Lucky Seven

Reacher passed the one-year mark the end of August, which according to some sources, makes him about seven in people years. Considering his behavior, I'd say that's about right.

Much like children of that age, Reacher knows the rules of the house, but doesn't always follow them. He understands who's boss (ME!) and he's willing to tow the mark when we're together. But he still isn't trustworthy enough to be left on his own. He works hard to please me ... except for the times when he doesn't. At one year of age -- or seven -- Reacher is still very much a work in progress.

He loves roughhousing like most seven-year-old boys. Vega is his top pick for wrestling and chasing, mostly because she's available. Frankly though, he's not choosey. He will jump and play with any canine at the dog park willing to indulge him.

He loves to run as much as any young boy with long legs and energy to burn. To Reacher, it really doesn't matter if he has a companion to race with or not. I often see him all by himself, sprinting past a window at full tilt as if he's heading for the finish line.

At home, he'll settle for sitting close since he's now too big to fit in my lap. He would hop into bed with me every night if I'd let him even though he has a perfectly cozy bed of his own.

You can count on seven-year-old boys to annouce with some regularity, "You're the best!" And I'm certain that's what Reacher would tell me too, if only he could talk.

Going Up



Panzer at 12 weeks old

I've witnessed many little miracles during my German Shepherd puppy experience, the most recent one being the rising of the ears. Unlike a Boxer's ears which fold over and hang down unless cropped, German Shepherd ears are naturally pointed and stand at attention. They start rising of their own accord beginning when the puppy is a couple of months old and are generally fully erect at about six months of age.

I'm not sure how the other seven puppies' ears are progressing, but Panzer's ears are on their way up, although the left one is currently listing to the right, a little like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Hopefully, it will straighten out all by itself.

If not, there's a lot of advice out there on taping ears to help them stand. I've had some experience with that myself. I regret to admit it, but I had my first Boxer's ears cropped. It's a surgical procedure and much of the ear is actually trimmed away. Then after the ears heal, the taping begins. 

Striker had two white cones on the top of his head for longer than I like to remember. Every week or so, the tape was unwound so the ears could rest. I was vigilant and Striker never complained. After weeks of repeated taping, the cartilage hardened and his ears pointed heavenward - permanently.

Panzer's ears haven't reached their final destination yet, but they are headed in the right direction. I'm counting on Mother Nature to finish the job. She hasn't let me down yet. 

Almost Famous

Now that the puppies are a happy memory, things are getting back to normal around here. I'm sleeping at least 30 minutes longer in the mornings since I don't have to factor puppy feeding and clean-up into my AM routine. I must admit that's a little slice of heaven.

No puppies to care for means more time for Reacher, Vega and I to do what we like to do: go for a walk. We are walking again nearly every day, at least once. And we're back to any one of our favorite long routes -- around the lake, along the river or just through the neighborhood.

Cooler weather has opened up the whole day for getting outside with their leashes on. It's not necessary to plan on a crack of dawn or late evening walk or training session to avoid the blazing sun. Just about anytime works this time of year.

I didn't realize that we're back out and walking so much until so many people started commenting on it. Out of the blue, a woman at the grocery store asked me if I have a German Shepherd and a Boxer. When I said yes, she said she recognized me because she sees me out walking "all the time."

The vet tech who took care of us at our last appointment she said she often drives past Reacher, Vega and I as she comes or goes from her house. Turns out we're neighbors.

I seem to have gained a kind of celebrity status among the children at the neighborhood elementary school, too. There is a growing number who come up to me and say, "I saw you walking your dogs! They're big!"

I'm feeling practically famous. The lady with the big dogs. It's not a bad reputation to have.

10 Things I Learned About A Litter of Puppies

It's not easy to see, but at least parts of all eight puppies are there!

1. It didn't matter one bit that I knew nothing about birthin' puppies. Thanks to the power of Mother Nature, Vega birthed the litter of eight all by herself. I was more than happy to be her biggest cheerleader.

2. Putting Vega in the blue kiddie pool to birth those pups was a great idea. It was portable, easy to clean and just the right size.  Moving the pool into my bedroom when it all began at 2AM was an infinitely better solution for me than a sleeping bag in the garage.

3. Diarrhea after birthing eight puppies is to be expected from a mother dog beginning a day or two after the litter is born. I'm sure it's not a pleasant experience for the canine. And it's definitely not pleasant for the human doing the clean-up.

4. The weight gained during pregnancy practically falls off a mother dog. Just days after giving birth Vega was thinner than she was prior to becoming pregnant. From a human mother's point of view that just doesn't seem fair. But I guess nursing eight puppies will do that to a mom.

5. It's true. For the first few weeks after having the puppies, the mama dog does everything - feeding, cleaning, comforting -  so there's not much to do but enjoy those babies.

6. That clean-up I mentioned above, doesn't last. As the puppies grew Vega did a good job of cleaning the pool, but definitely not the stellar job she did at the beginning. I had to step in and clean up behind her (and the puppies) at least once a day. 

7. For Vega, nursing eight babies began to loose its allure starting when the puppies were about three weeks of age. I had to actively encourage her to stick with it. But I could feel her pain - literally. As the days went by, nursing time could best be described as a feeding frenzy similar to what's shown on Shark Week, complete with razor sharp puppy teeth. Ouch!

8. Puppies take to puppy food like ducks to water. They even dive right in, just like ducks do. And because the puppy chow should be blended into a gruel at the beginning, meal time is quite a messy operation.

9. To go along with the mess that puppy food on the paws, legs and belly creates, there's the mess that comes after since the mother dog no longer cleans the pool or whelping box once the puppies stop nursing. Eight puppies, eating three times a day .... well, you do the messy math.

10. All the reading about breeding, canine pregnancy, whelping and caring for a litter of puppies was nothing compared to going through it myself. The advice of friends is no preparation either. But I managed to learn as I went along. Bottom line, it's like the Nike slogan says, Just Do It.