Pupdate: What’s up, Doc?

Contentment is a warm corner in the kitchen

"How long have the pups been with us now? A week?" Annie wasn't sure, either. With puppies, some hours seem endless--that first night spent in a crate--while entire days fly by like seconds.

Checking the records, this is Day 14 as I write. TWO weeks? No wonder they look bigger.

In two weeks they have put on five pounds, weighing in at 15 pounds each. Louie the Runt is a runt no more, having caught up the pound he was down on his two siblings.

Look at 'em over there. Hardly ever do you see one without the other two. (Clockwise from the left), that's Frankie, Ella and not-so-little-anymore Louie, curled at my feet by the stove as I built an experimental "Offal Chili" with beef heart and kidney beans (anticipating our next Emily's Legacy Rescue Crew cookoff).

Louis Armstrong, a runt no more!

Now begins the vetting regimen essential for moving these guys up the road to Helping Hounds Dog Rescue and permanent homes. Fecal testing gets done today, soon to be followed by the first round of vaccinations. Then they will be scheduled for spaying and neutering, shots series completed and a final physical exam a few days before boarding the transport for New York.

Meanwhile, their socialization training with other creatures struggles to channel their sheer puppiness into politically correct behaviors. Puppies will be puppies! They sometimes romp on grumpy old Beano's last nerve, the cats still hold the high ground atop the fridge and other structure, and little old Lazlo just wishes they would up and freakin' leave!

Of course, their "greetings" remain explosively enthusiastic, particularly first thing in the morning. Opening their crates is to unleash a 45-pound rush of licking, pawing, gnawing, wagging, yelping storm of pulsating puppies totally consuming any creature within reach followed by mad dashes from room to room to room to insure no one has been overlooked!

Ella Fitzgerald goes down for a nap.

And while our floors are awash in chew toys, wooden chair legs seems to be the trending teething aid of the moment, providing ample opportunity for Spray Bottle Training. Same goes for climbing onto the bed. We're at that point where just seeing the bottle-in-hand is sometimes all that is necessary.

As for toilet duties, let's not speak of the indelicacies just yet. They are, after all, still babies. We can report that "progress is being made."

Question of the Day

Do puppies eating from a single dish rotate clockwise in Australia?

Sunday Morning Update

Editor-in-lap Ella Fitzgerald

It's 4:30a and the Howlers From Hell Trio have been blasting out strident protests in three-part harmony nearly all night long. The muffled crash followed by a dull thud got me on my feet, pulling on clothes.

Sleeping arrangements here at Puppy Pre-K Prep never were meant for a sleep-over camp, y'all. Somebody didn't think this thing through before Somebody said, "Sure! We'll take 'em!"

We gave them there own room with a queen bed to play on and a containment pen on loan from Emily's Legacy Rescue. Somebody forgot that puppies poop everywhere and on everything. Somebody at 4:30 on a Sunday morning got up to check on his dogs and walked into a shit storm!

It could have been worse. The carpet isn't a total loss.

We'll be returning the containment pen to ELR. Ella learned to climb out the first night, and by the morning of the third day she had taught Frank how. Ella apparently gave bigger brother Frankie a dose of her loose stool. These two team-tagged the room, queen bed and all, while Louie the Runt supposedly watched from inside the pen.

Thank God and Jan Herzog we have canned pumpkin puree--NOT canned pie filling--on hand for the di-ree. Park in the middle of the dining room floor to spoon feed 'em. The pre-dawn house is quiet...save for the soft slurps...for the first time in hours.

They are, after all, newbie puppies

Stinky Cat looks on as puppies confront Master Beano.

Three puppies came to stay at our house. Three rambunctious, curious,

8-week-old newbies with a lot to learn. Big puppies, bigger than our own Lazlo Chiweeny who finds this crew a little intimidating. He thinks he wants to kill them, but he knows he can’t. They are, after all, puppies.

I cut a paper collar off the runt. "A29656204 Male" is written on the green facing in bold black marker. That's how he was known down at the pound. A2 and his siblings were owner-surrenders, dropped off by humans as no longer wanted. Or never wanted in the first place.

Puppies certainly raise hell, don't they? And these guys bring a certain celebrity with them, a growing social media presence trending mainly here, in Wichita Falls circles, and branching out to Flower Mound, toward New York. These guys are local rock stars, and damned if they don't act like they know it!

Louie's green paper collar is marked A29656204 Male.

So why would a couple of old married people, supposedly in their Golden freaking Years, take to foster three energetic, ravenous, "It's ALL about ME!" puppies? I mean, you KNOW why puppies are so damned cute, dont' you? It's Ma Nature's way of keeping all god's creatures from killing 'em. Why, indeed?

Asking to take on these three gave Annie and I naming rights. It's good to be Senior Foster Parents! We knew the names had to be triplets--as in Lion, Tiger and Bear--but not just any old triplet--Larry, Curly, Moe. Plus we had to have two boy names and a girl name. Peter, Paul and Mary! Ultimately, it was Annie's entry that took the vote and stuck. Frank, Louie and Ella.

Ella takes five from a boistrous meet and greet.

Fine voices all and strong, this trio. They will be with us for at least a month, at the end of which time we are expected to turn over three young, healthy, happy dogs; house trained and friendly to other dogs, cats and people. And if you can work in tolerance for human children, so much the better.

Like Betty said, It's gonna be a bumpy ride. You, Dear Reader, are welcome to FOLLOW along for these next five weeks and see how it goes. We'd appreciate your COMMENTS, too.

Anniepie Miller provided the pics. Rumor has it she has VIDEO!

Kimber Farrar-Hopkins, who is Emily's Legacy Rescue, pulled these guys from the lock up at the 11th hour.

Jan Herzog provided transportation and got our guys into the Road to Forever-Love on Wheels program for a fresh beginning through Helping Hounds Dog Rescue.

I'm Jim Miller. I string words together.

Our thanks to all the above and to all of you, Dear Readers, for being a part of what we do.