These pictures were taken on August 26, 2005.

On the morning of August 26, We found Maochai resting on her side. She is breathing evenly, but I see ripples of movement along her belly. This tells me that she is starting to have contractions. I gently speak with her and reassure her that all will be fine. Her breathing over the next 2 hours becomes heavier. She gets up - circles - and lays back down several times and rearranges the blanket. The first pups should be born soon. Plus, her vagina started to open for about 2cm. In a short period of time, i was able to see a shiny purple bubble protrude from the opening. Water also came out from the opening. We scooped her up and placed her inside the swimming pool we prepared for the whelping.

I prepared my items in case she needs assistance. A small blade to cut the cord at least 1 inch from the body of the puppy and string to tie the end of the cord.

Some females welcome your presence at birth - others do not. Stay close to mom if she becomes distressed, but let her do most of the work. Believe me, nature has allowed her to know just what to do.

Maochai begins to push out the first puppy. You can see the sac - a dark bubble that begins to protrude from the vagina. That is the puppy in the amniotic sac. It can take some time for her to push the sac out. She may even take a break and begin to push again after several minutes.

If you look at the sac, you can see the face of the puppy. This is the way the pup should be born, head first. However, breeched puppies can be born safely.

Gracie licks the membrane around the puppy and breaks the sac. The puppy comes out. It is important that this membrane be removed within a few minutes of birth so that the puppy can breath. If the mom is not trying to rupture this membrane, you can assist her by pinching the membrane with your fingernails to help her rupture it. The puppy will slide out easily.