O's On The Move

Otto, Ohana, Orin, Oz, Oma, Olina, Ossa, Omar, Onora, and Osirus are enjoying the cool weather this morning out on the patio. Yesterday, they were disappointed when the mercury topped the century mark and they had to move inside to their smaller but cooler puppy pen. All are doing well with only some minor tummy upsets as they get used to life without their mother's milk. Omeeka has done a fantastic job with her puppies and now she gets some down time before she starts litter number three. Six weeks old tomorrow, the time has flown by!

Playing Outside

The "O" litter enjoyed some quality play time this morning in their new pen on the patio.

Five Weeks Old

Time is flying by . . .

Weaning is well underway and the pups have taken to kibble, as long as it isn't too crunchy! They are good eaters and their roly poly tummies tell the story. After they eat, they quickly fall asleep and dream about their next meal. Sometimes, not making it far from the pan o' kibble.

The "O" litter is five weeks old today, and to celebrate the occasion, the "O"s ventured outdoors to the puppy pen on the patio. A bit tentative at first, they soon enjoyed the extra space to explore and run. After a couple of hours, the pups moved back inside as it was beginning to get quite warm. They were exhausted from the fresh air and took a really long nap! As they slept, my neighbor called to say she had looked out her window to see if the pups were in the pen. No pups, but she saw a RAT running across the backyard. YIKES! We live quite near a creek and ocassionally see a roof rat crossing the backyard on a telephone wire, but never on the ground. Makes you wonder what kind of crazy rat would run through a yard where SIX dogs and TEN puppies play!

Four Weeks Old - Every Picture Tells A Story

Omeeka's "O"s are four weeks old today. As the song goes, Every Picture Tells A Story, enjoy!

Time For Gruel

The "O" litter enjoyed their first meal today. Tentative at first, they soon stepped up to the plate, and slurped their way to the bottom of the bowl. Omeeka anxiously watched from outside the pen until it was time to clean up her babies. She told me that she will be so happy when her little ones are weaned so that she can gain some weight and play all day!

The No Longer Nameless "O" Litter Have New Digs

It's been quite a week for the "O" litter - Thursday brought their tentative new names (NOTE: names not final till the PPM sings on September 14th :) and today brought new digs!



Since the first "escapee" from the whelping pool happened on Monday, we have been transitioning the puppies to a more spacious sleeping / play area. The pups are a bit on the cautious side, so we slowly acclimated them to life outside the pool.

To do this we placed a pen around the pool allowing some extra space where the pups could walk on the slippery linoleum. Then, all week as they woke up, we took them out of the pool and let them get their sea legs on the floor. At the same time, we also introduced a few toys. The pups really enjoyed their time out of the pool but were also happy to return to the safety of the pool to sleep and nurse.

Today was the BIG DAY.

We removed the whelping pool while the pups were cruising the pen and voila, the "O"s graduated from the whelping pool to a puppy pen. Fortunately, the slow introduction to life outside the pool really paid off. The puppies are having a great time in the new puppy pen. They really seem to enjoy the additional space that the pen provides and are having a blast playing with their new toys. Next up, litter box / pooch pad training, then on to puppy gruel next week!

Although the pups' names won't be finalized until they turn into CCI puppy park on September 14th, they have been given the following "tentative" names:

RED Male Otto

BLUE Female Ohana

PURPLE Male Orin

NEON GREEN Male Oz

NEON PINK Female Olina

BROWN Female Oma

LIGHT PINK Female Ossa

TURQUOISE Male Omar

ORANGE Female Onora

DARK GREEN Male Osirus

The pups little teeth get sharper every day - Little O can't wait till the pups start on gruel next week! Who could blame her, she has been an outstanding mom. With today's weigh in, the pups have gained over 23 pounds on mother's milk and devotion!! Way to go Omeeka, the end is in sight.

With A Song In Their Hearts

Check out the video below for the latest musical release from Omeeka's "O" litter. I think it sounds a little like the Wizard of Oz Scarecrow tune, If I Only Had A Name, oops, I mean Brain.

A Rose By Any Other Name

A rose by any other name . . . PSYCH, no names for Omeeka's Bambinos yet - they are still the nameless "O" litter!

Although nameless, the "O"s continue to grow and are developing into the cutest puppies on the planet. As of this morning, all of the puppies, even little brown, are over two pounds. Mr. Dark Green, aka Whopper Junior, is heading toward three pounds. As you can see from the photos, their eyes have opened. Although, it doesn't seem like they actually see all that well!

All of the pups are up on all four legs and are showing signs of play behavior - biting on each other and waving their little paws at the faces of their siblings. It doesn't last long though; after just a few minutes of play, they fall over and konk out. So cute to watch. I have started to spend a few minutes a couple of times per day cradling each puppy. For the most part, they relax and enjoy our time together. They are such mellow little puppies, and have I mentioned - the cutest puppies on the planet . . .

As for their growth, last night their aggregate weight gain since birth was 212.7 ounces. That translates into over 13 pounds in two weeks, more than double their aggregate birth weight. Way to go Omeeka, mother's milk and maternal devotion = priceless!

Two Is Today's Number

Day Two:

• of August

Two pictures:

• X-Pens air drying after washing down with disinfectant
• Puppies in a pile

Two puppies over two pounds:

• Red, first born
• Dark Green, last born

Two weeks old:

• Tomorrow

Two swimmers nursing:

• Check out the video below

The "O" litter continues to do well. Several have found their voices and are starting to bark on occasion. Although, for the most part, they are a very quiet group. Lucky me! Mom, Omeeka is enjoying more and more time out of the puppy pool and continues to swim everyday.