Birthing began in the evening of Memorial Day, and finished just after mid-night.  Everything went about as smoothly as could be hoped for.  Powder was a champ through the process, and is being a very attentive mother.  As an added bonus she is really looking great, eating well, and producing plenty of milk.  The pups are all doing very well, and all put at least a full ounce of weight on by dinner time last night.  We managed to get in a vet check yesterday as well, and our vet was pleased with everyone's condition.  We have 1 Girl and 5 Boys. and are now left with the hardest job yet: don't screw it up!

Sure our blog updates/announcements have always come in fits and spurts, but with everything we have going on time for getting in here has been at a premium.  Enough whining.  So the whelping area and box are all put together, necessary supplies hoarded.  As you know, the ultrasound went very well and we got a pretty good puppy count with vital signs easily observed, but chose to keep numbers close hold because so much can happen between then and birth.  We had the x-ray done this past Friday, and it has show the exact puppy count we got from the ultrasound: seven or eight with a slim possibility of a ninth.  So much for helping us nail down delivery expectations.  For those on our active client list, we will begin making calls shortly after birthing is complete, most likely around the 48 hour mark, maybe sooner, maybe later just depending on how things go and how tired we are.  Of course there will be photos both here (blog and liter page) and on our Facebook page

 We finally got an ultrasound nailed down the morning of 5 May, which happens to be the day the pups begin to become boys and girls.  The pups were far enough along to be easily seen: arms and legs, feet, toes, faces, umbilical cords and even heartbeats where all easily observed.  We really got a best case scenario with this ultrasound in all ways, which isn't really an expectation but a hope - we are ecstatic for the results!  ​We expect delivery just after Memorial Day.