Daily ear and weight report

I had to get a fully authorized version of Excel in order to create the growth chart and be able to export it as I wanted. It was a pain, but we finally got there. The puppies are growing, as you can see, but their growth has been a bit inconsistent with a couple of them remaining steady or even dropping a bit. I had to put an extra meal into Chablis this evening, eating by herself, in order for her to show any increase today. The poop situation still isn't great but I'm more concerned with the growth really. In my head I'm still expecting Dane-like growth and these guys are smaller and growing slower. 

The puppies generate one bag of trash each day and one load of laundry. They eat three cups of food four times a day, and I'm going to work in an extra feeding for Chablis and Chardonnay.

The ear situation is looking up. Riesling has both ears up day and Merlot and Chablis were working on getting their second ear up as well. I think Pinot is just going to have tipped ears; hers have shown no sign of standing up. 

Pinot, Merlot, Riesling (in back), and Moscato (facing away from camera)

Pinot

Riesling's second ear is not fully committed yet, but it's getting there.

Moscato's ears came up together and ahead of all the others by several days.

Merlot's second ear is about halfway there.

The same can be said for Chablis.

Chardonnay

Pinot has a different look about her, a different coat,

and I think her ears will remain as they are.

Chablis

Riesling

Kilo was very interested in the pups and they were very interested in him.

Kilo is a possible candidate for being their father.

We will have to await a new episode of Jerry Springer - Husky Edition, to know for sure.

Huskies sing opera

The pups had a busy day. We had two sets of visitors, including two young children. It was immediately clear that they need more visitors. Pinot was friendly and in-your-face as expected, no shyness whatsoever. Chablis and Moscato were on the other end of the spectrum, but eventually they came around and enjoyed the visits as well.

I also tried to bathe the puppies today. Some were dirtier than others (Chablis), but they all needed it. I used the wash basin that had been my mother's bath tub when she was a baby. That worked fairly well, and then I tried to rinse them by dipping them in my mop bucket. I probably need larger vessels and another set of hands for both parts of the process. Chablis, who was the dirtiest, was also the most dramatic about the bath process, complete with screams and cries and terrible shaking, from fear (the water was not cold). She retaliated against my attempts to clean her by apparently rolling in poop later in the afternoon, necessitating a second bath in the evening, but this time with just a wet cloth. 

I have a television in the puppy palace and have been watching a documentary about Mozart. The pups seemed to really like the opera music and often joined in. I'm not sure that Mozart wrote a part for huskies, but they made their own. Merlot is definitely leading man material. He's just waiting for someone to produce an all-Husky version of Don Giovanni. 

Chablis being swaddled as she recovers from the trauma of the bath.

This was before the bath, Chablis hiding from the visitors. 

She eventually came out and enjoyed them, but we need more of this.

Riesling in the bath.

Merlot joined the one ear up club today!

Kilo and Maya at the top of the stairs. He really likes being indoors but he's

always willing to go outside and play. Della even ran and played with him this evening.

Porch puppies, Chardonnay and Pinot

Merlot showing off his newly erect ear.

No sound here, but Merlot is singing opera.

Pinot is the extravert of the group.

p.s. Thank you to everyone who found and sent Simple Green. I really appreciate it and it will all be put to good use.

Outdoor time with Kilo (puppies too)

Kilo isn't so crazy about being out in Daneland by himself now that Sly has been adopted. So he's been spending more time inside, which is good because we need to work on his housetraining, although there hasn't been any problem with that since the first day he was here. Yesterday I put a long line on him and released him from Daneland in the evening. He ran directly to the back door and waited for me to let him in. I was glad to see that because I haven't been sure if he was sufficiently "homed" here or if he could still be a flight risk. 

Sunday morning I let him outside without a leash but led him with a food dish out to Daneland. Sunday afternoon I went outside to do some mowing and yard work. I took Della with me, of course; Maya didn't want to come. I let Max out of the dog yard and let Kilo out of Daneland. He stuck around for a little bit but then disappeared. The gate to the pasture was open and I assumed and hoped he had just gone out there. The grass is as tall as Kilo so he wasn't easy to spot in the pasture. I mounted up on one of the mowers and set out to find him cutting a path in the grass in the process. Max and Della came along and it wasn't long before Kilo showed up. The pasture was new to him and he had a lot to explore but he showed his face fairly often while I was out there. 

I returned to the yard to do some mowing and Kilo would check in every so often. He enjoyed being out with us and exploring the place on his own. It was easier getting him back in the house than it is to get Della.

The puppies are doing well. Eating collectively about three cups of food four times a day. The first meal in the morning they polish it off quickly and lick the bowls clean. Each successive meal is a little slower and the fourth meal, about 9:00 p.m., they don't finish on the spot. But I put the unfinished bowls into their living space and they are empty by morning.

When it dries up a bit more I think it will be time to introduce the pups to at least part of Daneland. Tomorrow I need to give them a bath. If anyone wants to stop by for some puppy time you are welcome to do so. Text or Facebook Messenger are the best ways to reach me.

Della and Kilo under the tulip poplar.

It's a good thing I didn't plant anything in the circular bed in the driveway

because it makes a nice cool place for the dogs to lay.

Chablis going after my shoelaces. 

Mr. Merlot

I had been watching Riesling and Chablis who both have one ear up and

completely missed the fact that Moscato has had both ears up for several days now.

Pups on the porch.

Moscato with both ears up.

Holding Pinot before the evening weigh-in.

Sly, Kilo, and pups

Sly got adopted this afternoon, but first he went with me up to Patch to meet friends Jan, Paul, (adopters of Felix, Chester, and Duvel) and Sam (adopter of Maze, formerly Chimay, one of Della's puppies). Clay was working and I ate lunch/dinner there before taking Sly to his adopters.

That was the beginning and end of my list of accomplishments for the day. With a three day weekend I don't feel so bad about having low motivation for one day. 

With Sly adopted, Kilo will be spending more time indoors, which he needs.

I hope to start walking with him too, maybe on Sunday.

I don't have many puppy pictures today, but here's the Lady Chablis wrestling with Pinot.

I've been tracking puppy weights daily and entered the data in Excel and created this chart.

I haven't figured out how to export the chart, however, so this is just a screen shot of it.

The weights increased when I switched foods, but a couple of them dipped yesterday.

Merlot is the biggest, over 10 pounds yesterday, probably 11 pounds today.