They are precious--in both senses of the word.

I can't even pick whether I "waaaaaaaaaant" Lori more than Tora or the other way around, which doesn't matter because I can't care for either of them anyway.

You can (for now) but bottle babies are going to be way more work, lack of sleep, stress, etc. than most of us can even imagine so don't worry about not being able to post as many updates as you have with Dora's litter. That doesn't matter and these beautiful babies do.

Thank you again for all you do. It takes a very strong heart to love these babies as much as you obviously do and then to let them go.

 

Thank you for your kind words! I will try to get updates out as often as I can.

So Dora's puppies have all gone to their new homes? How long have you had these puppies? How much of an overlap has it been?

I'm pretty awed that you've taken on a new, demanding litter so quickly. Kudos to you!

Yes, they all went to their homes yesterday morning. I picked these babies up as I dropped off my others, but I knew they were coming for a week now, they were simply with another foster for a couple days until my current ones were off to their families. Thank you. I am exhausted, but hanging in there, lol

 

So Dora's puppies have all gone to their new homes? How long have you had these puppies? How much of an overlap has it been?

I'm pretty awed that you've taken on a new, demanding litter so quickly. Kudos to you!

 

Good luck, they are really gorgeous!

 

Awwwwwwwww. Best of luck with these cuties!

 

A little video of these meaty puppies. They have huge heads, a wide stance, and couldn't be cuter! On the agenda for today will be nail trimming, first worming, and exposure to a few different sounds. A bowl of water has been placed for them, and they are working to figure out proper potty habits. The biggest thing I am working with them on is learning that people aren't there just to feed them, but also to provide attention. Being bottle babies, whenever picked up or touched they think it's feeding time, so I am working to hold and pet them a lot so they learn. I got my first tail wag from Bear earlier and it melted my heart!

 

A litter of 15 puppies! Folks have really got to start neutering and spaying their dogs, especially the owners of bully breeds. Our local shelters are filled to the max with pit mixes.

 

Oh my goodness! So much cute. Thank the stars for people like you who are here for babies like these ones. I love pits, they can be such lovable goof balls. Can't wait to see their progress

 

A few photos. They are doing well, feeding every 4 hours and I found a bottle almost all of them love, so it's making things much easier. Exhausting work, but so worth it!

 

Already getting some nice photos and videos of the new litter...they are so cute. I'm liking Conrad the best so far. I'm more drawn to brown/chestnut colored dogs over the black colored ones for some reason.

Those photos of the puppies sleeping on their backs... I want so much to reach out and scratch those soft looking puppy bellies...lol. So Cute!

Looking forward to seeing how this litter will mature in the weeks to come. They sure grow up fast though.

Stormy

 

Photos are easy at this age because they sleep so much, just go in and take a few moments, instant cuteness! I love him so much, he is the cutest thing and so sweet, he wags his tail at me all the time now. He looks like a little Dogue de Bordeaux.


Yes indeed, they grow up way too fast! I am really interested to see what they end up looking like as they grow.

 

First weekly photos for the Overcomers! Though we will never know their exact birthdate, their eyes begin opening for the first time two weeks ago today, and since most puppies start that process right about two weeks old, I figure this is about as close as we will get to knowing their exact age, so weekly photos will be done on Fridays from here on out. Weights for each baby on their photos. They are too cute for words! ?


Bear, 3.2lbs

Conrad, 2.11lbs

Dixon, 3.2lbs

Drea, 2.14lbs

Lori, 3.1lbs

Riley, 2.6lbs

Tora, 3lbs

 

I feel like I have my head back on straight for the most part, so time for a more in depth update. They started out with the whelping surround, as I wasn't sure how they would handle having the full room, but it quickly became apparent they were fine with having the full space, so box came down. They got a little crate to sleep in introduced, which they are loving, and they have been upgraded to a bigger water dish as they are starting to lap it up better.

Their potty training is going much better, they are much less messy in the mornings and all the poop is on the paper. They are still figuring out the pee end of things, but there too I am seeing signs of improvement, they are beginning to get up and move further away from their sleeping area to potty. They are entirely on newspaper now as they are extremely steady on their feet and get around well.

I ran the vacuum for the first time near them over the last couple days, and are getting them used to regular noises, such as things being dropped, trash bag being opened, chairs scraping across the floor, etc. I played their first few sound affects over the speaker, fireworks being one of them. So far, though they show slight startle to the household sounds, they are not doing badly. They are enjoying their toys, and new fun items and textures are also being introduced.

They are doing better with being held, learning to relax in arms rather than be tense like they were before, they would freeze up and get really uncomfortable with it. They are also quickly learning to love pets and that people mean more than just food is coming, now that they are realizing this fact, they are starting to look forward to seeing me for that reason, little tails are starting to wag, and they are figuring out belly rubs are awesome!

 

The Overcomers is a terrific name for this new litter.

Once again, I have to say that these pups are extremely fortunate that you're able to care for them. Left on their own, they probably would not have survived, and if they had, they would end up in and out of shelters for the rest of their lives.

 

I thought so, heaven knows these poor babies have been through so much in their lives already, but are strong and overcome it all. No, for sure would not have, since their mom killed three as it was. They thankfully now will get wonderful homes!

 

Wonderful homes and wonderful futures!

The shelters where I live (Southern California) are filled with pit mixes. So many of them are "backyard" dogs whose owners either dump them or don't come for them when they run off.

What I've learned from reading your posts is that the time to put them on the right course is right now - when they are just three or four weeks old.

 

Yes, only the best ahead for these babies! Yep, training starts from the moment they are born. It's not about doing one or two things, it's a life style and complete dedication to their futures, oh and being a lot in love and obsessed with what I am doing helps too

 

Aww! There absolutely cute and gorgeous!! Did "Dora" find a good home yet?

 

She is currently adoption pending.

 

Sleepy Days

 

I don't know if it's the camera angle, but dang... Dixon has some huge feet! lol. And Tora... if that's her happy face, I have to wonder what her grumpy face looks like And Bear... because of the way the spots are positioned...it looks like his nose was put on crooked...kind of cute though.

Glad to hear you've got through the switch over from one litter to the other done...sounds like you put in a whole lot of work in getting the adoptions finalized and in setting up the area for the young babies that came in.

I still don't know where you find the energy...there are days I hold the scooper in hand, and look at the cat litter box and think 'what a pain in the butt'....and I only have 1 cat. lol.

Stormy

Stormy

 

I don't know if it's the camera angle, but dang... Dixon has some huge feet! lol. And Tora... if that's her happy face, I have to wonder what her grumpy face looks like And Bear... because of the way the spots are positioned...it looks like his nose was put on crooked...kind of cute though.

Glad to hear you've got through the switch over from one litter to the other done...sounds like you put in a whole lot of work in getting the adoptions finalized and in setting up the area for the young babies that came in.

I still don't know where you find the energy...there are days I hold the scooper in hand, and look at the cat litter box and think 'what a pain in the butt'....and I only have 1 cat. lol.

Stormy

Stormy

He does actually have pretty big feet, but the smallest head of them all, lol. She was so tired during the photo, so was giving me the stink eye, she kind of does have a grumpy face at this age though because she has a very shar pei shape to her head, and her eyes are super small and closed looking.


Bear would kill with cuteness! His face is just so adorable.


Yes I did, working with a rescue has changed a lot as far as the adoptions go, and I have a lot more say and involvement in them. Sometimes, I couldn't tell you where I got the energy either, you just survive through it as those first couple days were. There was too much going on, I was tired emotionally, still grieving saying goodbye to my other babies, and with bottle babies, there was just no time to rest, it was go go every four hours, and there was so much to clean up, put away, and others to bring down for the new ones. On top of it all, there was a health scare with the new ones because of some bacteria found in the lungs of two of my past puppies during their surgeries, spent a lot of time on the phone with the vet on that one, if contagious and the new ones caught it, it could have killed them, so I spent a good hour scrubbing everything down. Thankfully they are just fine and nothing happened, but it had me on the point of a mental breakdown worrying about it. Fostering is not always easy.

 

Afternoon playtime. It was their first time seeing the play mat, and they loved it, tugging on the hanging toys and running through the middle of them, lol. All of them have transitioned to their big puppy collars, have regular short play sessions, and have finally figured out how to chew softened puppy food, so I no longer have to make them a gruel. They bottle feed every 6-7 hours now, and continue to learn how to lap up liquids. Bottle feeding will be done once they learn how to lap well enough to be getting enough fluid from their water dish, it's slow going, but they are learning as I have seen several walk over and get a small drink. Personalities are slowly starting to show, they may be 4 weeks old, but they act younger due to how much they sleep and how small they are.

 

Pretty Faces, these babies are beautiful!

 

First time outside!

 

The queen of her domain ? Could Tora get anymore chunky and adorable? ?

 

Another weekly photo session

Though we do not know for sure, we estimate them to be 5 weeks old today, and they are growing like weeds! Hints of their personalities are starting to come through, they are lapping extremely well now, and eating their mash like pros. They have been weaning off the bottle, starting with about 5-6 a day, then down to 4, 3, and finally down to just one right before bed, which will be removed entirely here in a matter of days. They still get a bit of milk in a dish in the mornings as they aren't drinking water as well as I would like yet, but they are quickly catching on, the goal is to have them weaned off the formula within a week. They got another nail trim, and their first bath. Here in about a week I should have some personality info enough to post!

Their first week here they were introduced to a bunch of different sounds, new items and textures, a comfy crate, outside, and exploring the rest of the house. They do so much better with handling after I worked with them on that lots, and have learned to relax when picked up. Their potty training is coming along great, we are currently to the stage of moving the paper back away from their sleeping area and they are staying super consistent and always hitting the paper. The dog door was opened yesterday and they are already figuring out how to get in and out, and seeking the outdoors to potty rather than the paper.

This week they will begin leash and harness training, stroller rides, outside time in the larger part of the backyard along with the front yard, individual sessions, being fed in crates, learning to wait before exciting their sleeping area, and heavier focus on sit and eye contact, though they are doing amazing with it already. For sure a busy week ahead preparing these babies for their new families once that time comes!

Bear, 3.14lbs

Conrad, 3.14lbs

Dixon, 4.3lbs

Drea, 3.15lbs

Lori, 4.2lbs

Riley, 3.5lbs

Tora, 4lbs

 

This litter coming along at breakneck speed! I really enjoyed the videos of their first outdoor playtime. And their portraits are amazing. Do some of them have blue eyes?

Well done!

 

This litter coming along at breakneck speed! I really enjoyed the videos of their first outdoor playtime. And their portraits are amazing. Do some of them have blue eyes?

Well done!

I know! It's crazy how fast they are growing up, only four weeks to fit everything in before they go to homes They love being outside, running around exploring! Just Lori, her's are going to stay blue, and Conrad's are going to be a light amber color, the rest are already brown.

 

Total brag moment about my babies, because I couldn't be more proud of them! Yesterday morning I came in to find no poop on the paper, as soon as I opened the dog door, they all ran out and went right away, this morning same thing happened. My five week old puppies are holding it all night waiting to get outside to potty! I am so amazed and pleased by their instinct, especially considering their background. They have outdoor access during the day now, and the day after I first opened the dog door for them they were no longer pooping inside at all, and I have cut their paper back by about half and not one miss, they are going out more and more to pee as well! Intelligent babies with an amazing instinct to keep them and their space clean!

 

Good to hear the potty training is going so well

Yay for bladder control. : )

I remember that feeling of being proud of AU, when he would wake me up in the middle of the night with a little bit of whining and I would let him outside where he would rush down the porch steps and pee upon hitting the grass...lol. Then he would, with his tail just wagging away bounce right up the steps and into the house.

I was also so glad when some weeks later he actually made it all through the night without needing let out...lol.

Stormy

 

Riley looks like he's going to be a major drooler.

Both of my sisters owned full blood Shar Pei dogs. If I was at the home of one of my sisters...I would just wince every time one of those dogs shook it's head/body and strings of drool went flying every where.

Both of my sisters said ya get use to it.

I still to this day can't figure out how. onder:

lol

I will have to just shy away from owning anything with big flews like a St. Bernard, or a Shar Pei or other big flappy lip dog...lol....just can't get pass the drooling stuff.

Those photos are all so cute... love how pretty their eyes are.

Stormy

 

Riley looks like he's going to be a major drooler.

Both of my sisters owned full blood Shar Pei dogs. If I was at the home of one of my sisters...I would just wince every time one of those dogs shook it's head/body and strings of drool went flying every where.

Both of my sisters said ya get use to it.

I still to this day can't figure out how. onder:

lol

I will have to just shy away from owning anything with big flews like a St. Bernard, or a Shar Pei or other big flappy lip dog...lol....just can't get pass the drooling stuff.

Those photos are all so cute... love how pretty their eyes are.

Stormy

I do feel she, and maybe a couple others will be, Bear probably one of them, along with Tora. You should watch them drink water and the mess that happens afterward xD