Last Night I Cried

No Bars  - Asha had 9 in here! 

When I went through to check on the pups at 9pm last night I found Kito had got his head well and truly stuck behind the safety bars in the whelping box. There was no way I could free him and I had to get Steve to come and help me. He tried to free him too but to no avail, actually probably making matters worse as until then the little guy didn't seem bothered about being there. There was no alternative, the bars had to be unscrewed and removed!
These bars are there for a reason, they are life savers, particularly with a large litter. When the bitch goes in to feed she needs to find a safe place to lie, should she misjudge and a puppy goes behind her there is a danger of him being squashed or suffocated. With the bars, the bitch simply puts her weight  against the bar and there is room for the puppy behind her. It works, I've seen it work. This box was ordered for GSD size puppies, these puppies at this age are about twice that size so I guess the bars are too close to the box wall. So we are damned if we do, damned if we don't!
We decided that removing the bars was the safest option. With just the three of them we'll have to rely on mother getting it right and the strength of the pups to now get out of the way if necessary. On saying that one of us was up checking on them every two hours last night!

So I cried last night ... well it was just pure emotion. Sammi's beautiful, beautiful puppies who at one point I never thought would get here. That pregnancy was a rollercoster ride for us, but now it was worth every tear and every moment of worry, concern and extra care. Yes a small litter and sadly disappointment for some people who had hoped for a puppy, but for us at this time maybe the ideal size litter.
Soon it will be time to introduce toys to the box. I can't help but smile at the memory of Ziva's pups, all out of the box ... and Ziva took all the toys for herself into the box. Somehow I think Sammi will be just the same!