DeeDee! (Where Were You Hiding All Those Puppies?!)

Deedee kindly waited until a convenient 5:00 AM to start whelping her puppies, allowing catnapping for both of us through the night! She just did not look that big and even with my hand-held Doppler, I could only find 5-6 heartbeats (all of which sounded strong and healthy).

But sure enough, there are eight puppies--all uniformly big and chubby. Deedee (aka "Meadow Park Esther") is a big Labby-bodied tank of a girl, and she had lots of space in there, so everyone had plenty of space to develop!

First little black pup is born

The first five were born in quick succession from 5:15 AM to 7:00 AM, but it took the other 3 another two hours or so  to work their ways all the way down to the exit.

Just hours old, the pups are enthusiastic about their first meal--so important, as mama's colostrum is only available for 2 days at most.

Black and White Satin



There are 2 caramel-cream boys (liver nose); 1 apricot-cream boy (black nose); 1 caramel-ice girl; 2 black boys; and 2 black girls. Looks like all fleece coats to me from papa Blitz and no wool coats like mama. Wavy to a little curly.

Deedee enjoyed a calcium-rich pick-me-up (or two) at the halfway mark

The Deeds is a real pro as a mama--The Best!

Like any experienced mom, Deedee adheres to the axiom "Sleep when your baby sleeps."

The black pups have shiny, satiny coats

So strong and robust, at just 12 hours old!

 

Nursing Beautifully (Click on the YouTube "Full Screen Button"):