The video below is a normal occurrence around here now. Sylvia still isn’t quite used to the new puppies, but she’s starting to play with them just a bit. It took quite a while before we could get any video of this cause every time we reached for the camera, she ran away. Even after I got hold of the camera, I had to move away slowly to keep her from freaking out. So, the quality isn’t great, but you get the idea.
This is quite normal behavior whenever Tag and Kyra are sleeping. They’re almost always touching and are often piled on top of each other somehow. That’s part of the reason we couldn’t separate them.
So, don’t ever try to take two dogs and a cat to the vet at the same time. Especially if they haven’t met each other yet. We went in the dog side (the vet has a cat waiting area and a dog waiting area, one on either side of the reception desk) since the puppies were loose and Sylvia was in her carrier. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone else out there at the time. We definitely didn’t need to encounter a dog that wasn’t friendly towards cats.
Kyra pretty much hid under the bench or curled up next to our feet, but Tag was out wandering all over. Sylvia, meanwhile, was either cowering in her crate or growling at the two puppies. We finally took them all into an exam room together. Kyra and Tag were placed on the table and Sylvia was set on a bench back in the corner. Both puppies took the whole thing quite well, except for when Tag backed away and slid off the table, but we caught him before he hit. Tag ended up weighing 14.8 lbs, and Kyra weighed 13.2. We were still thinking around 10 lbs. She may be quite a bit smaller than him, but she’s apparently a lot more solid.
They both got clean bills of health, though one of the puppies has roundworm, so we’re having to give them pills. The only scary portion of the day was when the vet tech said that Kyra looked like she had some Saint Bernard in her. I certainly don’t need that big of a dog.
When it came time for Sylvia to be examined, we took the puppies back out to the waiting area and Brian watched them. But, Sylvia wouldn’t come out of her crate, so we had to upend it and dump her out. She got a clean bill of health too, but really struggled during the rabies shot. She also carried on hissing and growling whenever she heard any other animals, so they weighed her in her crate to make sure she didn’t freak out out of the room near other animals. She came in at 11 lbs exactly, so she’s already outweighed by both puppies. I then took her straight out to the car and came back to pay and help retrieve puppies since at that point there were quite a few other dogs there and we can’t carry all three at once anyways. The puppies were quite nervous about their first visit outside and all the noises that came with it, not to mention they didn’t care for their new collars or being on the leash.
I think Sylvia’s already showing them who’s boss though. The vet said it could be up to a month before she was comfortable being in the same room with them, even if elevated away from them. But tonight while we were at the table eating dinner, she hopped up on the kitchen counter (which she had only ever done late last night since the puppies arrived) and peered down at them, watching them play. She is used to my parents dog, though their dog doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘play’, so these two are quite a bit more rambunctious than she’s used to. They finally noticed her and Kyra came over to say hi and Sylvia instantly started growling. Both puppies were still interested, but backed off appropriately. I’m pretty sure she’s going to be the dominate one, and that’s OK by me. I’m hoping one of the females is in order to help keep him from both spraying to mark his territory and humping to assert dominance. Time will tell I suppose.
The newest additions to the family. Kyra (pronounced the same as Keira) is on the left with the black nose. Tag is on the right with the brown and white nose. They’re not quite 9 weeks old. They were born on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Kind of a strange story how we got them. Mr. B’s roommate’s girlfriend’s sister (did you get all that?) found a stray black lab. When they were unsuccessful in finding her owner, she wanted to adopt her, but being in med school and in a little apartment, she couldn’t keep her. Mr. B’s roommate adopted her, and when he took her to get spayed, found out she was already having a litter. Seven puppies later, these were the only two brown ones. And they were inseparable. Even before their eyes were open. Well the little boy, Tag, bonded to Mr. B almost immediately. So there was no getting the two of them away from each other. And of course, we couldn’t leave little Kyra behind. She’s a sweet little girl. Polar opposites actually. He’s bold and outgoing. She’s shy and timid. But they’re both adorable.
We picked them up on Friday afternoon and took them to the vet. We’re having a few issues trying to get them adjusted to Sylvia, but so far, so good. They’re romping and rolling all over the kitchen. Thankfully, they’re all tired out right now, but we’re going to have to go wake them up before long so we can tired them out again before putting them to bed for the night.
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