Welcome, Puppies!

Liza and first four pups, 5 a.m., Sept. 6

We are very pleased to welcome seven beautiful little beagles to Beaglestone!

In the early morning hours of Friday, Sept. 5, I noticed Liza panting continually, pacing, nervous, and nesting aggressively. As I suspected, these behaviors were indicators that she'd entered stage-one labor. I was certain when she refused breakfast Friday morning that puppies were imminent!

Through the day Friday, Liza continued panting, nesting, and refusing food. Her daddy and I kept a close watch and by late evening she was alternating nesting in our bed and in her whelping box. By 2 a.m. she'd settled on the whelping box, and I fell asleep next to her between 2 and 3. 

I woke up to meet Liza's first chubby little furball, brown with a white collar and large white spot on his face, whom I've taken to calling Groot (Liza's daddy calls him The Hound). He's a big fella who always seems to be nursing, even when all the others are napping. We have three brown and white (red and white) puppies and four that look black and white so far, with some brown spots (tricolor). The second pup — and the one vying with Groot for largest in the litter — arrived at 4:45 a.m., black with white belly, paws, cute little brown eyebrows, and of course a white-tipped tail. By 7:45 Liza had whelped all seven puppies in the litter: four black and white (tricolor) and three brown and white (red and white). Of course these colors will change as they grow. All have floppy ears, white bellies and paws, and white-tipped tails!

Liza and pups, 9 a.m., Sept. 6

Liza was a champ. There were no problems at all with the births and she needed no assistance from me. I've been trying to stay as hands-off as possible, just moving puppies closer to her when they get separated from the pack. She's a natural mother, so attentive to her pups and dedicated to caring for them. She finally agreed to eat late morning yesterday when I brought her bowl into the room — and she proved to have a very healthy appetite! She went right back to nursing the pups after that, and for their part, the pups did very well nursing. I made sure they all had a chance to nurse and then left them to their mama's care!

Last night Liza devoured her second meal in the room and reluctantly agreed to go outside for just a second or two. We slept well during the night, with a few interruptions from crying puppies who'd gotten separated from their littermates. By 6 a.m. today Liza was ready for another huge meal, longer visit to the back yard, and by 6:30 wouldn't let Pip and me leave for our walk without her!

We are going to be very busy around here, but we'll try to keep you updated! We're so thankful that everything has gone well so far and hopeful that Liza and her pups will stay healthy. Very well done, Liza. What a brave, beautiful, and wise dam she is. I'm so proud of her.

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