Dale Melsness & Rick Rocheleau -- email: dmelsness@aol.com
The puppies are six weeks old today and ready to jump out of their smaller pen.
Time to change over to the deeper wading pool for their next several weeks.
Golden girl: 3 lb 1 oz
Little girl: 2 lb 5 oz
Dark boy: 3 lb 4 oz
Day 41 - Golden girl is a sweetheart.
Day 39 - Taking a break after playing.
Day 37 - Wrestling match!
Day 36 - At five weeks of age, the puppies have become quite active,
playing with each other and interacting with their surroundings.
"Puppy gruel" has become their main food, supplemented by Mom's milk.
Golden girl: 2 lb 8 oz
Little girl: 2 lb
Dark boy: 2 lb 11 oz
Fifteen Frenchies enjoyed the perfect weather for our May Frenchie "Walk" at the
Robinswood Park off-leash area in Bellevue. Click here for a larger version of the photo.
The puppies are four weeks old today.
They are continuing to gain weight, and Button continues to be a loving mother.
Golden girl: 31 ounces (1 lb 15 oz)
Little girl: 25 ounces (1 lb 9 oz)
Dark boy: 36 ounces (2 lb 4 oz)
Day 28 - The puppies have begun to eat from a flat dish.
They got a few tastes, liked it, and then came back to the dish to lap up some more.
Day 25 - After a busy day of walking around the pen and getting their
first taste of food from a dish, the babies have decided it's bedtime!
Day 24 - The puppies are interacting with each other a lot more,
and they are starting to respond to people's voices.
Day 23 - The lunch rush when Mom arrives.
Day 21 - Three weeks old, and the boy is so happy that he has his ears up this morning!
Golden girl: 27 ounces
Little girl: 20 ounces
Dark boy: 29 ounces
Day 20 - The girls have developed interesting blazes on their heads.
Day 18 - Right on schedule, all the puppies are up and "walking" around.
The next few days are always fun ones as the puppies begin to stumble around
and become more aware of their surroundings and of each other.
All of the puppies are healthy and strong and eating well,
and Button continues to be a great mom.
Golden girl: 24 ounces
Little girl: 18 ounces
Dark boy: 26 ounces
Day 16 - Sleep, eat, sleep some more. It's a good life!
Day 15 - Morning yawns!
Day 14 - How do they bend their backs like that?
Golden girl: 21 1/4 ounces
Little girl: 14 3/4 ounces
Dark boy: 23 ounces
Day 13 - "z z z z z - ah, lunch was good - z z z z z - wonder what's for dinner -
z z z z z - got to remember to call the nail salon for an trim appointment -
z z z z z - I think I ate too much for lunch - z z z z z"
Day 12 - The pigment is starting to come in on both girls' faces.
Golden girl: 18 3/4 ounces
Little girl: 13 ounces
Dark boy: 20 1/2 ounces
Day 11 - Both the girls' eyes opened today.
Golden girl: 18 1/4 ounces
Little girl: 12 1/2 ounces
Dark boy: 19 1/8 ounces
Day 10 - Eyes are starting to open!
Golden girl: 17 1/8 ounces
Little girl: 11 3/8 ounces
Dark boy: 17 7/8 ounces
Day 9 - A mid-meal nap.
Golden girl: 15 1/4 ounces
Little girl: 10 3/4 ounces
Dark boy: 16 3/8 ounces
Day 8 - Breakfast done... time for super-Mom's lick baths!
Golden girl: 13 1/4 ounces
Little girl: 9 1/8 ounces
Dark boy: 14 ounces
Day 7 - But, butt, butt...
Golden girl: 12 1/4 ounces
Little girl: 8 1/4 ounces
Dark boy: 12 3/4 ounces
Day 6 - First yawns!
Golden girl: 11 1/4 ounces
Little girl: 7 5/8 ounces
Dark boy: 11 1/2 ounces
Day 5 - The puppies are growing quickly, and mom is loaded with milk.
The little girl is still quite a bit smaller, but she continues to gain weight every day.
Golden girl: 10 1/4 ounces
Little girl: 6 7/8 ounces
Dark boy: 10 3/8 ounces
Day 4 - What a face!
Day 3 -
Full tummies, then an after-breakfast pile-up!
Golden girl: 8 3/8 ounces
Cream boy: 6 3/4 ounces
Little girl: 5 1/4 ounces
Dark boy: 7 3/4 ounces
Day 2 - The puppies and Button are doing great. She's very attentive
and careful, and the puppies are all nursing heartily.
Some of the puppies lost a little weight in their first day, which is typical.
Golden girl: 7 3/4 ounces
Cream boy: 7 1/8 ounces
Little girl: 4 3/4 ounces
Dark boy: 7 ounces
April 3, 2012 - Button gave birth this evening to four beautiful puppies.
Here they are, just a few minutes old.
Golden girl: 8 ounces
Cream boy: 6 3/4 ounces
Little girl: 4 3/4 ounces
Dark boy: 7 1/4 ounces
Button's puppies are due any day now.
It was a perfect April day for the start of our ninth year of Frenchie walks.
Seven Frenchies enjoyed a sunny and very busy afternoon in Seward Park.
Great grandmas Phoenix and Gertie
are enjoying the return of mild and sunny days.
Maxx's recovery continues to go well. Less than two weeks after surgery,
he went for a 1-block walk. He's still wobbly, but almost
every day is a little bit better than the last.
Maxx is glad to be home from the animal hospital.
And we're VERY happy with how well he is recovering from his surgery so far.
He seems to have control over everything in his hindquarters, though he's pretty wobbly.
The pants allow us to support his rear end so he can walk and do his business.
Maxx is recovering from spinal surgery after falling and rupturing a disc.
It's been about 48 hours since the surgery, and he's starting to return to
his old self. He's able to to stand up with some help, and he was very happy
when we brought him his favorite bed. He's even shared his vocal stylings with the staff.
We are hopeful that he will make a full recovery.
At our cabin in the Cascades, there's about 7 feet of snow on the ground.
Where it slid off the roof, it's about 18 feet deep!
Gertie had a great time bounding through the snow like a dolphin.
We are saddened to learn that Maxx's sister Roxanne passed away
unexpectedly last week. We're grateful to Geoff and Mac for giving her
a loving home for the last eight years.
It just doesn't matter how many beds are available.
The dogs all want to sleep on the same one!
Maxx and his mama Phoenix, sharing a bed under the desk.
Dexter experienced his first snow this week and has been having fun playing in it.
But of course, as soon as the camera came out, he decided he'd had enough!
Time to go back inside and warm up.
Rudy, six months old, is quite the poser when it comes time for pictures.
He'll be heading off to his new home very soon. Watch for him in the show ring!
Happy New Year to you, and Happy 8th Birthday to Maxx,
who was born on New Year's Day in 2004.
Recent pictures of the week ...