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Tula Takes Over

Heart - sleeping French Bulldog puppy

Last night, at about 12:30, I heard a strange ‘skritching’ sound coming from the spare bedroom across the hall. Like most dog people, the most quiet of noises, if it’s out of place, can wake from an almost dead sleep, and this noise was most definitely out of place.

::scritchy scritchy scritch::

pause…

::scritchy scritchy scritchy scritch::

pause…

::scritchy scritchy scritchy scritch scritch scritch::

Fine, time to go and check it out. I discovered Tula, sleeping in the whelping box, and Heart on the floor, scritching the edge of the pool in an attempt to get back inside. Big enough to get out of the pool, small enough to be stuck outside once she did. I set a temporary barricade up around the pool, popped Heart inside with her mommy, and headed back to bed. In the morning, I discovered Heart once again toddling around on the floor of the room, within ‘trouble’ range of electrical cords, carpeting and other not puppy safe hazards.

It’s official — she’ll go live in the ex pen with the other kids, including over night.

As a compromise, I’m alternating Tula and Penelope in the whelping room with the kids. I don’t want to just take Heart away from her mommy – they love each other! Penelope, on the other hand, dashed into the dog room and out into the yard without a backward glance. Freedom!

Tula nosed around the ex pen, sniffed noses with Heart across the doorway, and decided to pop inside for a visit. In a few moments, a light bulb went off inside her head. “These are puppies — other puppies!”. What do we do with puppies? Why, we clean them and nurse them and play with them and organize them into tidy piles, of course, which she promptly proceeded to do.

Within fifteen minutes, Tula had each of the Nellkins sniffed, washed, and tucked safely into her side for feeding. Heart slept through the entire procedure – hey, she gets mommy time all the time. The Nellkins, on the other hand, are completely enamored with Tula. A mommy who licks us! A mommy who plays with us! A mommy who wants us to eat! Who knew such a thing existed? It was like a scene out of that TV Show, “Wife Swap”. Penelope would be the slacker mom, tossing Heart a box of Kraft Dinner and telling her to go to the store and pick up some smokes after she’s done cooking it.

Speaking of Nell, when it was swap back time she mooched back into the room, high stepped around the pups with an expression that said “Get ’em off me”, and finished off the rest of their food before high tailing it out of the pen.

Maybe I’ll just leave Tula in there with them all from now on, and let Penelope get back to her career.

Photos on Flickr — http://www.flickr.com/photos/frenchbulldogs/sets/72157607787521200/

The video from yesterday (it seems to be displaying oddly in the previous entry):

A Whole New World

Heart and the Nellkins are having fun exploring their new home. The ex pen is divided into three areas – sleeping, playing/eating and elimination. It’s amazing how quickly the figure out which is which, and other than the occasional pee, they’ve been shockingly good at keeping their bed area clean.

They’re also enjoying solid food – right now, they’re eating puppy kibble softened with goat milk. Next week, we’ll work on introducing them to Honest Kitchen.

Super Delicious Happy Puppy Playtime!

General puppy goofiness abounds in this one, including the Nellkins first attempt at eating pablum, a close up of Butters looking all superstar, Jelly getting her tummy rubbed, Heart and Jelly sharing kisses, and Rumble and Pixie snuggle sleeping (as usual).

Don’t forget to enter your crusty nosed Frenchie in the contest — send your photos in today!

Teh Cuteness, She is To Die From

Heart is a Monkey Girl

Just stop. Stop with the cuteness and the looking like a stuffed monkey. Seriously, it is getting redonculous, and there is only so much a mere mortal can take.

Sigh. We’re all doomed. I’m never going to get any work done, because I am going to spend the next four weeks crawling around on the floor and saying “Ooooh, puppy wuppy buppy! Who is de cutest puppy in de world? You are! You are!”.

Seriously, puppies. They need to be outlawed, for the good of all mankind. Oh, wait — I live in Ontario. They almost are.