New homes, new names

The Love Bugs are 10 weeks old tomorrow. The transition from the feeling that I bore the sole responsibility for the future well-being of Sophie's puppies to knowing that their new owners would love and care for them in the best way was an unexpectedly difficult and emotional one for me. In large part, I think this is because this is the first litter I raised. At least I hope it will be easier the next time. Now that the puppies have been in their new homes for a few days, I am at peace and truly thrilled with the bright prospect of their futures with their new families. (Not to mention that there are fewer piles to pick up in the backyard.)

Honeybee, Pooh Bear, now "Sylvie", was the first to go home about 10 days ago. She is going to have a full and wonderful life with Dan and Robin in the Sierra foothills, "puppy paradise" as Dan put it. She is already training for the circus, and I understand she is wearing out her sister Ollie, a 10 year old Boston Terrier.

Sylvie (was Honeybee, Yellow)

Big Red, Firefly, Not-so-big Red, now "Riley", went home with my brother Paul this past weekend. Riley is a superstar student and already sitting to greet new people. He is also adjusting to the cooler temperatures as long as he is wearing his "potty cozy".

Riley (was Red)

Blue, Cricket, now "Duke", is settling in with the Joyce family and his big brother, Cooper, a 12 year old vizsla. Cooper is a very sweet boy and taking good care of Duke. I am so happy that we are already setting up a puppy play date to visit Duke in a week or two.

Duke (was Blue)

Junebug, Junie B., Mouth, Slim, now "Juno", is staying home with me, Sophie and Volt. I think Volt is relieved that there is only one little monster now, but Juno and Sophie have definitely missed the rest of the puppies, as have I. (Sorry, no "go, er, staying home" picture. Juno is asleep and not cooperating for a good selfie.)

Juno (was Junebug, Orange)

8 week mugshots

The puppies are actually 9 weeks old now, but here are their 8 week mugshots.

Junebug (Orange)

Blue

Honeybee (Yellow)

Red

Foxtail season is already here

My nightmares consist of foxtails. Every year, between about May and November, the invasive foxtail plant drops dry seeds that are easily inhaled by vizslas. This year, due to the drought conditions here, they are drying out much earlier than usual. Because of their arrow-like shape and microscopic barbs, they are a one-way seed. The first sign that a foxtail has been inhaled is repeated, violent sneezing. Sometimes there is blood. But rarely are they sneezed out. More often, they lodge in the sinus cavity and cause an infection if not removed immediately or they are inhaled into the lungs. Several of my friends' dogs have inhaled foxtails (or other similar grass seed) into their lungs and ended up undergoing major surgery and losing part of the lung to remove the seed and damage caused by the seed. Other times the seeds can get into the ears and cause other major problems there. Even if it is just lodged in the sinus cavity, it is an expensive vet visit to get them removed. So, to avoid that inevitable scenario, I use the OutFox Field Guard on my dogs (size medium). Before I found this amazing product, every single one of my dogs has had to endure an inhaled foxtail. They might look funny, but it saves us all pain, time and money in the long run. With the goofy mask on they are still able to drink, see, and even fetch sticks and balls (although that wears out the seams on the mask sooner than usual wear). I highly recommend this product to anyone running their dogs in areas that have foxtails.

Sophie in her OutFox Field Guard