Thursday July, 18th - It was 8:30 in the morning and my day was planned. I had just returned home the night before from spending several days over my daughter's house. I was helping her get a nursary ready for her first baby, which is due Aug. 4th.
Reilly pups were not due for several more days, but it was getting close. It was time for me to finish setting up my living room with all the items needed for the whelping of her pups. They were due Sunday the 21st.
Nature being what it is, I knew this was cutting it very close, however, I was not too concerned as she was not showing any signs of a soon to be birth except for some nesting behavior which could go on for quite some time before the pups actually arrive. I felt confident all would be ready for her when she started whelping.
Wrong!
Just a half hour later, at 9:00 o'clock, my husband entered the family room where Reilly was resting, and found her quietly licking herself. He almost did not even notice anything unusual, except all my other dogs were crowding around her. He initially thought she was licking her paw but soon realized it was a puppy.
I proceeded to quickly lay down newspapers in her whelping box for her to deliver the rest of her pups. (Yes, Reilly, you must go into the whelping box - Thank you very much!) But before we could move Reilly there, puppy number 2, also decided to make his entrance. Whew, both pups were born within 5 minutes of each other. We quickly coaxed her into the whelping box with her new puppies, and the rest of the birthing process went very smoothly. When Reilly makes up her mind to have her babies, she does not fool around. All the 9 pups were born by noon. I hope my daughter is as fortunate.
They are all doing well.
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