Puppies Update

Our puppies are doing well. In less than 2 weeks we have watched our little charges go from being furry lumps, infested with fleas and ticks, clinging to life, to frisky, healthy puppies. When we brought them into our home they did not even have their eyes open yet. They rolled and crawled to get around and Lisa had to feed them with an eye-dropper. Once we had formula from Animal Control Services, the puppies were introduced to bottle feeding and they really began putting on weight. With their eyes wide open, they began to wobble around on all fours. They were eating so much formula that Lisa had to go back to ACS for more food. She came back with not only more formula, but bags of dry puppy chow and canned dog food.


Lisa had the idea of doing away with the bottles and letting them learn to lap the formula from bowls. It worked so well that we decided to gradually add solids to their formula. Their teeth are starting to come in so they are ready. We began adding more solids to make the mixture thicker and once again our puppies rose to the challenge by eating and lapping up their food out of their own little bowls, but their feedings have become a lot slower and messier. They like to step in their bowls and wander around to see what the other puppies are eating.

Did I also mention…they are all pooping and peeing very well now? We change a lot of newspapers! Newspapers are like gold to us now! We were getting to the point that we had to hurry and read the day’s paper so that we could turn around and use them. We have enlisted the help of our neighbor across the street. She is bringing over her used papers so we are getting by for now.

The bathtub in our guest bathroom was getting too confining for three active puppies so I built a “playpen” for them in the sun room. They love their new digs. There’s plenty of room to run around, wrestle with their siblings and take naps. Their little personalities are really starting to come out now. Big Boy gets sleepy after he eats and is getting huge. Baby is the most vocal and lets you know if things do not suit her. Brownie is a good eater and loves to play, but she often gets nosed out by herother siblings when push comes to shove.

Lisa takes the puppies out for a bath almost every morning and the same puppies who once yelped “bloody murder,” now love this time with her. They love being bathed and having their bellies rubbed. She puts them in the crate to dry off after their baths. They let her know when they want to go back inside the house. It gets pretty warm by mid morning here.

Yes, we are getting attached to our little puppies, but we also know that we cannot raise and care for 3 grown dogs and two cats in our house. We are just their current stop on their way to their forever families. They are out there and we are doing our best to get our puppies ready. Next week we take them into the ACS vet for shots and work ups prior to adoption. They should be weaned in a few more weeks and our job will be done. They are a lot of work, but they will be missed. Lisa and I would love to see how they turn out as full grown dogs and they lives they will change.

It is truly a shame that many people do not take responsibility for their pets. The animal shelters of San Antonio are doing their best to spay and neuter as many stray cats and dogs as possible. Lisa and I work as volunteers for the Animal Defense League of Texas and its no-kill shelter. Soon we will be trained to go out and work community events to talk about the importance of spaying and neutering pets. Our puppies were lucky that they were found in time. There are way too many kittens and puppies that suffer cruel, needless deaths because owners did not care if their pets roamed the neighborhoods creating more generations of starving and unwanted animals. Sadly, so many or these animals wind up in the pound, unable to be adopted and they are put to sleep.

I urge all pet owners to stop the suffering, give a damn…and do the right thing.

Food for THOUGHT…