Around the time of the dog show in February, we decided the canine biological clock was ticking for Hazel and she would need a break from showing to have puppies. The theriogenologist confirmed she needed to have a time out or the ship of motherhood would become unhooked at the dock. We already had a litter of puppies planned for spring with another one of my girls Jubilee, who is through with her show career. Having two litters at once is foolhardy, but we made the decision to do it anyway.
Hazel is a typical female Weimaraner. She is self-possessed, snotty and possessive but the mischief she produces makes the naughty part worthwhile. This dog chases the reflection of her collar tags, the laser pointer, the flashlight, bugs, birds, rabbits and even gave a low flying single-engine Cessna a long hard look. If you make a tweety or squeaky sound she rotates her ears so far forward, you wouldn't know they were so big otherwise.
Like human women, every dog takes the idea of having babies with a differing level of enthusiasm.
Without offering x-rated detail, her nuptials with Dutch were quick and as hilarious as dog matrimony can be. Only dog people would get the humor of having to play U2's "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" repeatedly because that's just the song your male dog likes. Several people suggested Pink Floyd or Barry White. He didn't like those as well.
Hazel didn't mind be pregnant. She embraced it for what it was worth. Her puppies started kicking around annoyingly about 14 prior to their arrival. Watching her, you could see her sides rippling. She seemed contently uncomfortable. Hazel's adopted son, my Bracco Italiano 'Nicco' stayed by her side the whole time. Hazel has been his Mom since I brought him home in November, they are inseparable.
Labor progressed normally for Hazel. What was more informative was my reaction to the dog being in labor. For dogs, a temperature drop signifies the puppies will be arriving in 24-48 hours. 2 days doesn't seem that long unless you've nothing else to do but sit around and watch a panting dog.
My testament to this time passing was decidedly and stereotypically feminine.
The dog bowls took the brunt of the first burst of energy. I sterilized them and then put them in the dishwasher for a 'hot water clean' and 'energy save dry'.
Next on my list were the dog beds. Anybody who had a hit of crud on their blanket had to sleep on nothing for the duration of the wash/dry cycle.
There was no food in the house, or at least, it didn't seem like there was any food in the house. I raced off to the store and came home with $250 worth of groceries. I saved $50 with coupons and in-store discounts. YES!!! I am the QUEEN!
They even had a sale on laundry soap.
The next victim of my domestic rampage was the dogs with long toenails. Dog toes and teeth are an obsession of mine. There are approximately 288 dog toes in my house attached to varying levels of stubbornness about getting a manicure. A friend asked me why I am crazed that they always be short. My answer is simple. You have 1 pet with long toenails, you're a lazy pet owner; you have a house full of dogs with long toenails, you're neglectful. It's that simple. The same rule applies to the 714 dog teeth. The dogs have more dental solutions, pastes, brushes and doodads than any dentist. I can scrape tartar and polish dog teeth with the best of them.
Dogs scatter to the corners of the house as I dig the toenail clippers out of the dog cupboard. Most of them would be spared because my last rampage was only a week previous. Nonetheless, a few victims put up a good but fruitless protest.
The floor was too dirty after the nail clippings when flying so I fired up my Royal professional-grade carpet sucker. First the dog room, then the living room, then the hallway. It wasn't good enough. I took out the canister vac and sucked up every last bit of dust and dog hair I could find along with a few spiders and some things of unknown origin.
Day two started in a very similar manner though after staying up half the night with a grumpy pregnant dog, my energy level was slightly reduced. The goal for the morning was to wear out all of the other dogs so they'd sleep while Hazel delivered.
By 3pm when the first puppy popped out, I'd likely lapped the 3 1/2 acre back pasture 12-14 times and all of the youngsters, oldsters and inbetweeners we clonked out in their beds without so much as a yip, not even from the notoriously noisy Q . Hazel started into hard labor just as we sat down to get a bite to eat. The sandwich had to wait.
6 hours later we had 96 new toes in the house and as of their 3rd day of life, they've already had their nails trimmed. Their teeth won't make a debut for 3 weeks or so, but I'll look forward to all 168 baby choppers and a few tons of puppy poop !