Significant Events, such as the Birth of Puppies

Last weekend was very eventful. Where do I begin?

Friday was probably the most eventful of these past few days. *Here is how it went:

*If you are queezy and weak in the stomach, and you do not want the detailed story of the puppy birthing process, please feel free to skip over the next few paragraphs (story is separated by lines) and move on to the abridged version which will be less detailed, i.e. less greusome. Otherwise, read on, and enjoy the narrative.

_____________________________

The Greusome Tale of the Dead Puppies

Except it is no tale. It is true to life, as true as you are sitting there reading this account of how the puppies came and went.

It was a calm evening, or well, it began that way. I was at Jake & Janelle's for an evening of easy and relaxing companionship. Adrianna, Dan, and I had gone to the big sale at the AC, at which I bought a puzzle (a new attempt at my ongoing search and journey to find a hobby of my own). We went on to the Snyder household where Janelle and I began working diligently on the 500 piece project. It still sits there, waiting to be put together, for just as we were concentrated into the work which we had endeavored to complete that very night, the phone rang. We thought nothing of it - although I always notice how strange the song sounds that the Snyders have programmed to be their ringer. I think it's a children's folk song... I always forget what it is until I hear it again. Anyway, the phone rang.

Adrianna and Dan had left early that night. When they returned to the 14-plex, our beloved turquoise apartment building, they found my loving black dog, Starr, in a state of distress. This is what they recounted to Jake, and then to me, over the telephone, "You're dog is in labor. She's bleeding, I think. Yeah, there's definitely blood. Just wanted to let you know." Immediately I freaked out. I made Jake rush me home in the truck. I left everything I had brought, including the undone puzzle, and a puzzled Janelle, and I halfway prepared to be in the out of doors. As soon as we pulled up in front of the building, I jumped out and rushed inside where A & D had already brought Starr inside the hallway by way of a large cardboard box. She was very much herself for a few moments, excited to see me, too energetic to stay inside the box. We kept her inside, however, to save ourselves from what could end up being a nasty clean-up job.

Eventually we took her inside my apartment where I added to her box 2 old shirts, a bath towel, and a nasty pillow case. I also cut an opening in the box for her to have easy in and out access. We thought it a joyous event, so to enjoy the show properly we made popcorn and brought cameras and put on a movie. Clearly, this was our first time witnessing a dog give birth. Pictures were taken, videos were made, popcorn was eaten, jokes were said. But nothing could prepare us for what was to come.

Starr was restless. She needed to walk. She needed to pee. I took her outside a few times to let her do so. The third time I took her outside I decided to let her walk it out on the long chain and just stand inside and wait for her because it was friggin cold. As I was chaining her up, I heard a familiar voice call out to me, "Hey!" It was none other than Carrie on her walk home. Upon noticing me, she walked over smiling and asked what was going on.

"My dog is in labor."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah... crazy, huh?"

"She is pretty huge. Guess it's better now than when you're on break."

"For sure. I'm glad it's now."

"I'm so glad I'm not you right now."

"Thanks."

"What - what is that?" She pointed to a spot on the ground at which Starr was excessively interested.

"Oh, it's probably just poop." I had lost all hope that the puppies would be coming out before 2 a.m.

"No, I think it's a puppy."

"What??"



And so, as we got closer, we found that it was indeed a puppy. During our small talk, my dog had given birth. Carrie gently carried it inside with Starr following, leaking birthy watery stuff in the hallway of the apartmenet building (not my carpet, thank goodness). We put both mother and pup into the box where Starr proceeded to clean up the baby and do her mother dog thing. She's an experienced mother, so I was glad to let her do everything on her own. But as we watched the puppy lie there motionless, we began to feel the worst was true.



"I think..."

"Is it..."

"I think it's dead."

"Do you feel a heartbeat?"

"No. Yes... wait, no."

"It's dead."

"Odd."

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a little girl."

"What do I do with it?"

"Um, you could put it in the dump? Orr... the dump?"

"The dump."

Moments after we took from Starr her first puppy, we realized that she had in fact had a second pup. While watching her vigorously clean the small dog, we noticed her chewing on something. Suddenly Dan jerked back on the couch with a green-ish about-to-vomit expression on his face. Starr was eating her puppy.*

A & D looked sick to their stomachs. The event had just become less fun and more disturbing than anything we had ever seen in our short lives. Carrie said little, thinking it was just natural (which, as my note will tell you, it is). I found it funny - another moment of inappropriate laughter by Karis Koett, thank you very much - and began to laugh.

Eventually, after nothing was happening for quite some time, Carrie went home, and A & D left (after the movie had ended). I was left to deal with the dog and her pups alone. I wasn't worried. Soon, I fell asleep on the couch, watching and waiting. Once when I awoke in the middle of the night I found a strange stain on the floor that would not clean. It may have been the place she birthed a 3rd puppy and ate it, as well. I moved her bed into my room and slept the rest of the night there.

The next morning there were two more dead puppies in her bed. And on Sunday morning I found the 5th (possibly 6th) dead puppy in her cardboard box bed. The following reasons for these stillborn puppies have been proposed:

1. There was a mis-match in the compatability of mother and father dogs which caused the puppies to be sick inside of Starr, and her body forced them out.

2. There were too many puppies for her body to handle (she normally only has 3 - she is a small dog) and her body forced them out.

3. The puppies were born 2 weeks early, and none of them were ready to be out, and so they died immediately.

My belief is that it is a mix of numbers 2 and 3. There were too many, so her body forced them out, but it was too early, and so they died.

*The two reasons a mother dog might eat her puppy: 1) The puppy is sick and/or deformed anyway, so, as a part of natural selection, the mother will eat the puppy to save it from suffering. OR 2) The puppy is sick and contagious, so to save the rest of the litter from getting sick from the one puppy, the mother will eat that one sick puppy. Because of the stench of the puppy that was eaten, I tend to think the reasons that she ate it were of the nature of the second reason.

This is the end of the gross version of the dead puppy story.
___________________________

For those of you who chose to skip over the gross story, this is basically what happened:

All the puppies were born sick or dead. None of them survived puppy-birth. The end.

Starr has been very tired, but she is moving towards becoming herself again. Although she is still quite attached to me and insists on being close to me whenever possible, she is beginning to show signs of her old hyper-active self. What I have noticed most is that she is not eating or drinking much, she sleeps a lot more, and she is not waiting by the door for me the way she used to. Instead, she does not greet me until I have already come inside. Her sadness is still there, but she will soon be fine, I think.

Saturday was actually quite a busy day. There was a craft fair in the morning at which I finally got a real laundry hamper. I had been using a cardboard box. I'm very happy with my update. Adrianna and I went to go see a sled dog race, but we did not know where it was, and we decided not to walk out into nothing to look for it. This was good, because on the way back home I realized that I needed to pee really badly. A little later a bunch of people joined together for a cookie exchange. I had made gingerbread cookies at Patty's house on Wednesday. It took like, 5 hours, seriously. This is why I do not bake. Although the results are quite yummy, it is not a hobby I am likely to pick up just because of the prep time and the long-term effects on my body, i.e. 10 pounds per cookie. Anyway, there were tons of yummy treats. Here are some for you:





I spent the rest of the day at Carrie's trying to work on crafty things - we both have projects that needed to get done. She was working on her beautiful mosaic (sp?). And yes, that is actually a ghost behind the table there.



And I was trying to work on my Christmas cards, but somehow I kept losing focus and motivation. So some people might be getting a Christmas card in July or something, just because I am determined to finish what I start, because I need to. It just might be late. Anyway, crossword puzzles, good company, and a fantastic movie are also good things, right?

At the end of the day, I mostly like to play with my Eskimo yo-yo, which I am becoming quite good at. Aren't they cute? Little seal skin mukluks. :)



It has been getting significantly colder here. Last night it was near -20 degrees, and this morning it was around -25. My kids told me today that windchill was at -43. The sun has been out, though, so I have been trying to walk. I need to suck it up and walk to the post office no matter what. I don't think everyone feels the same way.

Norton Sound is frozen. It's beautiful. But as I read in this fantastic book, "The Cruelest Miles" (a book about the diptheria epademic in Nome which led to the creation of the Iditarod), I learned that the Sound is not really safe when it's frozen, though some have crossed it by dogsled, which is a gigantic risk. It's really fascinating. I recommend it highly if you want to learn more about the area. :)



Well, I am hugely ready for break, along with the entirety of the school. I can barely stay on task myself, let alone keep THEM on task. I'm just ready for a change. Again. (Stick with it, Karis...)

Good night.