Saturday, May 30, 2009

Day 2 - New Quarters and Some Motherly Observations

Here we are in Day 2 and we'd like to report that everything is going really well. Ming has certainly bonded with her puppies. We've observed that she is really attached to them. When we try to move her for feeding time, she doesn't move. When she needs to go out, she does so reluctantly; takes care of her business and literally runs back to her babies. All this concern and bonding is a sign that she is a great mother. In her first pregnancy, she had little guidance and clearly her natural instincts clicked in. For this pregnancy, Ming did not skip a beat and knew what to do right away. She immediately turns to the side for her puppies to nurse and quite frankly, the puppies are really good at latching on. This means that they are being fed well without any need to supplement.

As you've seen in the previous posts, Ming was initially in a plastic container feeding her young. That was way too cramped. Her living area is a platform of sorts so the puppies can grown into the space. Meanwhile, we constructed some cardboard shelter where she appears to be much happier. Since it worked in her first pregnancy, it should work now. And we were right. She has the feel of a secure enclosed space and at the same time it gives her plenty of room to stretch out. As you can see below, we put a sheet up so that the bright sunroom doesn't overwhelm Ming and her puppies.




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