Litter of Five

Last week, I was given the joyous opportunity to visit a litter of five yellow lab puppies. They are 8-weeks old and were bred for Canine Companions. The puppies' mother is Camella, and this is a "J" litter. The litter custodian, who is a friend from the dog park, had them in an ex-pen on her driveway, and they were all napping together in this tub when I stopped by.

I brought a few puppy toys as gifts, and it was fun to see a couple of the puppies immediately gravitate to the new objects. Here, this female pup is chewing a little Nylabone I brought. She also chewed my fingers, hair, shoes, and anything else she could get her sharp little teeth on!

This puppy is Jason, the only male in the litter, and according to the litter custodian, the most promising in temperament. He was very engaged with me, calm, and wise beyond his weeks.

The litter custodian had a skateboard in the ex-pen, and it was amazing to see the puppies get on it. It would roll around, and they didn't flinch. What a great way to build tolerance to unstable objects! She also had a large flat tray filled with newspaper in the corner, and she said that most of the time, the puppies were already really good about using it. Every time one of the puppies would use the tray to do their business, she would say, "Hurry hurry! Good job, puppy!!!" I was SO impressed.

The puppies are probably on their way to their raisers' homes now, all over the United States. Go well, puppies, and best wishes on your new adventures!