At two days old . . .

The genius husband swiped the largest pup of the litter for a while and let it nap on his belly. Puppies make such sweet, happy sounds when they're warm and comfy. Mama Dinah's beginning to relax a bit and spent some time helping us outdoors with chores. She even found the energy for a short romp in the yard with the other dogs. Dinah's good for about twenty minutes outdoors, and then she gets worried and heads for the house. Time to check on the pups.

Dinah trusts us with her pups, but she's not ready to share with the other dogs yet. Normally, she's the lowest in the pack order. Motherhood, however, has mixed things up a bit. She growled and challenged Bebe, her mentor, over access to the room where the puppy bed is located. Ralphie, the sire, is keeping his distance for now. He knows better than to bother a new mama unless it's absolutely necessary. Blue, the old Aussie, is staying out of there, too. Puppies and kittens make him nervous. A kitten crawled under his belly once and tried to nurse, and he's been spooky about the little ones ever since. Outdoors, the pack order remains as usual, but any dog let into the house has to abide by the new order of authority.