Growing Chihuahuas

It's almost unbelievable how quickly puppies grow and change. Just three short weeks ago, we were still bottle feeding the pups and holding our breath, hoping they would all stay healthy. We made it through tummy troubles, constipation, breathing trouble, and getting the right temperature.

I'm no longer thrilled to see puppy poop.

I'm also no longer worried about whether they'll survive and thrive. The first two weeks were a wee bit stressful. If they did not nurse well, I was sure I had done something wrong and had killed them. If they didn't poop for days, I was sure I had fed them wrong and had killed them. One refused the formula and didn't eat for two days. I finally gave him a spoonful of yogurt, even though I was afraid it might kill him. He lapped it up and decided life was okay.

At five weeks, the puppies are sleeping through the night (HOORAY), eating from a dish (CHEERS), relieving themselves without my help (YES), wrestling with each other, following us around the kitchen, and snuggling into our laps. They have their own unique personalities.

In alphabetical order: (Photos by Emma Reinhart)



Benedick or Bennie for short - Emma says he's like Rolly from 101 Dalmatians. He's always hungry and will eat until he's circular, if we let him. He has a sensitive tummy at times, so we watch how much he eats. He's our gentlest giant, weighing in at 2 lbs 1 oz at 5 weeks. He is the lightest color of all the pups and there's something about him that makes him seem half chihuahua and half labrador.

Bertram or Bertie for short - Bertie has one ear up and one ear down. He's the strongest, most active, most attentive, and healthiest in the litter. No food bothers him. No person is too tall to try and climb. He comes when he's called, seems to know his name, and gives kisses on command. He is muscular already. 

Franklin - Franklin started out as the smallest, though he and Hamilton are about the same size now. Franklin has a cleft paw (front right) which sometimes give him kind of a prancing walk. He was the last to get his teeth, but the first to find his growl! He will put up with wrestling games with his brothers for only so long, then watch out. I suspect Franklin would not tolerate young children well... though he's been fine with our grandchildren.









Hamilton or Hammie for short - Hammie is the one who turned up his nose at the formula and lost ground for awhile. He's caught up and has probably overtaken Franklin as far as weight goes. Hammie is our explorer. All the pups follow us, but where's Hamilton? Off to another corner to see what's there and see if it's good to eat.








We've already had a number of people ask us about adopting the pups. They won't be ready for a few weeks yet, but if you want more information, the rescue organization is:

Life is Better Rescue*
PO Box 19159
Denver, CO 80219
info@lifeisbetterrescue.org

There are many dogs and cats, puppies and kitten who need to find their forever homes. These four won't have any trouble! If you are looking to add a dog or cat to your family, be sure to go through a rescue organization.

*from the rescue contact page: Life is Better Rescue is a foster based rescue. All animal showings are done via appointment or at our Pet Smart adoption partner store when animals are ready to adopt. Our mailing address listed above is a post office box only; there are not any animals to view there.

As we are a rescue based solely on the work of volunteers, please be patient when trying to reach us. Email communication is preferred and usually warrants a faster reply, but in some cases it may take us up to 72 hours to respond. Thank you for understanding and your interest in rescue.