A Sad Posting

A Sad Posting was Originally Posted on August 5, 2011 by lavarock

While my friend was celebrating a milestone birthday on the mainland, I watched over a very pregnant female Labrador Retreiver. I was staying at my friends house and noticed, days early, that the soon-to-be Mom was wandering the property (a very large farm) and also had slipped under the house and started digging. I locked her in the house and ensured all was ready for the delivery.

Another friend watched the dog while I made a quick post office run. The first puppy was delivered before I could return. Soon I was left alone with delivered puppies and more to come. This litter is all yellow Labs, we know this from their background and DNA.

Over the many litters I have attended and seen, things usually go quite well. Many of the dogs have had litters before, however you always worry about frist-time Moms. This is a first-time Mom.

Often when shipping out puppies to their new homes, I take photos of the dogs as it is easy to become attached to them over the 8 weeks they stay at the kennels (or longer in the case of “Little Pup”). It can be a sad experience to have to let them go, but I know they will be in a loving home with their new “pack leader” caretakers. In fact, often we see photos and hear stories about the pups as their new owners love and preen over them. I have read heartwarming stories of how these puppies have brightened up a childs life, or helped an owner during a sad time.

I try to keep those thoughts in mind as I help the Moms deliver the puppies. So it was quite a sad event when the last of the 10 puppies was delivered stillborn. There was nothing the Mom or I could do, even thought we tried everything. It was just too late and a sad fact of life.

My sadness is offset by 9 healthy puppies who are thriving and a Mom who is very keen on nursing and protecting her new puppies. She is being careful not to squash them (which can be a problem with some new Moms) and is also guarding them against intruders. She is fine with humans; however her friend and companion of late, a poodle, is herded away if he strays too close to the whelping box.

I keep thinking about who might have gotten the male puppy. Would it have been a family with a child? Would it have been a couple wanting to romp in the ocean or hike with their dog? Would it have been an older couple wanting the pitter patter of little paws around an otherwise quiet house?

All I can do is sit with Mom and watch over the other nine until they take their place in a new home and know that we did our best.