Welcome to the longest (and maybe the cutest) blog post ever.... If you are reading this its likely very close to Christmas Day - Merry Christmas - and you are now in on the secret we have been keeping for almost a month. We decided to keep these little guys a surprise and unveil them at our annual Christmas party - so hard!
On December 4th we added three 10 week old Scotch Collie puppies to our menagerie. Our sweet border collie Emma will be 14 years old in March so the hubs and I have been thinking about adding babies to our family for a bit. We wanted to have Emma be their teacher - she is such an awesome dog! Emma is in good health and quite active so we hope having babies around will keep her young and on her toes. These sweet babies were born on September 21, 2016.
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| In the car on the way home |
So - without further ado - welcome to our family!!!
Meet the beautiful and shy
Juliett:
Meet the silly, funny and lovely
Charli:
Meet the gregarious boy full of personality
Tango:
I will be writing Puppy Supplementals between now and Christmas to capture the shenanigans these three will bring to the party!
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #1 - SUPER PISSED PIG
Okay - not really a puppy supplemental - but more a pig supplemental. Wow! We have one pissed off pig!!! I went in his room after playing with the puppies - didn't really think a thing about it but I smelled like them and he was not amused. We had the biggest altercation we have ever had since we got him as a piglet and he got in large amount of trouble. He was swiping, biting, lunging, charging - you name a crappy pig behavior and you can pretty much be sure it happened. UGH! I went back later to see if he had calmed down - um - no. No fancy tuck in tonight - just a blanket on him so he isn't cold - hoping things calm down....
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #2 - PUPPY SUPPLIES
I went on a pet store run to get some puppy supplies - which included new beds. As you can see - they love them.... LOL!
On the pig front - I think he actually felt guilty for his behavior yesterday and has been very sweet all day. Tonight when I tucked him in he crawled in my lap - all 90 pounds of him. He hasn't done that since he was a piglet. I am glad we are all made up - I don't like it when we fight.
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #3 - GOOD SLEEPERS
So I have to say - these little guys are so mellow and so good. While we have some work to do on potty training (they are only 10 weeks old) they do great about going to bed. I have been putting them to bed around 9 and they complain for a few minutes but then they settle down and there is not a peep from them until I get them up in the morning. So fortunate!
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #4 - LONG DAY
Poor little pups - they had a long day today with me being in the office from 7:30 - 5:30 today. Luckily our pet sitter was able to swing by a couple of times throughout the day to let them out to play. The weather was cruddy to top it off so needless to say they were happy when I got home to let them out. They were good babies with only a couple of piddles inside. Such good babies! Winston is still unimpressed but is settling down. At least he is not being aggressive with me - but he is crabby for sure.
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #5 - THE BLOWER INCIDENT
Oh boy.... landscaper came and used the blower right by the sliding glass doors. Three completely freaked out puppies... poor little ones were scared to death. Juliett ran and hid behind a piece of furniture in our bedroom and would not come out. Charli was panicked because she couldn't find Juliett and Tango was upset but recovered more quickly than the girls. Needless to say - they were not all that anxious to go back to the living room tonight.
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #6 - A GOOD ROUTINE
We are starting to establish a good routine around here. Babies get up when we do - they go out back and run around while I feed the pig. When they come in - Winston goes out. The run and romp and play for a bit and then around 8:30 I feed them breakfast and let them play in 'their room' which is the master bathroom - we have converted it for the time being to puppy central. It's filled with toys and beds and bowls. They play for a bit and then nap, Then outside in the front yard for some play time and then indoor play time. By that time Winston wants to come in and nap in his bed - then the puppies and Emma can go out back and play for a bit. They nap around 5 for a bit - I feed them about 6:30 and then its play time and trips outside til bedtime which is 9 pm. Rinse and repeat....
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #7 - HOW THE PUPPIES GOT THEIR NAMES
Naming a pet is an important thing - it's what they are stuck with their whole lives and you want it to reflect their personalities. I named Emma (dog) after my favorite ball player Emmitt Smith. Winston is named after the town he was born in. My mom named Aggie (kitty), Oliver's name was chosen because it started with a vowel, I named Madison, Violet, Kai, and Bash, Hubs named Phoebe, Tabitha and Fiona. Hubs recently became a pilot and he wanted to name the puppies after the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. We were in total agreement about Tango and Juliett. Charli was a compromise - hubs wanted Sierra and I wanted Charlotte which is where she was born - so Charlotte it is and we call her Charli....
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #8 - PICTURES!!
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| Charli |
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| Juliett |
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| Charli (left) and Tango |
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| Tango |
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| Tango and Emma |
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| Playing out front with Emma supervising (lower left) |
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| Charli figured out what the bed was for |
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| Visiting with Winston through the door - he has likely made his snout shorter trying to get to them through the glass |
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| Tango |
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #9 - MIA
So - the puppies love to play outside and I have been letting them as much as possible. When Winston is outside we take them out front and stay with them because there is a large opening where the front walk is (thinking a new project of a gate for the Father in Law). When Winston is inside they get to go out back which is fenced. I send them out with Emma who does her business and runs around and then she wants back in but the puppies are content to stay out playing with leaves and chewing on sticks. I had been letting them play out there by themselves - checking on them every 5 - 10 minutes to make sure I had eyeballs on all three. Well - I checked and only found one - Charli. Crud - I called and called and made my way all the way around the yard inside the fence - nothing. I went out the front door and called - thankfully Tango came right away. I put him inside with Charli and Emma and I started looking for Juliett. She is quite timid and shy and I was fearful that she would hide rather than coming when called. I was right. After an hour of tromping around the woods in 34 degree weather I finally found her. She had found a space between two large rocks and wedged herself in there. She was cold and scared and it took some coaxing to get her to come out. I scooped her up and we headed inside. She was very clingy and wanted to stay in my lap for quite awhile. Poor baby!! I am so glad I found her - there is nothing worse than that feeling of panic.... The gang is fine and back together again. Add filling in holes where puppies can fit under the fence to the TO DO list for the weekend!
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #10 - GENERAL UPDATES
Puppies are doing just great! They seem happy and healthy and like they are adjusting well. Collies in general are quite shy and timid so we are working on them not being afraid of things. It takes some patience. The puppy escape hatch - the hole under the fence - has been patched and I think they are safe and sound until they find another way out.... little turkeys. Emma seems to really be enjoying them - she is full of energy - spends way more time outside and enjoys playing with them. Winston is still grumpy but getting better day by day - I think he is getting used to the new smells both inside and out. Babies are in 'their room' (aka master bath) with full bellies taking a nap. Winston is in because its raining. I am going to take the opportunity to run some errands and get some work done while its quiet. Some pics from the last couple of days:
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| Sleepy babies - Juliett top, Tango right and Charli left |
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| Juliett |
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| Charli |
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| Juliett |
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| Charli |
Not sure where Tango was while I was snapping pics - I will get some of him in the next day or two...
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #11 - OUTSIDE LOVERS
The puppies LOVE the great outdoors - I am so happy about this as Emma hates outside. In her mind its for going potty and not much else. The little ones love hanging out chewing on sticks and pine cones and wrestling in the grass. They were just out for 1.5 hours and have come in for their breakfast. Our routine is breakfast at around 8 and then some playtime in their room so I can get some things done without monitoring three puppies. They play and nap in there til 10:30 or 11 and then they get to come out and play. Winston has his breakfast about 7:30 and then hangs out inside for 30 minutes til the puppies come in so he can take over the back yard. I won't be introducing the puppies to the giant pink turd any time soon. He is certainly much better than he was that first day but he is still a grumpy little snot. Sigh... Here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure:
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| The little girls - Charli in front and Juliett close to the bed so she can get under in a hurry if she needs to |
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| Tango |
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| Charli |
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| Juliett |
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| Tango with his stick |
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #12 - IN GENERAL
Puppies are doing so well. They are active and getting braver by the minute. We are battling the urge to eat pig poop. We had to pry a dead bird out of Tango's mouth - but other than those adventures - they are fabulous. Still working on potty training. It's going as well as can be expected....
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| Charli snoozing on her horsey |
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #13 - FENCE BREAKERS
They go out of the fence pretty much every time they go outside now - will be glad when they are too big to fit through. Thankfully they don't go far.... geez. They have also spread their wings and decided they want to take advantage of the whole back yard as well - much harder to keep an eye on them. They have worn me out this afternoon so they are now napping in their room....
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| A super sacked out Tango |
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| Guess who discovered toilet paper....sigh |
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #14 - FIRST VET VISIT
We have three very healthy puppies and one very healthy senior dog - thank goodness!! Puppies went in for their vet visit today along with Emma. They got weighed - Tango and Charli weigh 18 pounds and Juliett 17. Emma weighed 51 pounds - she has gained a bit since last time. They all got their physicals and their vaccinations and everyone was good to go. They were well behaved and cooperative for the vet. They about made me deaf on the way there - Charli and Tango were not a fan of the car. Juliett and Emma were fine. On the way home everyone did much better - much quieter but unfortunately Charli got a bit car sick towards the end of the journey. She got a quick rinse off in the tub and toweled off - no worse for the wear.... Everyone has had their breakfast - a bit late - and now they are napping after their big adventure.
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| Emma and Juliett |
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| Laying down waiting for the Dr to come in |
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| Juliett |
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| Charli |
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| Tango |
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| Not sure what to think - they can hear a barking dog in the other room |
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #15 - BONES!!
I was at the grocery store and saw these and thought maybe the pups would like them... I think I was right!!
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| Emma |
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| Juliett enjoying hers under the bed |
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| Charli |
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| Tango - he likes carrying it around as much as he likes chewing on it... |
I am watching Emma closely - always worries about choking hazards. The puppies thankfully do not have a strong enough bite to break off any pieces - at least not yet...
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #15 - FEELING BETTER
I think the puppies are feeling better!! Considering it is 3:47 am and I am writing a puppy supplemental.... The puppies had a very mellow day yesterday. I don't think they were feeling 100% as a result of their vet adventure/vaccinations. They were playing and eating and pottying normally - just not as full of piss and vinegar as usual. They certainly appear to be over it and they are raring to go after a day of rest. Ugh! Guess I am getting a good jump on the day's to do list.
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #16 - RUN RAGGED
OMG - they are making up for a calm day!! These puppies are making me a bit nutty today. Tango has had his mouth on everything in the house I think. Charli has peed in the living room two times today because she wigs out about having to go out front when Winston is out back. Juliett is even more neurotic that Emma - afraid of everything. She has to be extricated from under the bed several times a day. Charli and Tango continue to go outside the fence and then have to be gathered - which they are not cooperative about. I know my frustration is due to stress and trying to wrap up at work for the year - but - the puppies are having some play time in their room for a bit. Mommy needs a break.
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #17 - IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING - PUPPIES STINK
We had a jail break last night - a very poopy jail break....oh the stench! While we were at a Christmas party the girls squeezed through their containment field - Tango was a good boy and stayed where he should have been. All three puppies made a stinky deposit - 2 in the bathroom on the tile thankfully. One of them was desperate to get outside so they made quite a mess right by the door. Cup half full - at least they did try to get to outside - that is a good sign. Hubs and I did the tag team cleanup - he ran the carpet shampooer by the door and I got out the mop and tackled the bathroom. It didn't take too long to clean up and we have a machine - we call it the destinker - that takes away odors. While the puppies were outside playing we let the machine kill the left over icky smell. Everyone went to bed and we all woke up this morning with a new attitude. Puppies have been outside for playtime and potties. Right now they are in their room napping after having their breakfast. Today will be warmer and they can have some outside time - likely in the front yard so I don't have to chase them after a fence escape. I will be glad when they get just a bit bigger and can't fit through the fence anymore!!
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL #18 - FIRST BATH
It's not their first ever bath but its their first with me - they did great. Charli went first and did well - she was well behaved and didn't cry. Tango went next - he cried like a girl...LOL. He did like being shampooed but once we moved to rinse - the crying started again. Juliett - my timid girl who is afraid of everything - she did best of all. I saved her til last thinking it was going to be awful. She kinda liked the warm water and loved getting shampooed. They all love being toweled off. Now they are sleeping under the bed - I shampooed carpets and they were not impressed with the evil, scary, noisy machine.
PUPPY SUPPLEMENTAL#19 - FINAL SUPPLEMENTAL
Well the secret is out and the puppies have been introduced to family and friends - they have all done so well. They have been friendly and polite to strangers and very patient with crazy schedules and very busy humans. Tomorrow we get to open puppy presents!!! Merry Christmas
