Another first - COOKIES!

One of the coolest things about puppies is watching them do things for the first time... I'm not really a 'puppy fan' in nature, preferring to do rehabilitation and training of older dogs, but today I actually enjoyed watching the puppies experience a new thing in their lives - COOKIES!

Around here I practice the 'nothing in life is free' mantra, so cookies are handed out for following through on a command usually... The puppies have been chewing on toys and chew sticks for a few days, so I could tell they were breaking in some teeth... And thought I'd give it a try to see how it goes...

A beautiful day, I put two large Xpens together on the patio and having most of the space in the shade, I brought out a bag of cookies and settled in to watch (and make sure this experiment went OK)... My guys prefer those dehydrated chicken strips you can get in the big bags from Costco and I have to admit - they do smell divine!

Handing one to each of the three puppies, Sofia left hers at one end of the Xpen and then wanted one from either Ebony or Nacho - Sofia didn't care - she just wanted on of theirs!



Patience is not one of Sofia's strong suits... She wanted one and RIGHT NOW...



Barking and mock charging had no effect on either Nacho nor Ebony, for they continued to sit in a corner and chew on their cookie, totally ignoring Sofia's repeated requests to share! Even her pitiful cries failed to move them, nor did they give theirs up either!



Nacho and Ebony must have chewed on their cookies for a good ten minutes, paying absolutely no attention at all to Sofia's plight... And then Nacho made the mistake of getting up for a drink of water, leaving his cookie behind... It was just the opportunity Sofia was looking for, and she quickly stole his and moved to another corner of the Xpen...



Nacho on the other hand, found Sofia's original cookie on his way back from the drink and it turned out to be a full cookie without any pieces missing yet...



In the end, it all worked out well... Everyone was happy and Nacho got 'seconds' on the cookies too!

All spayed or neutered...

All went well yesterday with the speuter of Bella's litter... I've never understood why some men are SO opposed to neutering their male dogs and puppies... Males are usually up and about a few hours later like nothing has happened... It is usually the females that feel MAJOR YUCK that day and the next...

So Nacho was up and about an hour or so later after I brought everyone home and seemed a bit dumbfounded in regards to the absence of his sisters' unwillingness to play (or gang attack him!)... :)... He kept trying to encourage them to come out of the doggie bed and play, but to no avail...

Finally Nacho gave up and crawled into the pile with them!... If you can't beat 'em, you join 'em I guess!

New collars all around!

Next step in getting the puppies' ready for their new furever homes is collars... It's an odd feeling for new puppies, but the less issues these cuties have to go through while still with their siblings, the easier any adoption will go... So walking down the 'catwalk'... correction... 'dogwalk'... (drum roll please)

And now, sporting spring green with only the sedate charm that our little lady has, I present our Miss Ebony:



And our other reigning priceless princess in the pack is dear Mercedes, fashioning the latest in festive pink to match her cheery disposition!



And now allow me to present Ms. Sophia in vibrant red!... Ah, Sophia would you like to turn around and show the folks your newest adornment?... Can you drop the toys for just a second?



{{We interrupt the dogwalk presentation as a few of our contestants decide to engage in Chihuahua Puppy Takedown}}



LADIES... A BIT OF DECORARUM IS REQUESTED... HUMRPH... AH, LADIES???

Oh, sorry, Nacho... Didn't realize you were next in line...



And finally, our Dulce in her red collar with white doggie bones... Uh, Dulce... We love what you've done with your tail, but we really would like to see you look this way... Yes, I know... Your brindle 'tiger stripes' is your favorite side... (I need to remember these kinds of things for a girl always likes to present their best sides to the camera - don't want to get kicked out of the foster's union, ya know?



Well, folks... Hope you enjoyed today's 'dogwalk' and the new collars!

What can puppies do in five minutes?

Every day we transfer all the puppies to another Xpen and then break down their entire area at least twice a day, washing all the blankees and toys, removing bowls and running them through the dishwasher, etc... Puppies are pooky - no getting around that!... At least 5 or 6 times a day we replace the pitty pad to insure no one is stepping in piddle or anything else...

Today they have learned how to undo the latch on each side of the pitty pad frame... So what can puppies do in five minutes with a new pitty pad?... ;) Open it up and destroy the pitty pad!



It's a gang destruction project, I swear! (smile)...

I had to feel sorry for poor Ernie though... He was a good sort, nice to cuddle with and snuggle up against... Until the pups decided they all wanted him at the same time... Needless to say, he didn't survive the onslaught of four females all interested in the same toy!

New digs!

The pups are completely weaned now and it was time to reconfigure their "digs"... We expanded their area enough to add a small kennel (door removed for now) so they get used to going in and out of one... I'm a BIG believer in Xpens, crates and kennel for training purposes... We live in wildfire evacuation areas, plus vets just hate it when you bring in your pooch and they sit in kennel and howl for dear life!... Trust me on this one!... Besides this, canines tend to be 'den' animals throughout their lives and need the added security of places they feel safe in and don't object to being in either...

So, with the new digs, Sofia and Mercedes are 'one-upping' each other as to who will be the 'queen of the hill' so to speak... :) ... Ebony's easy going about things like this, Dulce is always the first out of the gate to investigate new things, but Sofia and Mercedes?... They are the 'princesses' of the litter and want everyone else to know it too!... They want the highest spot on the blankee, the center of the pitty pad, the new toy first, etc...

I did manage to get Sofia to sit still for a second - or at least long enough to snap a quick photo of her... She looks SO much like her mother with the whisp of white on her lower chin and the white star on her chest... Bella is such a rich deep and dark, shiny black with a gloss to her coat, beautiful white teeth and such a sweetie in temperament... Of all the pups, Sofia looks the most like her mom and she will be such a jewel to her new family... If she has just 50% of the sweet temperament her mother has, she will be priceless for any family!

Litter's first intro to another dog - nose to nose!

I do pet therapy with several of my Chihuahuas at a senior assisted living facility, along with a few other TLC volunteers... One of my guys (Frito) is just the easiest Chi to work with for he is loving life every second of the day no matter who the dog is, how big they are, or whatever human he encounters... Sadly, Frito is a liver shunt dog and not a candidate for the surgery, so he is considered 'terminal'... On the positive side, we celebrate every day of his life with us, and he in turn, meets and greets all the new fosters because of his amicable nature and disposition...

Yesterday once the baths were all done and puppies were dried, some of their puppy energy was drained off, so we decided to do the first introduction to another dog that was not their mom... They've seen my crew through the Xpen sides, but haven't had a chance to go 'nose to nose' or 'nose to butt' as dogs normally do... They still had a lot of energy as the photo shows, but it was the best time to attempt this first encounter...


While I can't honestly say that Frito enjoyed Sofia chewing on his tail, he handled it exceptionally well... ... Frito is considered a 'deerhead' Chihuahua and is about 5 pounds soaking wet if you're trying to judge the sizes of the pupppies by him... As the puppies are now 1.5 in human years at 7 weeks old, they've done the bulk of their growing in the past month or so....

Even Nacho had to get into the act, being a bit too pushy with Frito, who promptly gave out a bit of a growl about Nacho's lack of canine manners... This is how puppies learn how to be good canine citizens and if properly introduced and good socialization continues as they grow up, they grow into adult dogs that can be taken anywhere and trusted to not be dog-aggressive towards others...




Dulce had to get into the act as well, trying to use Frito as a step stool, and once again, Frito proved to be the 'gentle man' he is... Actually, I'm proud of all of them - pups and Frito combined, for this first encounter went exceptionally well!


Eventually they all settled down and got sleepy - busy day for the pups, usual nap time for Frito... Yet another major step in their lives!

The litter - our first bath!

I'm a bit of a buggerboo about smells and now that the litter is walking in their food dishes regularly plus the other smells that aren't always attractive with new puppies, it was time to get their first bath... We waited until the afternoon sun had warmed up the house to about 80 degrees yesterday afternoon and then set up an Xpen in the family room with extra towels...

My daughter agreed to be the pup-sitter and 'toweler -dryer' for this event... And Dulce was the first one up for a bath in the kitchen sink... She surprisingly did not complain too much about the whole ordeal but once put in the Xpen and dried off, she scampered about like a new born lamb in a field of fresh grass!... She particularly enjoyed stretching out on one of the doggie lounges we had in there as she rubbed dry her tummy even moreso...

The fish in the aquarium behind the Xpen held a bit of her attention over and over again... I think it must have been the brilliant red of my husband's Parrot Fish... Dulce kept going back to that corner, fascinated by their movement inside the tank...


The next pup up for a bath was Sofia and after she was dried, she and her sister Dulce had a particular interest in my daughter's bracelet, along with just about everything else they could smell, touch or play with! (smile)...

Even the smallest amount of movement seems to capture their interest at this age of their life (approximately 1.5 years of human life per their size, breed and health)... It is very fascinating to watch if you're an avid dog observer as I am...

They were making so much noise as they rough-housed in the Xpen, even Bella had to come over and investigate what was going on...

Ebony was the next one for a bath and she wasn't too happy about the process... She's always been the one in the litter who stands back and watches before she dives in and starts participating with her siblings... It doesn't seem to be fear-based but more of an intellectual curiousity whereas Dulce just barges into whatever is going on like the resident party girl, looking for a new toy to play with, interested in what is going into their food dish, etc...

Ebony however is the observer in the bunch and likes to watch from afar until she can no longer refrain from joining in on the fray... In this regard, Ebony is more like her momma than any of the others, for Bella likes to sit and watch what is going on around her too... It amazes me how they all can be from the same mom in the same litter and yet be so different in personalities~!!! It is almost like they watch any game to determine the rules of it before joining in and assuring they are the winners, ya know?... I don't mean 'calculating' in a negative sense however... There's not a mean bone in either the mom nor her litter who are all outgoing and loving beyond the norm...

All of us around here seem to have our favorites in the litter... Sofia is my daughter's favorite and mine is Mercedes... I don't know if it is because she's always been the smallest or because she seems to have the biggest 'attitude' in the bunch... She's vocal when you least expect it and because she's so small, you wonder where she got that voice~!!!... She DEFINITELY knows what she wants and WHEN - and is NOT afraid to tell you either!

Mercedes was QUITE content being bundled up as my daughter was drying her off, and as it took a bit longer because she of the females in the bunch has the longest fur, Mercedes was loving life being held and coo'ed to by my daughter in the towel...

Those warm fuzzies were interrupted when one of her siblings came to investigate why Mercedes was still 'lounging around' in that towel and Mercedes was QUICK to fuss about being disturbed (smile)... It was almost as if she had just come out of a bubble bath and was relaxing, but the kids were knocking on the bathroom door without relenting, ya know?







Once she was all clean, dry and warm, she was as ready as the rest of her siblings to investigate all that was going on around her now that her 'beauty requiem' was compete! ... So now that that was all said and done, it was time to investigate what mischief Mercedes could get into and my daughter's shoe strings seemed to be very inviting for further investigation and/or chewing upon!




Oddly enough, she didn't really want to share that with any of her siblings either! (smile)... By the way, both Sofia's and Mercedes' tails have already taken on that distinctive curl that Chihuahuas are known for... Ebony's is a bit longer and while she carries it just as high and proud as her sisters do, it just now starting to curl over...




The last one to get their bath was Nacho... Because of his much longer coat, we knew he'd take much longer to get dried, so we intentionally left him to last... He didn't mind all the extra attention either and gave a kiss to his benefactor of the warm fluffy towel and rub down!

... continued on to the next part of our adventure - meeting someone new, nose to butt as dogs do...

Slideshow - Bella and her pups' journey...

Bella and her puppies arrived here a month ago today and it is hard to remember just how small they were and how confused (?), fearful (?), anxiety-driven (?) Bella was at the time... She has now settled into the routine around here as the puppies are as well... Bella's 'spot' for sleeping is now at the top of my pillow at night... If I'm sitting on the couch watching "Idol," she's sitting on the top of the back of the couch or on my left side, napping on the comfy pillow there I rest my elbow on... If I'm at the computer, she's laying in one of the doggie beds scattered about...

While ever alert (and she knows which cries from the pups are serious and those that are not), Bella's probably one of the most active, but SO laid back dogs I have ever fostered... It has been the EASIEST foster (despite the health crisis we averted with the calcium drops) I have ever had... And considering she brought a litter of 5 puppies with her, I think I'm the one that has been spoiled here...

I created a slideshow of Bella's journey here with her pups this past month - hope you enjoy it... Hard to remember just how small and helpless they were until I view the slideshow myself! http://www.tinylovingcanines.org/slideshow/bellasslideshow.html

Update on the pups and Bella...

The puppies are now up and about in their Xpen 'playpen'... They roll around, tumble with each other, do running (stagger) play dives at their littermates and it is SO comical to watch!

They've started using the pitty pad and have become very good about it... I suspect they will be very easy to potty train down the road...

The hardest part right now is trying to anticipate when they will be hungry and then keep myself from wearing a majority of their dinner!... They have now learned the sound of the food processor that is grinding up the Royal Canin puppy kibble... As soon as I arrive with their prepared food dish, they rush to the front of the open door of the Xpen enclosure and I am covered with kisses and nuzzles from all of them...

As I put down the dish with their food at least one or two will step in it, then turn back to give me (and my hands, forearms, face, shirt...) more kisses... So by the time we've achieved the goal of putting down that food dish, I am usually covered in sweet puppy kisses interlaced with puppy formula, baby food chicken and ground up kibble!

Eating time is when I change their pitty pad, bedding and take out the toys, replacing them with new (clean) ones... They stay interested in the food dish for about five minutes and it gives me just enough time to get this done!... I am amazed at the interest in each new toy and only Ebony hangs back with their arrival... We keep rotating out brightly-covered toys in different sizes because the puppies have now entered the 'fear zone' as they call it... The period of time between 5 and 8 weeks that puppies normally develop natural fears towards things... The more exposure you can give them different things within their environment, the less likely they will be to grow into fearful adults down the road...

We also have been exposing them to sudden louder noises, along with my husband's voice, smell and touch, etc... This week I also had to trim back their nails (daggers) and I can almost see a look of appreciation in Bella's face now!... The puppies' tiny teeth have started to come in, so between those nails and their teeth, I myself cringe when she goes in to nurse them!

Each and every one of the pups sat patiently while I trimmed their nails - not one squirmed or wiggled on me... We've made a practice of stroking their feet when we hold them and this has already helped...

Dulce is no longer the largest one as the rest of the pack have now caught up with her... She is still strikingly a brindle with a beautiful coloring... Dulce practiced her puppy howl this week as she sat in a corner and cried, which turned into a howl for her mom... Bella kept circling, looking in but not jumping into their enclosure... Once Bella made sure Dulce was OK, I got the impression this was part of the unique things only a momma dog can give to their litter, and the care that puppymill puppies lose because they're taken from their mom about this time and shipped to petstores across the country...

Nacho is nothing but a ball of black fluff and he, along with Sofia, are DEFINITELY much more longer haired than the rest of the litter... His coat is like air and mink combined... It is very hard to describe how soft and tactile it is... It is like one of those pompom balls you can buy at a craft store without being wirey or bushy... He is definitely a looker and will make some furever owner very happy in the future!

Sofia will be the first one to climb out of the enclosure - or at least, that is who we are betting on... She's a sitter and observer - almost like she's watching to see how something works or what you are going to do... She's my daughter's favorite and I can see why... You can't pick her up that she is not going to shower you with puppy licks and kisses!

Ebony is a bit more shy than the rest of the litter... She is the one who likes to snuggle and cuddle the most in the litter... Although a bit shy, Ebony warms up rapidly, but she seems to prefer that others in her litter investigate things first, then she approaches... Once she has arrived however, she is clearly excited, happy, hungry, whatever... (smile)... She tends to rough-house more with her brother than her sisters right now... It is hard to tell who is who when they do their tumbles together!... Once they've arrived at the end of the tumble, they stand up, shake a bit and then hand out licks and kisses to each other... It's beyond precious to see!

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... and now the 'fine print'... plus the current weigh-in

Tiny Loving Canines is a non-profit rescue organization bound by California Law which states that dogs adopted from a rescue by the public must be spayed/neutered before their adoption. Please be advised that the puppies will be spayed/neutered as well as micro chipped during the last week of April and will not be available for adoption before then.

In addition, the puppies will be receiving their first set of vaccinations on April 16th, at 6 weeks of age. For their health and safety, any meetings with the puppies will have to wait until then.

If you are interested in adopting one of these pups, they can be seen after April 16th and adopted as of May 1st. Unfortunately, there are no exceptions to these dates. There has already been a lot of interest in the puppies, so we suggest that you fill out an adoption application and FAX it to (805) 578-2604 if you are interested in one.

Please understand that these are Chihuahua Mix puppies, not Purebred Chihuahuas. Tiny Loving Canines cannot guarantee their size when full grown, physical/behavioral traits, and/or coloring as the father of these puppies is unknown.

On a personal note and these are just guesses, but Nacho and Sofia are clearly both going to have longer hair than the others... Chihuahuas come in two varieties - Shorthaired and Longhaired. While is not usual to see such long hair on a puppy in a Chi litter, we can't guarantee that Nacho and Sofia are Longhaired Chihuahuas either. Sofia's ears are long so I expect them to be more of the "Puggle" version or ‘flop-eared’ version and not erect because Bella's ears are not totally erect...

Bella clearly alerts only on only black dogs, so I suspect that she had a male pack-mate that was also black who she mated with - black is a recessive gene, so to have 4 out of 5 puppies in a litter black, both parents should have been black.

Bella is a Chi/Terrier mix, so she does not have the highly curled-over (typical) Chi tail... We can't guarantee that any of the puppies will have the typical Chi tail in fact... Most likely Mercedes will have Bella's tail because it is so long and probably will not curl over like a Chihuahua's tail normally does... Nacho has the shortest tail of all, so he's most likely to have the greatest ‘curled-over’ tail in the litter... Again, there is no guarantee because these are Chihuahua mixes...

Finally, it is a myth that all males mark - dominance directs marking – females mark also, especially if they are the alpha in the house or the current dog in residence when a new one arrives. It is not unusual to find your current dog will start marking when a newcomer arrives.

And now the puppy weigh-in for those that are following these blogs:

Dulce - 40 ounces
Ebony - 32 ounces
Mercedes - 22 ounces
Nacho - 26 ounces
Sofia - 31 ounces

We have celebrities among us....

Both Simba and Sofia are celebrities - they are in the 2009 TLC calendar... Simba is our March 'pin-up' boy and Sofia is our July 'pin-up' girl... The calendars can be purchased at the TLC CafePress store located here... ALL profits from the CafePress store go towards the rescue of small dogs from the Ventura County and Greater Los Angeles shelters...

Simba is also a T-shirt star with spreading the message of "Have a heart - don't buy from petshops" also available at the TLC CafePress store here... Thank you for all your support and our little ones thank you as well - 'woof woof'!!!

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New puppy photos!

I suspect Nacho and Sofia will both have fluffy coats for they're much longer and fuller than the other three...

Here are the new puppy photos as well as their own individual blogs set up!

New puppy photos at 3 1/2 weeks -

Dulce - http://tlc-dulce.blogspot.com/

Ebony - http://tlc-ebony.blogspot.com/

Mercedes - http://tlc-mercedes.blogspot.com/

Nacho - http://tlc-nacho.blogspot.com/

Sofia - http://tlc-sofia.blogspot.com/

Laundry basket-ful of pups!

Every day we change the bedding of the pups now that they are up and moving around... And because they're active, it is actually easier to put them one by one into a laundry basket while we do this... Isn't this just precious! Of course, Dulce is in the center as always!



As we move them around, we weigh them to make sure everyone is gaining weight like they should... Drum roll here...

Dulce - 33 ounces
Ebony - 26 ounces
Mercedes - 20 ounces
Nacho - 20 ounces
Sofia - 28 ounces

Picture Perfect!

What a sweet face this little one has, huh? Sofia is just 'picture perfect' and ready to frame! 19 days old today!

The girls (stars) have arrived!

The puppies have now increased their sounds from being guinea pig squeaks to playful yips, cries, mini growls and others I can't describe!... They are now all 'up and about' and it is no longer tied to just feeding times... We've really enjoyed watching them play with each other and I was able to snap this photo with the four girls - all standing up and in line - which is how we quickly tell one from another...

Only Dulce lacks that spot of white on her chin, but with the other three, you can quickly tell who is who by the amount of the white star on their chest... Ebony has the least amount (just some whisps actually), followed by Sofia and then Mercedes with a white joke as opposed to a star...

But they're ALL stars in my book!

New puppy photos!

Check out Nacho's, Dulce's and Sofia's blogs... New puppy photos! They're starting to play and walk about (be it a bit swaggering and not always totally straight!)...

New puppy weights:
Sofia, Mercedes and Nacho - 18 ounces
Ebony - 24 ounces
Dulce - 30 ounces

Weighing the puppies and their new blogs...

Puppy weights are in - they're 11 days old now! Can you imagine! Each of Bella's litter now also have their own blog as well!

Nacho is 12 ounces and his blog is here.
Sofia is 14 ounces and her blog is here.
Mercedes is 12 ounces and her blog is here.
Ebony is 14 ounces and her blog is here.

And last but not the least, Dulce is now 20 ounces (oh my goodness!) and her blog is here.

Peek-a-boo... and a bedding change

Bella has been an extraordinary momma already, plus she's house-trained and knows the doggie door... What could be better?... Bella is also exceptionally people-friendly and I snapped a cute photo last night of her and my daughter, both asleep, on the futon "watching TV with their eyes closed"... (smile)...

And now for a drum roll, Maestro, please~!!... The puppy parade is about to begin... Eight days old, we took the opportunity for individual photo opps as we switched out the blankees last night for clean ones... We've settled on the names "Nacho" for the only boy, "Dulce" for the brindle brown (means 'candy sweet'), "Sofia" (she has a small white blaze on her chest like her momma), "Mercedes" (a bit bigger than Sofia and with a much bigger white blaze) and "Ebony" (she's almost totally black).

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