Day 33 and Beyond

Hello Teapot Lab Lovers…it is April 29^th, day 33 in this litter’s 56 day stay with us and at this writing my best conclusion is thus; these pups are friggin’ cute. They are just into the stage of becoming little dogs. They see and hear with acuity, play with each other and us, bark and wag their tails in perfect miniature of what they will soon be and are seeming to outgrow their box environment by the minute. They have begun eating puppy food (soaked in water for many hours) though they do not miss a chance to latch onto Stella should she enter their space and tarry a bit too long. They poop like they mean it now and Stella seems less inclined to pick up after them so our “dooties” as higher species as the pooper scooper are starting as well. They are coming into their own physically, mentally (and spiritually). The now four pups are all of relatively equal size (Cindy guesses about 6 lbs. per) with varying degrees of difference in their specific physical forms.

Mosey is unofficially renamed Mr. Pumpkinhead with a very solid melon on top of what looks to be a good chest and shoulders (to be anyway). His build reads solid and stocky and his movements, so far, reflect that body type. He chugs around the box like a tractor in low gear just looking for something to plow. Lest I lead you astray with this description, let me say that his temperament seems very calm and easygoing from what we can tell at this stage. He is not very vocal, seems to play with us and the other pups just enough then goes off to his spot to crash for the next hour or so. He does some grabbing and tugging on the others but takes his share as well. Overall, we like this guy very much and hope he continues down his path.

Bide is a bit more of an enigma as yet. She is, of course, very cute. Sits like her ma Stella and looks up at you with those little Labrador eyes and just melts your heart…then you reach down to pet her and she lunges in grabs a hold with her little (but quite sharp) teeth, lets go and then runs around the box as if she’s got a burr under her saddle. She can be vocal at times, wanting to be on whatever other side of the box that is not available at that moment. She likes to be in cooler spots within the box, laying on tiles or just plain floor and not so much on the softer stuff. She is progressing physically, has all her feet and legs under her and can move around pretty good when she wants to. She has a big old back end and has already shown the propensity of rolling on her back and showing her belly for inspection (and a quick rub while you’re there, thank you very much).By and large, she is coming along just fine. We certainly think she will be a nice dog…will she be Stella 2? Definite maybe.

Ever is the classic middle (child) puppy. He tends to get lost in the attention shuffle more often than not. He is not the big headed male (yet), not the prodigal female (never will be) and does not elicit attention sweetly like his little brother Wait does. He tends to sit back away from the action of the moment, take in the situation and then make his choice as to whether to come over and join in or not. My guess is that this “personality” profile could lead to him being the best dog to have when all is said and done. He could be mellow, easy to handle, does not dove headlong into everything and anything like some goofy labs we all know. Of course, all this speculation might turn out to be wrong as rain and he could end up being a regular old good dog. For now, he is physically sound; he may be the biggest of the batch and while his head is not as blocky as Mosey’s, he is still put together just fine. He is a talker; big vocal windup to his poops, can be heard sitting off by himself in the corner of the box, singin’ the puppy pad blues. He is a complicated dude and I for one like him.

But my favorite would have to be Wait. Last born and littlest (still but only by a bit now), he has shown an endearing quality of really enjoying human contact and touch. He is the one who not only comes over to you when you visit the box, but stays there, pressed up against your hand, luxuriating in the contact. He licks more than he bites (though he is learning to bite just fine through his play with his mates) when we are petting him and when we are sitting outside with the group, he is the one who will find his way onto the lap, curl up and go to sleep. As I said, he bites, he poops, he cries the blues too but all in all he is a nice little pup who wants someone to love for the next 13+ years.