A Chorus Of Eight Puppies!!

The brand new, first two.

Vega's and Remy's puppies arrived on the scene early this morning, beginning about 2 AM, with the last arrival about six hours later. All eight puppies are healthy, nursing and boisterous!

In fact, squeaking is what woke me up at 2:11 this morning. I let Vega sleep next to the bed as usual, having been told she would start digging at the carpet, circling the room and generally letting me know she was about to deliver. But that's not what happened.

Vega was her usual chill self, even during labor and delivery. She was very calm and quiet about the whole thing. It was the first puppy that let me know the birthing had begun.

The plan was for Vega to have the puppies in the plastic pool or the elevator or the whelping box, but definitely not the bedroom floor. Oh well. I figured out "plan B" on the fly. I got the plastic pool from the garage, carried it upstairs and put it next to the bed. Fortunately, when I stepped in the pool with the puppy, Vega got in, too. And that's where the other seven were born.

Turns out it didn't matter that "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' puppies," because Vega knew just what to do. Instinct is a wonderful, powerful thing.

All eight are great!

I didn't have instinct going for me, but I did figure out when a puppy was about to be born because Vega would start panting hard, make a few quiet "burping" noises and tighten up her belly with each sound. I guess she was pushing. Then a sac with a puppy would slip out. Vega tore it open, chewed the cord, licked the puppy and cleaned it all up. She was quick, efficient and effective. In fact, she made the whole experience look like a walk in the park.

Each puppy found its way to a nipple and began nursing soon after it was born. Since Vega and the puppies were next to my bed I tried to at least doze off between births, but it was hard to do. Not because Vega was agitated or loud, it was the puppies that kept me awake. They are small, but amazingly noisy. And of course, the volume of the squeaking, squealing, yelping, whining and whimpering increased with the birth of each one. Instead of a litter of puppies, I have a chorus!