Della's birthing day, second anniversary

The silly puppies thought that Sunday was their second birthday and the party was for them. But in the Della-centric world that we live in, it was the second anniversary of her birthing day and everyone had gathered to celebrate her. 

I was a bit worried about how she would react to seeing her pups again, but there was plenty of attention on her so that carried the day. The adopters of Della's pups all love her and why wouldn't they? She gave them all the pups they love now. Della recognized her own pups and they did her, but what she really enjoyed was all the attention paid to her. 

I think all the pups were there except two so it was a very good turnout on a hot and humid day. Clay and I took turns handling Della so the other could interact with the pups without Della getting jealous. I think they remembered us as well as Della. These pups really had three parents for the first 10 weeks of their lives, Della, Clay, and me. It was an amazing experience that none of us intend to repeat. 

Della meeting Woody (formerly Carlsburg)

Della with Mo-Dean (formerly Alagash)

The handsome Duvel

Della smiled a lot and soaked in the attention.

This is Poppy (formerly Peroni) and she tried to climb into my lap even though I was standing.

Woody (Carlsburg)

Della giving me the eye.

Duvel belongs to our neighbors just down the street.

Della and Mo-Dean (Allagash)

This big boy is Augie (formerly Paulaner).

Della and Augie

Poppy is still intimidated by her mother.

This pretty girl is Stella. We occasionally spot her hiking at Pleasant Grove.

Stella is sleek and very shiny. Very pretty girl.

This is Bodhi (formerly Modelo). Although it may not be obvious while he's lying down,

he is a VERY big boy, along with Astro. All the pups are bigger than Della with the

possible exception of Poppy (Peroni) and Mazikeen (Chimay).

Again, it's hard to appreciate his size from this position, but this is Astro 

(formerly Guinness). He is a behemoth. 

This is Mazikeen or Maze (formerly Chimay)

And this is Maze giving me a hug.

Here's a standing picture of Bodhi (Modelo) to give a better perspective on his size.

This is Killian, he lives here so he was technically the host of this party.

Killian's mother made him wear a party hat.

Patti from The Animal Connection provided a cake, cookies, and treats for all the dogs.

Including personalized cookies with each dog's name on them.

Della liked this part very much.

Della will "sit" for treats and these were particularly good.

Here's Della sharing some of Woody's treats. She fed them all she had for the first

several weeks of their lives. When she was no longer nursing, she would still feed them

by regurgitating her stomach contents on occasion. So it was only fair that they give something back. 

Some of these pups have become rather finicky eaters. Not Della.

Della ate everything offered to her and also everything she could reach.

Della is definitely a member of the clean plate club.

This is a picture of them all when they were about two weeks old.