It Could Happen To You

This comes as a word of caution... When you're at a place in your life where you find yourself with an "empty nest," your child(ren) having grown up and gotten married; and you realize that you're eagerly awaiting the wonderful announcement that your first grandchild is on the way... When that happens, don't let your dog get pregnant!

You'll have the best of intentions about "finding them good homes," manning the operation much like an adoption agency, with a long list of criteria to be met and references to be checked. However, when they arrive, you'll marvel at what amazing little creatures they are. You'll watch them sleep and you'll coo, sing and rock them when they fuss (seriously, you will). You'll get up in the middle of the night to make sure Mama heard their little cries for milk and is tending to their needs. You'll nearly cry with joy when their eyes finally open and you'll bust with pride when you see them take their first wobbly steps. You'll spend hours and hours just watching them grow... you'll just find them fascinating! (What?!... I did.)

Then your husband will mention it's nearing the time to think about giving them away... GIVING THEM AWAY! And you'll look at him like he just asked you to harvest your beating heart and serve it to him on a platter; but you'll gently respond with, "I'm not ready to talk about it yet" (and you really won't be). So, 8 weeks will turn into 10 weeks; and 10 weeks will turn into 12 weeks; and 12 weeks will turn into 14 weeks. Then, finally, no more talk of giving them away... they're yours forever! (Cuz he got hooked, too.) And you'll be thankful she only had 4 when it could have been closer to a dozen!

They'll turn your world upside down. Your pool cage will lose it's screens because energetic pups ran straight through them. Large portions of your yard will turn into a sand pit because it's their favorite place to play and wrestle. You'll always have at least a mild dusting of dog hair on your tile floor. You'll say "no barking" and "be gentle" as often as you used to say "do your homework" and "eat your vegetables." And you'll find that you don't entertain as often as you used to because "you have a mess of dogs!"

But you'll find that you're spoiling them (just a little)... raising them with a milder hand than you did their mom, dad and "uncles." You'll find their antics entertaining and even precious! You'll find it both delightful and intriguing that in each of them, you can pick out varying physical traits and peculiar habits of their parents. You won't mind stepping over and around them in the kitchen while you're preparing dinner... cuz they just want to be where you are. Your heart will melt when they compete with each other for your affection. And you'll find yourself smiling a lot, realizing that grandchildren of the furry variety bring a whole lot of joy! (While still anticipating the announcement of the "flesh of my flesh" variety.)

Happy 1st Birthday to our Four Fabulous Furry Ones!

In the order of their appearance...


This is Riley. He looks just like dad.




This is Emma ... the Divine Miss Em!



This is Blaze... our Big Boy! He looks just like mom (though she's extremely petite and he has become the largest dog of our bunch).



And our sweet little peanut, Sara (her "middle name" is Cuse, i.e. Syracuse...!)

Remembering the earlier days...

They're just hours old here.

Riley has had enough to eat and just wants to snuggle (he often scooched to this location near mom). Poor girl looks tired.

Emma's tiny foot next to her mother's.

Blaze was always scooching under the blankets... he did this himself.

Sara loved to snuggle her mom.

Riley has grown a bit... about three weeks here.

Oh, sleepy Emma!

This is what I meant about rock them to sleep... I hated when they got too big to do this!

Sara's eyes are beginning to open!

Yes, they're enchanting!

They're growing! What a funny position for nursing!

They're big enough now to try puppy food softened with a bit of water (though they also still nursed for a few more weeks).

Riley close up at about 4-5 weeks.

Emma close up... about the same age.

and Blaze... (don't you just want to squeeze him and smell him?! Mmmm.)

and Sara... she's so little and cute!

Emma would like to have dad's ball.

Riley says, "I'm gonna get you!"

Mama plays with Blaze and Sara.

This is what I mean by "be gentle." It looks ferocious, but they were just playing (and the red in Sara's mouth is just fuzz from a toy).

Playing outside - 10 weeks old.

Mama has her figure back! I wish you could sit on my patio for about an hour and just watch these two play (oh, and that's dad, Bruiser)! They are so entertaining... and Zeila is an athlete like I've never seen before. Her speed and agility are amazing!
Our neighbor, Luke, is a bull mastif/boxer mix. He wishes we had a doggie door in that fence so he could come play, too. He's such a good boy.

Look-a-likes... Riley sees something interesting outside. His dad has noticed it, too.

Look-a-likes... Blaze and Zeila. Looks like Blaze caught a whiff of something.

Look-a-likes... Sisters, Emma and Sara share a piece of bark.

Oh my, Zeila getting bombarded by her pups (all of whom are now bigger than her). She loves it - she's a pretty, pretty princess who plays like a tomboy!

And Bruiser is eager to give Joe a kiss!

And if those weren't enough photos to look at... there's more!!

Seven?!

I know, I know. Call us kooky. But, here’s how it happened...

Once upon a time, there was a cute little blond named Sassy who was rescued by a very nice dog rescue organization. About the same time, a handsome boy named Max came to stay there, too, and Sassy was smitten. She and Max became great friends and enjoyed running and playing in the yard at the rescue facility. Max was good to her and seemed to look out for her. I think he was smitten, too.

One day, two nice ladies were shopping for their other precious pets, when they happened upon Sassy who was at the pet store with her other canine friends hoping to be adopted. Now, the ladies didn’t have any plans to adopt another dog, but when they spotted Sassy, they could hardly resist her. She was so pretty, but looked so sad. She was edgy and fearful of her unfamiliar and chaotic surroundings.

Both ladies’ hearts nearly broke, and one of them kissed her on the head and told her she’d be back the following day after she told her husband all about Sassy. He wasn’t sure a third dog was appropriate for their home that already had Jake and Dexter, but he agreed to go back the next day to visit her.

Well, Sassy was terrified of the nice lady’s big husband and didn’t want to get near him, but his heart broke for her, too, and he agreed she needed a good home and loving family. So, they agreed to take her home. The nice couples’ daughter and son-in-law were there, too, and they discovered Max! Rather spontaneously, they decided that Max should go live at their house. So, Sassy and Max each had a place to call home and the best part… they could have play dates since their new families were family to each other!

It didn’t take long for the nice couple to realize that Sassy was a misnomer!

She was so timid and shy… she couldn’t possibly retain the name Sassy. After much thought and deliberation, she became Zeila, the couple’s pretty, pretty princess. She liked the nice lady a lot, but it took a very long time for Zeila to trust the nice lady’s big husband; nevertheless, he was very patient and gentle with her. Meanwhile, she loved to play with her new “brothers” Jake and Dexter and they helped her feel at home; especially the family’s alpha dog, Jake. He was very good to her and was willing to play nearly every time she wanted to. Dexter was nice, but not as much of a player.

Her friend Max’s new family also gave him a new name. He appropriately became Bruiser because he was always so happy to see them and eager to show his love that in his enthusiasm, he left little blue and yellow marks all over his “mom’s” legs and arms. A couple of times he got to go visit Zeila so they could run and play together like they used to do. They had so much fun!

Then one day, Zeila’s “big brother” Jake passed away quite suddenly. The family was so sad; they cried and cried. Dexter and Zeila were sad, too. Things just weren’t the same for anyone. A few days passed when it was decided that Bruiser would come to Zeila’s house to visit for a little while to help everyone recover and take their minds off how much they missed Jake, and while he was there, the nice lady’s big husband would help train Bruiser which would help his family and also make Bruiser a happier, well-adjusted dog.

It didn’t take long for everyone’s somber spirits to lift, nor did it take long for Zeila’s family to marvel at the remarkable relationship that Zeila and Bruiser had. They hadn’t before witnessed them spend this much time together, and therefore, didn’t realize just how deep a bond they shared. They truly were made for each other. Bruiser’s family could see it, too, and after a lot of thought and a few tears, it was decided that Bruiser would stay with Zeila’s family permanently. Truthfully, I think Bruiser’s “canine sisters” weren’t too upset to be free from the antics of that rowdy younger brother.

So… happy, happy, playful days ensued! One minor detail was overlooked… neither Zeila nor Bruiser had yet had the “procedure” to ensure that puppies weren’t in their future. When some changes began taking place with Zeila, her family watched them very closely to be sure the two didn’t tango; and when no one was home, Zeila got to stay in her family’s bedroom. Slick Bruiser, however, learned how to let her out of the bedroom... and the nice couple knew they could be in for some big changes around the house when Dexter, Bruiser and Zeila greeted them at the front door one evening! And sure enough... Zeila's family soon took her to the vet and discovered that she was pregnant with 4 pups. Oh boy!

Her family intended to find good, loving homes for them (well, maybe all but one of them... they are Zeila and Bruiser’s, afterall). Zeila’s family took very good care of her while the pups grew and developed and they were expected to arrive in early June. On Saturday, June 2nd, the very nice lady noticed that Zeila was acting a bit peculiar and she called Bruiser’s “mom” (another very nice lady) and told her to come over, “ cuz it might be time.” Sure enough, Zeila’s mom (the very nice lady) and Bruiser’s mom helped Zeila to deliver her four healthy pups; two boys and two girls.

They brought such joy to Zeila’s family! They loved to watch them interact with their mother, Mama Z (the newest of many endearing nicknames); and see them grow and thrive. It took 4 weeks before Mama Z would allow Papa Bruiser near them, but when she did, he was so tender. The family began to name them just days after their birth (so they wouldn’t have to keep calling them Boy 1, Girl 2, Boy 3, Girl 4…). After just a couple of weeks, the very nice lady was getting attached and realized it was going to be very difficult to let any of them leave their home.

After a few more weeks, she was hopelessly in love with them. And by the time they were big enough to go… there was no way! They were already part of the family.
...so the nice couple and their big, dog-family lived happily everafter...!

That’s why we have seven dogs. Sometimes it’s overwhelming (a lot of sweeping, windexing and laundering the dog beds), but mostly it’s pure joy.
And, incidentally... the pretty, pretty princess now cherishes the nice lady's big husband!

Mmmm...love these guys!

These are the dogs that live at our house... 7 in all!

Mom, Zeila and Dad, Bruiser (With then little, Emma.
At 9 months, she's now taller than both of them and almost
weighs as much as dad...she far out-weighs mom.)
...neighbor, Luke, wishes he could come over to play.


Riley (born 1st - looks just like dad)
Emma (born 2nd - don't know who she looks like except her sister)
Sara (born 4th - looks like her sister, Emma)


Blaze (born 3rd - looks just like mom. He's our big guy! now 70lbs.)


"Uncle" Dexter getting kisses from Emma
(He hates puppy kisses... see him exercising patience?!
You can see he's looking straight at me. Translation: Put
the camera down and come to my rescue! ARGH!!)


These were our little one-pounders on June 2, 2007 ,
the day they arrived.


That's: Dexter, Zeila, Bruiser, Riley, Emma, Blaze and Sara...
Love, love, love them! They are so good...
and everyone of them loves to snuggle!! :-)