I love the sense of peace and accomplishment when the bitch has whelped and she is tucked up in the whelping box with suckling puppies around her. The puppy smell is wonderful and like no other smell. Their breaths smell rather like weetabix after a few days.
The room is warm and semi dark and the only noise you can hear is snuffling as the pups jocky for the best teats (the back 4) and contented sighs from mum and me
Many a time I have slept on the floor in a sleeping bag alongside the whelping box with its anti pup front off and holding my bitches paw throughout the night.
Actually that would be the perfect Christmas eve for me.
PS I had one bitch (Kerris, my favourite of all time) that wouldnt sleep in her whelping box without me sleepng in there with her and the pups, which was fine when they were a few days old but sure as hell not so nice when they were weaning.
Ill tell you some things as to why Kerris was so special.
When my daughter brought home a kitten who was way too young to lap Kerris produced milk and suckled the kitten for 3 weeks. She cleaned the kitten as though he was a pup and till the day she died the cat thought Kerris was his mum. The cat thinks hes a dog so now sleeps tucked up with my german sheps.
When Kerris's daughter had her first litter she didnt want to know the pups for 5 days and I was tearing my hair out cos without mum its hard to keep pups alive, anyway as a last resort I brought in to the whelping room Kerris who took who look and gingerly (she thought I was going to tell her off as they werent her pups) stepped into the whelping box and within 24 hours had produce milk and was suckling the pups. Everyday I brought into the room Kerris's daughter (puppies mum) and after 5 days she growled at Kerris to get out, so she did and mum carried on from there.
I used to deliver charity envelopes around and walk 2 bitches at the same time and one day whilst walking up a path to a house Kerris crouched low, her nose disapeared as she curled her lips and growled low and long. She dug in her feet and wouldnt go up the path so I turned around and didnt deliver the envelope to that house.
Five months later there was a report that the guy who lived in that house had kidnapped a woman and kept her a prisoner for 2 weeks at the house!!!
Whilst a friend was visiting her child ran into the road outside my house, Kerris must have heard a car coming and rushed through my legs and knocked the child over and out of the path of the car.
Kerris often came with me to give lectures to kids (Brownies, scouts etc) on the care of animals. She was a favourite at a Special school we used to go to and enjoyed the kids stroking her. Once we were called in specially because there was one little girl in particular who was in a wheelchair and she was very depressed. She couldnt move her hands very much so she couldnt stroke Kerris.
I wondered if just looking at Kerris would be enough help for her but Kerris had a better idea, she sat sideways to the wheelchair and nudged the girls hand untill it was, firstly on her muzzle then on her head!!!
The huge grins from both Kerris and the little girl was wonderfull to see, the adults in the room, (including me) has tears in our eyes.
And finally Kerris could dance!!
I didnt teach her to dance but she did. She danced with me up and down the front room (or scout hall etc) she danced on her own when she thought no one was looking and the stereo was on loud. She danced in the garden when we were invited to BBQ's and took her.
She was amazing! I had never had a bitch like her before and never expect one like her again. I loved her dearly.
Oh and it was a Kerris daughter that was the first ever golden retriever for Dogs for the Disabled. She helped a lady with MS.
