Gingers puppies are growing so fast that it seems like I can
see the difference in size from one day to the next. She’s trying to wean them, but still offers
food at least once per day. When she
jumps into the pen to feed them, they nearly tackle her in their wild efforts to
get at the “breastaraunt”. We are amazed
at how gentle she can be when they are ravenously seeking food. That being said, she does have moments when
she refuses to feed and the pups have to learn that when she refuses, she means
it!
It’s very interesting to watch and sometimes it's hard not to
interfere. Ginger is a very kind and gentle
mother but when she’s firm it’s difficult for us to just sit on our hands and let her do her
thing. The only reason we’re able to do
this is that we trust Ginger to do whatever is necessary to raise her
pups. She has shown us that she is a
great mom, so we just have to trust her and let nature take its course.
Elsewhere in this newsletter you’ll find an article about
anthropomorphism. Ginger’s handling and
care of her puppies is a good example of an area where our human tendency to
anthropomorphize could lead to trouble.
Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that no matter how much we love
her and the pups, they are not human and we are not dogs. Nature has provided Ginger with all the
instincts she needs to be an excellent mom.
All we need to do is provide food and shelter (and a whole lot of
clean-up!) and Ginger does the rest.
As the puppies become more independent, we begin to see
their individual personalities develop. Some of
you have been watching the pups on our webcam and you’ve probably noticed this
too. There are different levels of
boldness, curiosity, food drive and other behaviors. Just when you think you have them figured out,
they’ll change and then you have to start all over, trying to decide which one
is the alpha, who is the wallflower, who is the biggest eater, etc. They are changing so fast that it’s hard to
keep track.
Six of the nine pups are sold at this point so there are
only 3 left. The new guardians have
spent a lot of time deciding on their new companions. I’m sure that whichever puppy they have
chosen they will have a wonderful friend for many years to come.
Kaia’s pregnancy is progressing nicely. Her litter is expected on May 22. We’ll keep you posted about her progress and
you’ll be able to watch her pups on the webcam too.
