Delvis does Christmas, and other news

I'm not sure who has organized it, but there is a drive-through Christmas light display at Pleasant Grove. It started last year, I believe, and it seems to have grown. Local organizations and businesses set up a light display and the public can drive past it in the evenings. It mostly consists of those inflatable things that you see everywhere. I wasn't sure how Della would react to them. She certainly noticed and gave it all a disapproving look, but it didn't take long to walk through it and then we were on our way.

These inflatable things started out as mostly Halloween decorations, but they are tacky enough to make fitting Christmas decorations as well and they have really taken off. Years ago we took in a foster dog, Jeremy, who had been surrendered because he was terrorizing the neighborhood's inflatables, destroying several of them. Faced with complaints from the neighbors and no inclination to keep their dog at home, they dumped him in a shelter instead. Jeremy was part shepherd and probably most of the shepherds we've had would have considered those inflatable things to be alien invaders. Della and Elvis were puzzled by their presence but not really upset by them, so we had an uneventful walk this morning.

In other news: Maya's bloodwork came back and everything looked good. That's always good news, but especially for a senior dog.

Holly is beginning to spend a little time away from the puppies, but she's still with them probably 98% of the time. They are chubby little pups and are growing rapidly for the most part. Four of them are now over two pounds. Charlie is giving me cause for concern, however. His growth rate is slower and he's now been surpassed by Camilla. Most of the pups put on nearly 2/10ths of a pound today. His gain was under 1/10th. I sat out there this evening for a while. The other pups were sleeping so it was a good time for him to get solo nursing time. He's not a strong suckler. He had trouble finding a nipple, even without competition, and he often lost it. He's going to start getting some help nursing and some supplemental bottle feeding.

Elvis has his own pillow that he sleeps on at the foot of our bed.

When Della gets in bed in the mornings she demands constant petting.

Elvis and Della sharing the bathmat while attending me in the bathroom.

He still feels that the bed in Della's crate is up for grabs.

Last night he got on her bed in the bedroom and refused to move.

She looked to me for help and I made him move.

Holly and pups

Here's Charlie nursing while the others sleep.