Bringing the troops Home..

The next day, December 8th, we went to go pick up our furry new family.  Looking back on this months later I can say we were completely unprepared for what we were about to undertake, but that being said, the best way to learn is to just jump in, which is exactly what we did.

As we arrived, my mother reminded us that the one condition that could break the deal was if the mother was not friendly towards us, my mom was not going to have a mean or hostile dog in our home.  So as we walked down the hallway towards the kennel holding the 7 dogs, I had my fingers crossed so tightly, hoping that the mother was inviting.  I could not have asked for a better first impression...

As I peered through the window, I saw a medium sized sandy female lying down in a kiddy pool with 6 guinea pigs like animals attached to each of her nipples.  Iris (who was at the time referred to as Momma) lifted her tired head and walked over to the door, happily greeting us strangers.  When we went inside, Iris was more than excited to see us, it was the complete opposite reaction I had expected from this wild dog.  She let us pet her pups while giving us no more than a maternal stare, this may be because she was such a young mother, or simply could be that she is a very trusting dog.  Most mothers can be extremely protective of their young even if the mother has been domesticated for her whole life.

The Guinea Pigs

The Humane society had given us plenty of food, toys and supplies for the dogs, I had loaded them all into the car a quickly as possible, and ran straight back in to see the puppies.  When it came time to put the dogs in the car, I went to grab the keys to the car, and found nothing.  With all the excitement, somewhere along the way I managed to lock the keys in the car. You can imagine, how ridiculous I felt having to tell, the humane society.. then my mother.. then finally my dad when I called him to bring the second set of keys.

When we finally got the Dogs in the car, we had to manage transferring Iris and her puppies without separating them.  Having the puppies at such a young age, the mother rarely leaves her pups, and if separated the mother will try anything to get to them.  Even if we had put the puppies in a cat carrier next to Iris, the gated door, although see-through,  would be enough to send Iris into an Anxiety attack clawing at the cage.

So for an approximate 20 minute drive, I had one arm holding onto a litter box full of winning puppies, and one arm restraining a  strange and wild dog on my lap. As we drove I was astonished by how calm Iris was, until we stopped at a street light, and Iris began viciously barking at a cyclist on the street.  I reflect on this now, even knowing Iris to be a dog who would never attack me, and still believe I was very lucky.  Working at the vet, one of the first things I learned, was never put yourself too close to any animal, especially a strange dog in a possibly high stress situation.

We attempted taking a photo of each of the puppies each week as they grew.. it was a challenge..

The following pictures are of the puppies at 2 days old.

Zeus

Bentley

Lacey

Seymour

Murdoch

Tegan