Round 2

All night long I have been sleeping next to a panting dog all night long. I woke up with Rosie staring at me with a proud smile on her face, as if to say 'it's time'. I didn't want to think she was quite ready yet so I went about my normal morning routine. I honestly thought that puppies weren't going to show up until next week, but I must have been a little off with my timing. As the morning went on it became more and more clear that Rosie was ready to get this birthing over with. She started crawling into small spaces (what most breeders will call "nesting"), and panting more and more. Finally I got the picture and set up her welping area. It wasn't a moment to soon. I saw the first little girl's head poke out a few moments later and the birthing began.
Although I've done this before, I am still amazed at how Rosie handles the situation. She was calm during the whole thing, and each time a new puppy showed up, she took care of everything by herself. Each time a puppy tried to escape, Rosie would gently pick it up in her mouth and carry it back to the rest of its siblings. Between puppies she constantly cleans and dries off the other pups, and makes sure they are all accounted for. I guess this is something else that amazes me, not only does she take care of the birthing process all by herself, but she also makes sure all of the puppies are accounted for, clean, and dry.
I look forward to the next several weeks. As nice as it is to see the last litter in such loving, and excellent homes, I am excited to meet the future owners of these puppies, and allow them to change some lives.