So last Thursday I saw a post from the OKC Animal Welfare Shelter about this mama who had 7, five day old puppies that needed to be fostered for 6-8 weeks until they could be eligible for adoption. They were an urgent case. The shelter needed the space. They required too much care.
I think you see where I am going.
And..
I just couldn't let that happen. So I texted my mom. This is why I love my mom. She replies: "If you don't call, I will."
So there we go, all set up to pick up mama and 7 puppies the next day. We have never had puppies, never had a pregnant dog, never had more then 3 dogs and here we are about to house 10 dogs for the next 6-8 weeks.
Oh my.
It was everything we expected.....overwhelming!
Everyone had another idea about how things needed to go, where they needed to sleep, what they needed to eat and where the other dogs needed to be while she was outside going to bathroom and what happens when we have to leave the house to go to work or church or have a life outside of these dogs???
But then the dust settled...and it's been...the sweetest experience ever!
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, like caring for these puppies. I include mama as one of the puppies because she is just a pup herself, only barely, slightly 1 year old. We cannot get enough of them. They are precious! And getting to watch how even the smallest things change every day is pure bliss!
It is a totally different situation because they aren't ours and I know that they won't be with us so I am doing everything to give them the best and keep them from the worst and find them the most loving adoring supportive homes in the world! And to know what they came from just means even more.
We are celebrating one week with Maci and her pups, and they are celebrating their two week birthday!
Us humans, and the puppies have learned so much! Maci is a pro and is teaching all of us :)
Maci has been such a great mom! She came to us so thin but is starting to "fill out" as much as she can as she continues to feed 7 constantly hungry pups! She feeds them whenever they need it, day or night, hungry or full, awake or asleep. She just wants to be loved herself so badly. She jumps in a lap whenever the opportunity presents itself and will stay by your heels as you walk throughout the house so she ins't a second without you. She is an excellent ball player we discovered! She loves tennis balls and will promptly return the ball to you and drop it.
She was not potty trained but has picked it up very quickly. She doesn't need much correction to understand her behavior was wrong and therefore is very teachable in all matters including potty training.
We are constantly doing laundry as the puppies poop around the clock! I did not realize how much attention they commanded! Who knew so much could come out of something so little? Maci is a great mom but we are keeping an eye on all the puppies to make sure each one is getting fed.
They opened their eyes this week and are beginning to learn to use their legs which makes them look like intoxicated puppies ;)
They are still so small and require a lot of mom's time and energy but we get Maci out several times a day to make sure she gets to play and have fun away from the pups too.
We are looking forward to what week 2 has in store for us!
If you are interested at all in adopting any of the puppies or Maci, they will all be available in 6-8 weeks and we would love for them to each have loving homes! Please contact brenda.mitchell@okc.gov
