August 17

So I finally have found the right names for all of the puppies!

The runt with the blue tiger striped collar has been named Phoenix. He
had a rather rough start in life but he has thoroughly flourished out
of the ashes now. Even though he did need supplemental feedings and
special one on one time with mom, he is now back on track and has been
fully integrated back in with his siblings. His weight gain seems
good, so hopefully he will catch up to his brothers, or at least the
girls, weight wise soon!

The two girls are Charlotte (purple collar) and Victoria (pink
collar). Charlotte is the tom boy. She is happy to get rough and
wrestle around with the boys. She is ready to explore the world and is
our little adventurer.

On the other hand, Victoria is the opposite. She doesn't like to get
dirty. She does not like walking on wet grass. If one of her siblings
is playing too rough, she will bark, growl, and tattle on them. She is
a bit of a priss, but a super sweet pup. Victoria is more of a people
pup who will want to be the center of attention. Even with their
different personalities Both of the girls will make awesome dogs for
someone.

Then we have our three large brown pups - Austin, Houston, and Dallas
- because everything is bigger in Texas!

Austin (Aqua collar) is a big lug, but he is sensitive. If one of the
smaller pups bites on his ear or pulls on his tail, he will cry and
sulk. Austin does seem to have a bit of an umbilical hernia. What this
means is when Austin was connected to Annabelle by the umbilical cord,
the blood vessels went from the umbilical cord, through the belly
button, to nourish the pup. Most of the time, within a few days of the
umbilical cord falling off the little hole that the blood vessels went
through closes up. That doesn't seem to be the case for Austin. So I
will have to keep an eye on it until it closes on its own or he gets
neutered (when the vet will fix the hernia).

Houston (Cammo collar) is just big and laid back. Houston has met both
of the cats and does not seem impressed by them. When all of the other
pups are running around, he is happy to find a comfortable spot on a
doggy bed or on a lap and just watch. Though when it comes to food
time, he is always willing to sprint for his food!

Dallas (Brown and Aqua Collar) was a bit more aggressive at first. He
was the first pup to get teeth in so he began chewing on everything
sooner. About 10 days ago the rest of the puppies were doing their own
things, wrestling and discovering their new world, but Dallas's thing
was chewing and biting. He didn't realize his jaw strength. Over the
last 10 days or so he has had to be handled a lot. He is starting to
learn that we chew on our toys, not our people, but I would bet he
would end up with the softest mouth out of the litter with the amount
of bite inhibition he has gotten from so early on!

Next is the black little boy, Troy (with a blue collar). Troy is about
middle of litter size wise, but he has no fear. He was the first pup
to just walk down the step from the kitchen to the back patio (about
4"). He tumbled a couple of times, but that didn't scare him, he kept
doing it and now he has mastered going up and down that little step.
Also, if the puppy play pen is left open, even a tiny crack, Troy is
the first one to break out. He is sweet and lovable, but he also is
easily distracted and loves to wander.

Then we have Romeo, another of the brown pups (red collar). Romeo was
the last to realize he had teeth so he is a kissing pup with people.
He is one of the smaller pups right now. With his siblings, he is
starting to "fight back" when the play gets too rough, he is learning
to growl and bark at them to tell them to stop. Also if his current
appetite is any indication, he may be headed towards a growth spurt!

Last, but not least, we have Holy Toledo. Toledo is the white puppy
with the black collar. He has mastered the art of puppy eyes already
and he uses them fully to his advantage. He will frequently follow
Troy or Charlotte into trouble, but Toledo will bat his eyes and let
out a small whine to get out of trouble. Also if my house guests vote
on the "Cutest Puppy" based on the amount he is handled, the votes
would say he is the cutest puppy. A lot of his handling has been done
by children and strangers so he is probably the best "people"
socialized dog.

So this is a basic introduction to Annabelle's nine puppies! Wow there
are a lot of them and many different personalities, but they are all
cute as a button!