9. Richie

TWO WEEK UPDATE:

This puppy is exceptionally healthy and vigorous. He enjoys his food and eats heartily. He is plump and well-fed.

BIRTH NOTES:

This puppy was born via c-section around 4:00 p.m. He weighed 1 lbs. 1.5 oz. at birth. Along with his sister, Joanie, this puppy was positioned in the very back of the uterine horn. If it weren't for the stuck puppy ahead of him, he would have made a pristine trip down the birth canal.

TEMPERAMENT TEST #2

This puppy sat patiently for the first several rough pets. Then he rose and turned to the left and moved forward a few steps. He body was loose, and he was silent. This puppy was loose, still, and quiet during the lift. This puppy gave a sigh just after the turn, then relaxed his body completely. He was loose, still, and quiet throughout the turn. This puppy looked around the bottom of the basket for quite some time before deciding to move about and explore a little more. He hesitantly placed his front feet onto the side of the basket and looked up. This puppy was quiet during this trial. This puppy went to sleep right where he was placed when put back into the den away from his siblings. He was quiet and his body was relaxed and calm.

This puppy receives a score of 9 for this temperament test.

TEMPERAMENT TEST #1:

This puppy was initially quiet just after birth, but quickly developed a large lung capacity. This puppy is often heard talking and sharing his feelings vocally. This puppy is energetic and has a tendency to get anxious when its feeding time. He works himself into a frenzy, anxiously moving his quivering body to the milk bar, chatting about it the entire time. This puppy was wiggly on the scale and moves when held by a human. This puppy was born via c-section, so this information may be skewed as a result. Because of this, he is not eligible for a score in this category. But if he were to gain a score for this first temperament test, he would receive a 6.

BIRTH NOTES:

This puppy came into the world in a most unusual way. Because he was born via c-section, our ability to notice his first moments after a natural birth have been significantly altered. The following information was given to me via the veterinary technician on duty that day. She mentioned that he was slightly wiggly on the scale. She also mentioned that he did not quite understand how to find the milk bar initially. Despite his sister not having any difficulty, it is important to note that because of the mom's c-section, her mammary glands were laced with iodine and shaved. This may have masked the smell and feel that could prompt newborn canine instinct to locate the milk machine appropriately. Indeed, after the surgery, we've seen three other puppies also have difficulty finding a teat for nourishment. This puppy has consistently been quiet throughout the first hours of life.

TWO WEEK UPDATE:

This puppy has lovely small slanted eyes. He also shows a medium coat length with some wave. Not yet sure on the mask type. Beautiful large size and build.

BIRTH NOTES:

This puppy is a large silver wolf sable male with a lighter coat coloring. He may have a wolf mask or a black mask. It is too early to tell at this time. He has a short, thick tail with a somewhat medium-length wavy coat type. He does not have any white spotting. He is robust and thick in overall body structure, perhaps muscular?