My Views on Motherhood

I might as well tell you right at the beginning that having puppies was not my idea at all! I quite enjoy being an only dog. With two parents and a lot of visitors, I had quite enough to keep me busy as it was. But it all had something to do with a promise my parents made when they stole me. It seems they got away with it because they promised my former owner that they would let me have one litter of puppies and he could have some of them. Something about some kennel that wanted puppies with my temperment. I bet you wonder what I am talking about. I am just telling you what I heard. It did not make much sense to me either but I began to understand later.

Anyway, my mum and dad carefully guarded me from any romantically inclined boy dogs for the first two years of my life. I took it for granted and so I was very surprised when out of the blue they announced that they had found a father for my puppies...."What puppies?" I asked. "My puppies?!?!?" Well nothing would do but I had to meet him. His name was Cadence. I must admit he was a handsome dog but his manners left much to be desired. I was sure glad I did not have to stay and live at his house forever!

After I had met Cadence my mum took me to see my vet two or three times which I thought was funny because I am a healthy dog and usually only see my nice lady doctor once a year. I guess she was worried about me getting fat....you would not believe how I was putting on weight. It did not help that mum and dad were tempting me with warm milk in the mornings and lightly sauted baby beef liver at dinner time. My dad built this wooden box and they put blankets in it and tried to persuade me to lie down in the box from time to time. I thought that was strange. They do not sit in boxes, why should I.? Finally one day when I was lying on the bed between my mum and sister I started feeling very strange. It was my mum's bed but my sister had just joined us to keep me company because I was feeling a bit off. I felt like walking around so I got up and then mum made me go in the stupid box. I would have made a fuss but I was too busy.

What do you think happened? Well suddenly there was this strange little black bundle in the box with me. I licked it all clean and was delighted to find it was the cutest little puppy. My very own puppy. I did not have much time to appreciate this miracle because almost immediately there was another puppy, and then another. Nine of them in total. What a surprise.

 

They were so sweet and helpless, I could not bear to leave them for even a minute. They slept a lot at first but as they grew so did their appetites and demands. My mum had taken to sleeping on the hide-a-bed next to the puppy box and after the first week I joined her there. If the pups started crying I would jump down and go feed them but at least I got some sleep between times.

 

 Then they started escaping from the box. Dad stapled cardboard around the edges and that held them in for a few more days. You can see it in this picture. They were all waiting for mum and dad to give them a lift and take them outside to play on the lawn.

 

At times their constant demands and energy got me down.
(You can tell I am depressed by looking at my ears.)
Mum and dad gave me a hand with the feeding sometimes.
And dad was always happy to babysit.
I would never have noticed it myself but our neighbour Fred took a look at my young ones one day and said, "My goodness but they are fat!" He did not mean the comment unkindly and it made me take a good look at these starving babies of mine. They were eating the food mum and dad made for them, they were eating the food from my dish and then they were chasing me around drinking milk as if they were starving. If I tried to escape as I had begun to they would run me down and catch me. Here we are on the back doorstep. I had been trying to get away.

 

The day those pictures were taken, people began coming and taking the puppies away. I was a little upset about it the first few times but I must admit it was a bit of a relief to see the size of my family shrinking. One day a man I had not met before came into our yard to look at the puppies. My mum and dad were out back so it was just me and the pups there. I was lying on the lawn chewing a bone when he came up. He just walked up and took the bone out of my mouth! What a rude man! I did not know what to make of his bad behaviour. He played with the puppies a bit and then went round back to find the rest of the family. Turned out he wanted a puppy because of my beautiful temperment. Now I told you it was because of my temperment they wanted me to have puppies in the first place. I did not know what it meant then but now I think it has something to do with having nice manners since I behaved in a very lady like manner when he was rude and grabbed my bone. You would think if he appreciated good manners so much he would try to get some himself.

 

So that was my big experience in the mothering department. My sister Susan, took one of my puppies….the youngest. Her name is Bella. She is a brindle like me. You may think I am being prejudiced but truthfully hasn't she got the cutest ears you have ever seen?

 

That is my aunt Gay she is with in the picture.
She is always coming to stay here because Susan does not take her responsibilities as a dog owner seriously enough and goes places without her dog. Bella suffers from ADHD. I hate to say this about my own flesh and blood but she is a goof ball.

 

 

That is my grampa she is walking all over. What a rude puppy!  And to think everyone gets mad at me if I nip her ears now and then. Sometimes when she is here too long I just get sick of her. Usually though we like to see each other even if we do run around so much we play each other out.

 

Max and Ciera are other puppies I still see all the time too. They just live down the beach. I do enjoy a sense of extended family.

 

My dad was much sadder about having the puppies go than I was. He just loves puppies and was trying to persuade mum and I that we should start a puppy farm. I was glad my mum was on my side on that one. We headed in to see my nice lady doctor as soon as we could and I had this operation. It wasn't much fun and I woke up all alone…..I cried so they had to call my mum to come get me a little sooner than they planned. Then I was okay. Since then there have been no more puppies and so unless Bella or my neighbour Buddy come to visit I am the only dog in the family, and that is just fine with me. I mean, why create your own competition?