1 June  -  Pups growing well and very choosy about what they will eat at this stage with Amber really unhappy that she is not allowed to feed them when SHE wants to. On the plus side, the pups think it is absolutely brilliant that they can now run around this bigggggg playing area with toys to play with, or each other as the fancy takes, and if they get tired and can't be bothered to go into the whelping box mums bed is there or either of the two gorillas to snuggle up to. It really is amazing that all our puppies just love cuddling up to, and sleeping on, these two giant gorillas - but there again all the adults like to do it as well. And as the weather was so warm and dry yesterday they all had an outing onto the patio as a treat. Of course now the others are allowed to mix they can give advice to the youngsters - just like Granny Heidi with Honey, as her new owners have named her.

23 May  -  Now weighing in at over 1Kg each the puppies are now officialy known as Enigmai Lady Topaz Alcestis (on the left) and Enigmai Lady Rosolite Pax (on the the right). Both are now starting to learn what 'solid' food is all about as they are on day 3 of the weaning process - ably carried out by the resident kennel maid.

18 May  -  Mum and puppies doing well and all very contented. Puppies have that pot-bellied pig look and happy to eat, sleep and ....... well, you know! Eyes and ears open, beginning to attempt those first unaided steps and even allowed to go nose to nose with the other girls through the room divider when the vetbed is being changed. In spite of being 'rhino-charged' out of the room by Amber, Jade has been allowed to actually get within a foot of the whelping box - under the very narrow and watchful gaze of Amber. It should be interesting to see how things progress when the little ones start creating havoc of their own. Jade's training is progressing well considering that we have trouble getting her to come out from under the chair and greet the other puppies in the class. It does not stop her from being a tearaway at home mind, Granny Heidi teaches her manners, Sasha invariably has her hanging off her ears whilst she is walking, Lucy deigns to play chase every so often and she has the GREATEST respect for Amber and if it is OK for Amber then it is OK for Jade.

30 Apr  -  0325 this morning after nearly sixteen and a half hours of first-stage labour and an hour of second-stage Amber delivered her first young girl, followed 15 minutes later by the second. At 298 and 290 grammes respectively they are the heaviest of any of the girls puppies so far. Both have been checked by our vet Michael - mother and babies doing well. Jade surprised by barking madly this afternoon; and when we found her she was in the study barking madly at these strange little brown and white 'things' in the whelping box! Good job Amber was down the garden doing her business - she does not even let her own mother and daughter anywhere near her pups for at least the first two weeks.

10 Apr  -  Just goes to show that when you think you have done something - as sure as eggs is eggs it means you haven't. Many thanks to Becky for pointing out that I had been totally remiss about reporting Ambers pregnancy progress.

We have duly had her scanned and the vet could see two for definite but we are going to have her scanned again on Thursday to see if any more are present. Given Ambers past record of producing pups two is quite unusual for her, but then again it is a different sire this time so who knows for definite how these things work. You have only got to get the day for mating wrong and who can tell which way the trail will fork. One of lifes many mysteries.

On another note we now have Jade firmly esconced in the household and in spite of all the advice you can give owners of your pups you still forget how much hard work it is to house/obedience train them yourself. Including in my case of forgetting to protect all my computer wiring under the desk! So now I have a keyboard cable with the internal sheathing visible in two or three places; one surround sound speaker with the cable completely chewed through (now a 4.1 instead of a 5.1 system!) and the wireless router has a power cable that you dare not move in case you lose the internet connection. See ~ nobody is infallible, and they always have that angelic look on their faces as they sit there and seem to ask 'What's the problem?'

Updated:- June 2008