Are You Ready to Name Some Puppies?

You’re on puppy watch! In anticipation of her puppies, the puppy cam for SSD Kirby’s puppies is already set up, and SSD Scotia’s puppy cam will be set up soon. We’re expecting both litters in the middle of September.

While we’re waiting for the puppies to make their debut, we need your help naming them! We will need male and female names for both Kirby’s and Scotia’s pups.

Kirby’s theme is Country Capitals. Her puppies will be named after the capitals of countries around the world.

Scotia’s litter is going to be the Puppies from Down Under. These pups will be named after all things Australian.

Please post your name suggestions in the comments. You can suggest as many names as you would like.

Thank you for being part of these puppies’ journey!

Help us name Dee's puppies!

Who are your heroes? A president, teacher or an activist? Perhaps your hero is a musician, a scientist or an artist.

We'd like to know who your heroes are! SSD Dee is going to give birth to her puppies in early May, and the theme of her litter is American Heroes. We need your help to create a list of names for these puppies!

We're looking for names of real people, not fictional characters. When you suggest a name in the comments, tell us a little bit about that person and why you think they're a hero.

You may suggest more than one name. Don't forget to suggest both male and female names. We don't know exactly how many puppies Dee will have! We'll announce the puppies' names when they're born in early May.

This will be Dee's first litter and so far, she's doing great! When you look at her, you can definitely tell she's going to have puppies. She recently visited the Milton Hershey School, and her breeder caretakers had to adjust her service dog harness.

She still gets plenty of exercise, although her breeder caretakers have cut back her exercise to three short walks during the day instead of one long 40 minute walk. Dee tires easily and needs frequent naps and potty breaks. Now that the weather is warming up, her breeder caretakers are being very careful to make sure she doesn't become overheated.

To help her get ready for motherhood, they set up the whelping box. Several times a day, Diane, one of Dee's breeder caretakers, puts some treats in the whelping box to encourage her to feel comfortable there. Dee will give birth in the whelping box, and her puppies will spend several weeks there. It's very important that she feel as if the whelping box is her space.

One week before her due date, Diane will start taking Dee's temperature several times a day. Temperature is one way that we determine when a dog is going to give birth. A dog's normal temperature is between 101 and 103 degrees. When it drops to 98 degrees, we know that labor will start soon, and we keep an even closer eye on her.

We will keep you updated on Dee and her puppies. Don't forget to suggest names in the comments!

Win the Rights to Name an SSD Puppy!

Would you like to name an SSD puppy?

You'll have the opportunity to win the rights to name an SSD puppy in the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community!

The individual or team that raises the most money for Susquehanna Service Dogs in the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community will win the rights to name one of our puppies. You must be registered for the Walk in order to be eligible to win.

Our goal is to raise $20,000 - the actual cost of raising and training one service dog. With your help, we'll reach our goal!

Register for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community.

The Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community takes place on May 14 on City Island in Harrisburg, PA. The 5k walk begins at 9 a.m. and the one-mile fun walk starts at 9:15 a.m. Visit our website for more information.