To the childhood song of “ten little Indians”
One little, two little, three little whippet pups
Four little, five little, six little whippet pups
Seven little, eight, little nine little whippet pups
Oh geez, I’m not typing all that out.
I’m down to a mere 15 puppies. The ones in new homes are thriving in South Carolina, frolicking in green grass, and the three in Wisconsin and Illinois are dealing with the same winter as I have here, hopefully just a bit milder. The puppies who flew to SC walked out of their crate and greeted their new family as if they’d done this before.
I have banished them from the main living level of my house and re-claimed the space for human occupation. This is the living room/kitchen and room off the kitchen prior to cleaning it up.
Repairs to the underside of the love seat – they tore the lining to climb inside. But, they are ever helpful!
The kitchen after a play period.
It’s nineteen below zero actual temperature and dangerous windchills of -50 are the forecast for the day. Whippets are not hot house plants – they are a sturdy breed and the idea of these puppies never having been outside of the house really bothers me. However, they are making up for their lack of access to the yard by turning my work area into a fun zone. Fun for them, not so fun for me, but doable. Step over the x-pen into the swirling brindle hoard of ankle nippers to get to my cutting counter. Cut some orders out, twitching my legs to keep the teeth out of my jeans and step back over the x-pen into the relative safety of my sewing/computer area. I picture a horse in a pasture, switching flies with their tail. Wish I had a tail.
The fearsome puppy zone upstairs. 20 x 18 feet of sheer chaos. Kitty litter, nasty towels and blankets and of course, PUPPIES.
They are now in my work area where I keep puppies once they are about seven – eight weeks old where they are introduced to the doggie door and have a wonderful side yard just for them to play.
However, temperatures dictate that the outdoor yard is off limits for the foreseeable future. So, my downstairs adults are getting a dose of puppies at play. I let them take over the entire downstairs area, including the adults’ dog room. It’s rather amusing to see two adult males and several adult females, including the mama dogs, just wading through them with no problem. Good for the puppies because while the adults are tolerant, the puppies are also learning manners in their interactions.
I love this breed. Who else could mix and mingle 15 little hoodlums with adults and have it work?
On the other hand, will the weather ever break?
I could use a break.
