It's been a few days

I haven't posted since last Thursday. That's when the diarrhea started and I didn't have anything good to say for a couple of days. Anyone who has a Great Dane will eventually experience Great Dane diarrhea. It isn't pleasant, but it is plentiful. With puppies the quantity isn't as large, of course, but with 12 of them it seems close. I don't know if it was a reaction to the vaccines or if it was due to them eating the firewood or something else that upset their guts. I removed the firewood and it has gradually gotten better and at this point everything is pretty much normal. Danes can have very delicate digestive tracts, even worse than shepherds.

I replaced the small crate inside with a larger
one that can sleep three puppies easily. The
bed is no longer big enough for all twelve.

The good thing is that the digestive upset didn't seem to bother them. They continued to be happy, playful puppies as always. And they continue to grow. Some of them actually look a little lean now because they are growing so tall and long that they no longer have fat bellies.

Yes, they dig in the dirt, they eat things that they find, they are dusty and their noses are brown. They are puppies living their best life. If anyone has a problem with that, I feel sorry for your dog.

We've had a lot of hot weather and some storms too. This was
a pretty one. The light in that cloud is from lightning.

Duvel is sleeping with one paw under and one over Modelo's neck.

I replaced the wood pile between the trees with
this A-frame. They haven't climbed it yet, but
they love the den-like space it creates, big
enough for playing or sleeping.

A lot of the balls are now scattered around, but the ball
pit remains a very popular play space.

We also added a small wading pool. Mostly they drink out
of it, but sometimes one will wade through.

Della has begun playing with the pups, probably teaching
proper play behaviors I would guess. 

Della sitting in Kevin's lap.

The other reason I haven't posted lately is that it's been a little busy around here. We've had lots of visits from adopters and I have encouraged them to come back as often as they want. The puppies love visitors. We've also had a couple evenings with people over for beer and puppies under the lights as it gets dark and finally cools down. The puppies eventually crash and want to sleep, but evening playtime is the most active one other than early morning.

The length of time since the last blog post may have caused some of you to go into withdrawal. That's something we will all have to go through. I'm coming to terms with the fact that this incredible experience is drawing to a close, or at least I'm trying to.

Puppies under the lights is a highlight of my day.

A few beers and a few friends plus puppies makes for a nice
evening. 

This was the view Monday morning. It was a beautiful
morning but it's going to be a very hot day.