"It was less like seeing than like being for the first time seen, knocked breathless by a powerful glance" Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Two Star is the first to open her eyes

In a cloudy blue haze, their world flickers into focus. Only 12 days old, they've relied on their sense of smell to guide them to their mother. But now their world is opening.

This has given Gwennie some much needed respite - time to stretch her legs and get out of the whelping area.


Gwennie stretching her legs

The boys are blissfully unaware.

Jack being silly

Little Lucy still struggles. Though 12 days old, she is still 11.5 ounces. The other pups are twice the size she is.


I spend time toting Lucy around in my sweatshirt for warmth

This morning, we had quite a scare. Lucy was separated from the rest of the pups in the whelping crate again. She was cold, and for the first time, I actually considered taking her to the vet to have her put to sleep. But she has such a will to live.

When she gets chilled like this morning, it takes hours to bring her body temperature back up. So I cuddled with Lucy until she was warm, then gave her a bottle with goat's milk. Within minutes, she made it clear she did not want that bottle! So I took her back to Gwennie, and she nursed like a champ for 20 minutes.

But even her nursing sessions need supervision, because the other pups still bulldoze right over her.

Every time I think we're rounding a corner with little Lucy, she crashes again. I wonder sometimes if I'm doing the right thing.