The Jackson family thought that whelping a litter of puppies
in their home would be a fun thing to do.
Turns out, they were right.
The Jacksons are whelping their first litter of puppies, the
D litter. Dexter, Dory, Dudley, Duke, Delilah, Diesel, Dewey, and Diego just
turned six weeks old, and they’ve been living with the Jacksons since they were
three days old. The mom, GEB Boise from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, gave birth
to the eight puppies on June 25 at the SSD kennel.
“Who doesn’t want a litter of puppies in your house?” said
Jane Jackson. Besides seeing these adorable puppies sleeping and hearing their
little puppy noises when they dream, her favorite things about whelping a
litter is having puppy huggers visit her home and sharing information about
Susquehanna Service Dogs with them. She also loves watching the puppies make
progress. For example, one puppy wasn’t comfortable being alone, but then one day
did fine by himself. Another puppy walked along the teeter-totter and managed
to stay on all four paws.
Caring for a litter of puppies isn’t all puppy snuggles and
playtime, though. There’s a good bit of work involved. We keep track of a lot
of information about the pups, including their weight, and that means lots of
note-taking. And of course, they’re puppies, so there’s always something to
clean, whether it’s the whelping box, a puppy, or the puppies’ toys. The toys
and objects are rotated through the whelping box so the pups gain exposure to a
variety of new objects, and every time a toy is removed, it needs to be
cleaned.
Each day, the puppies need to be exposed to something new,
such as crate time, visiting other rooms, new toys and objects, and different
smells, surfaces, and sounds. The Jacksons have a white board with a to-do list
for the pups, as well as a chalkboard to keep track of which puppies have
already been taken care of. It’s different than raising one puppy, says Jane.
There are eight puppies to expose to clicker training.
“You don’t really have any idea what you’re getting into
until you actually do it,” she said. “It’s like having kids. There are certain
rules you have to follow for SSD, but you also have to figure out how to make
it easy for yourself. You need to think outside the whelping box.”
The Jacksons and the Wengers, another first-time whelping family
who’s caring for the “C” litter, have been paired with two of our experienced
whelpers. Susan Tyson and Diane Bohenick, both of whom have whelped numerous
litters for us, are just a phone call or text away, and they have lots of tips
for the first-time whelpers. For example, Susan suggested using baby food as a
treat for the puppies. That way, you can just dip your finger into the jar and
let the pups lick it off. Jane has been using chicken and rice or beef
vegetable baby food for the “D” puppies. Diane and Susan also suggested having
an outdoor space for the puppies.
Taking care of eight puppies is time-consuming, and our
other volunteers offered some tips that have been real time-savers. For example,
at least half of the whelping area is covered in newspaper, and this section
serves as a pottying area for the pups. We’re always collecting newspapers for
the puppies. However, one of our volunteers, Betsy Smith, rolls the newspaper
rather than folding it, which makes it very easy to grab one or two sheets. The
Jacksons also bought a large piece of vinyl to protect their hardwood floor in
the puppies’ area. A lot of people may be hesitant to whelp a litter because
they’re worried the puppies will mess up their house. But the puppies don’t
really mess up the house, said Jane.
“Susan and Diane made it look easy and fun,” said Jane. “And
the Ds are very laid back. They sleep a lot.”
Thank you to the Jacksons and the Wengers for taking care of
the “C” and “D” puppies for the first eight weeks of their lives!
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