Adventures with the Gemstones

The Gemstones puppies are two and a half weeks old, and already their collars had to be changed twice because they've grown so much! Their eyes and ears are now open. Crystal, their breeder caretaker, sleeps downstairs with them, and before their ears opened, she had plenty of time to get ready for the day after her alarm went off. After all, the pups slept right through her alarm since they couldn't hear it. Now that their ears are open, though, they're squeaking for attention as soon as the alarm goes off.



The puppies have already started solving problems. They figured out how to almost escape the whelping box. If they had been a little bit bigger, they would have succeeded! They discovered that if they used their brothers and sisters as stepping stools, as well as the PVC pipe that lined the inside wall, they could get their front legs all the way outside the box. Needless to say, Crystal removed the PVC pipe so the pups didn't escape and get lost!

Pearl is taking such good care of her puppies. She certainly has her own way of doing things, though. Most mothers lay down to nurse. But not Pearl. Instead, she sits and the puppies pile on top of each other to nurse. The puppies also have their own spin on nursing. Puppies typically lay on their stomachs to nurse. If it becomes necessary to bottle feed puppies, you would hold them on their stomachs to feed them, which ensures that the formula goes down the right pipe. The Gemstones, however, have been known to nurse on their backs!

We're sure that as these puppies continue to grow, we'll have lots more stories!