath my dirty clothes basket. To say that I was relieved is an understatement.

I realized today, when I heard Fergus digging in one of the plastic crates in my living room, that I had not give Fergus a cardboard box to destroy with his sharp puppy teeth. The oversight was quickly remedied.

Fergus napping underneath my chair.

I noticed this evening that Fergus has completed the work of previous puppies. Fergus has torn the rubber mat off the other end of my baby dogwalk. I guess a new baby dogwalk is in my future.

I have been giving Fergus more freedom now that he is older. At night instead of taking Fergus out to potty, I have been shoving Fergus out the doggy door while telling him to "do your business". I then watch to make sure that Fergus walks across my paved porch to the grass. I want to see that Fergus piddles, although sometimes - if my own bladder is shouting at me - I have to assume that Fergus has done his business. The past two nights, I have not waited for Fergus, but instead turned out the lights and gone back to bed. I then hear Fergus come back inside through my doggy door. I can track the progress of Fergus as Fergus comes into my bedroom and passes my dogs on doggy beds. They growl at Fergus to tell Fergus that now is not the time for play but for sleep. Sometimes Fergus comes up on my bed (getting growls from the dogs on the bed). So far Fergus has not learned to settle down, cuddle, and go to sleep. Fergus wants to play ... which for Fergus involves biting. This earns Fergus a trip back into his crate. Other times Fergus settles down in an empty dog bed in my bedroom and goes to sleep. This cycle repeats as I get up during the night. As long as Fergus continues to not have any potty accidents at night, Fergus can choose where he wants to sleep. Fergus will sleep in his crate without fussing if I put him there, which is the definition of being "crate trained".

Last night at bedtime, I gave everyone including Fergus a rawhide chew stick while I did some reading. The more senior dogs settled down to some serioud chewing. My younger dogs tried to steal the chew stick I gave to Fergus. I ended up holding Fergus's chew stick while Fergus chewed away at it.

Today Fergus found a chew stick that one of my dogs - probably Mandy - must have "buried" (hidden). Aunt Gwynie was watching and let Fergus have the dog bed. Gwynie next stole the chew stick. Izzy came along and stole the chew stick from Gwynie. Izzy ran outside with Fergus in pursuit. For a while, Fergus and Izzy both chewed on the chew stick while playing tug-of-war. Eventually I lured Izzy away with some food for some agility training.

Fergus - when he is not being a devil - is a little angel.

Whenever I open the refrigerator door, Fergus comes running to investigate all the interesting smells in the wonderful box. As the door slowly closes, Fergus has to squeeze himself back out.

By this afternoon Fergus had learned to bark. Here he is, barking at great-grandmother Mandy who was in the playpen crate. Mandy would suddenly bark, causing Fergus to jump back several feet before resuming barking at Mandy.

Morning picture - Fergus sleeping off breakfast.

Fergus letting it all hang out.

There was no lunch for Fergus today. In a telephone conversation, a fellow Norwich breeder pointed out to me that a singleton puppy - a puppy with no siblings - needs fewer calories than if the puppy had sibling with which it was constantly wrestling. Since Fergus seems a little puggy to me, I have decided to cut out lunch for Fergus and see what happens. Fergus did not seem to miss lunch.

I had to run some errands in town today and brought Fergus along. (I leave the car and air-conditioning running when I must leave Fergus in the car.) At some places - like my auto mechanics - I can bring Fergus inside.

Fergus sleeping off a heavy dinner.

Fergus is really good about amusing himself. Sometimes aunt Ophelia or mommy Izzy will play with Fergus. But mostly Fergus plays with one of his toys or explores my fenced yard. Right now Fergus is chasing an empty aluminium soda can around the floor, making the can bang before pouncing on it again.

Morning picture - Fergus and aunt Gwynie. Poor Gwynie, I really need to groom her.

Fergus after having his nails done. Fergus only gave me a small amount of complaint when I did his nails this time. I think this picture nicely shows Fergus's coat color, and how the guard hairs (the black hairs) have fallen off or been rubbed off his face.

Today I took Fergus and several of my dogs to stay for the weekend with my petsitter, Ali. (Ali's house is where Fergus was born). Fergus's great-grandmother Mandy and mother Izzy are entered in an agility trial in Richmond this weekend. This will be Izzy's agility debut, which was postponed when Izzy became pregnant. This will also be the first time that Fergus will be away from her mother for an extended length of time. (Aunts Ophelia and Gwynie, plus grandmother Siri will be chaparoning Fergus.) It will be good socialization for Fergus to stay at Ali's house for the weekend.

• picture 1
• picture 2

Morning picture - Left behind. Fergus watching from my fenced yard as my other dogs and I leave for a morning walk in the woods.

Fergus resting. When Fergus is active, most photographs are just blurs. As a puppy, Fergus seems to have only two speeds - rest and VERY fast.

Fergus almost hidden inside the donut bed in my bedroom.

Fergus chewing on a stick. I brought some sticks back from the morning walk and left them in my yard. Fergus - rightly believing that it is too hot to chew sticks on the porch - has been dragging the sticks inside through my doggy door. Fergus then proceeds to turn the sticks into small pieces.

When I take off my sandles, I normally pick them up out of the way of puppy teeth who like to chew on them. I forgot this morning. I finally found my sandles piled in Fergus's favorite bed. Evidently Fergus planned to come back and chew on them later.

Fergus napping. Such a little angel when asleep; such a little devil when awake. A few moments later. Dogs - like people - often shift their position when sleeping. Note how Fergus has his rear legs crossed. Also note how many of the dark guard hairs on Fergus's body have been rubbed away or fallen out ... leaving Fergus with a "racing stripe" of dark guard hairs down the center of his back.

I had to take a long car ride this afternoon to run an errand. Fergus came along as my co-pilot. When we stopped, I put up an x-pen so Fegus could potty and stretch his legs. While we were there, a train came by across the street. So Fergus saw his first train. Fergus did not show any fear, just mild interest.

The new thing for today is I put a harness on Fergus and took Fergus for a walk around my house using a Flexi lead. Fergus was happy to be out of my fenced yard running with my other dogs, so the harness and Flexi were not a big concern. Occasionally Fergus would stop and bite at the Flexi lead, but then he would start running again. I finally was able to get a clear picture when Fergus stopped to investigate a pine cone. (Aunt Gwynie is in the background.)

Fergus doing his sphinix impersonation.

I had to pick up my yard fence today so that I could mow. As I was rebuilding the fence, Fergus started to follow his mother Izzy and aunt Ophelia into the nearby forest. Fergus got far enough into the forest that I became concerned, so I called Izzy and Ophelia. Izzy and Ophelia turned around and started running back, and Fergus followed. (In the picture, Fergus is with Ophelia, up and to the left is Izzy.) Notice how Fergus's coat color blends with the forest floor, making it easy to lose Fergus in the forest.

Fergus barking at great-grandmonther Mandy. While Fergus rarely uses the crate where his playpen used to be, I guess Fergus thinks the crate is "his". When Fergus got too annoying, Mandy barked back with a much deeper bark, and Fergus jumped backwards.

I have been treating Fergus more and more like an adult dog. If Fergus does something childish like nipping at my heals, Fergus then gets a (gentle) kick to remind him that the behavior is not acceptable.

Fergus playing with mommy Izzy.

I took Fergus with me to the hardware store this afternoon:

• picture 1
• picture 2

Fergus did not want to come out of his crate at the store, so I did not push the issue. There certainly were a lot of new sights, sounds, and smells for Fergus at the hardware store. I suspect Fergus felt a bit overwhelmed.

Morning picture - Searching for that perfect spot to pee.

Fergus snuggled next to the dog bed during his after-breakfast nap.

This morning while I was holding the gate open for my adult dogs, Fergus escaped out of my fenced yard. In the past I have been able to catch Fergus before he made it to the tree line. Not today! Fergus followed mother Izzy into the forest and I lost sight of both of them. I started calling Izzy. When Izzy came out of the forest and to me, Fergus followed and I was able to grab Fergus. Fergus was not happy with me during the walk back to my house and fenced yard.

Fergus searching for that perfect toy with which to play.

Fergus going out my doggy door. It seems like only yesterday when Fergus had to throw his entire body weight against the door to get it to open. Now Fergus just pushes the door open with his head.

Morning picture - Fergus is in the center. Directly in front of Fergus is mommy Izzy, then - going clockwise - aunt Gwynie, great-grandmother Mandy, aunt Ophelia, and grandmother Siri.

Today's big adventure for Fergus was a trip to the vet. Here is Fergus in the waiting room. And a selfie while we were waiting in the exam room. Fergus got checked out by the vet. Fergus also got a microchip injected underneath his skin. (Fergus was a brave boy and did not let out a peep with the microchip was injected.) My vet signed a certificate of health (technically called a "certificate of veterinary inspection") for Fergus. So Fergus is now legal to move to another state. All the receptionists wanted to say good-bye to Fergus:

• picture 1
• picture 2
• picture 3

I spent part of the afternoon preparing a travel bag for Fergus.

I did a double take when I saw Fergus sleeping like this. Where is his head? Fergus has his head turned back on his body and you can just see his nose.

Fergus left today with Chris and Bob to go to his new home in Indiana. It is always bittersweet when a puppy leaves home. I know that Fergus will be having lots of wonderful new adventures ... but I will still miss him. I will be sad for a few days.

This concludes the puppy diary of Izzy's 2023 litter.