May 31, 2007
Part 1
Here are some pictures of Bree and Strongheart's puppies, taken yesterday afternoon. They are two days short of four weeks old. This is one cuddly and affectionate bunch. I am so pleased with them. It was their first time outside and they handled it in stride. Mostly, they got sleepy. At this age, their time of wakefulness is still so very short.
Part 2
Here are some more pictures of Bree and Strongheart's pups. As you scroll down, you will see that we decided to give them each a bath. They also got a toenail trim. Notice how calm they are. Each one was like a little rag doll as I bathed them. At the bottom, you will see a picture of a wolf cub. Yesterday, before we took our pups out, the kids (human) and I went to see The Wolf People, a local store and education program centering on Timber and Artic Wolves. To our delight, they brought the wolf cubs into the store while we were there. These cubs were born May 2, three days before Bree and Strongheart's pups, giving us a good comparison. It was amazing. Though just slightly larger, there was no similarity. The wolf cubs held their bodies taut as we cuddled them. No, "cuddling" is the wrong word--these guys didn't have "cuddle" in their vocabulary. The wolf cubs were strong. You could feel the energy and muscle in their stiff little bodies. The people told me that they had been handled often since birth. How amazing to see the difference from a wild animal to a domestic dog. Don't be fooled, wolves are not pets. It was amazing!
Look at how relaxed her body is. This bath didn't phase any of these confident little pups. They are lovebugs.
a nestle of puppies all wrapped up in towels to warm up after their bath
and then a nap
first meal. In the future, it would be wise to bathe them after their first meal. Following this big time, they returned to their freshly pinechipped whelping box, all ready for their new stage in life as weaning begins.
Here is the wolf cub. Hannah tried to hold him similar to the puppy picture hold we do here. Notice how his little paws refused to relax. There was NO CUDDLING with this fellow.
Here is a female wolf. The caretaker says that it is impossible to train a wolf. They tolerate you or they don't. We had our little Cairn Terrier, Mary Lou, with us. We thought we would just run in and out as this is a local store, but as we ended up talking--imagine that--we had to bring her in before the car got too hot. Though we could pet this wolf through the chain link, both adult wolves wanted to eat Mary Lou. They whined their hungry whine. Mary Lou did not have a very good time.
So now if you come to visit, you can add "The Wolf People" on your list of places to stop by.
Some more pup pictures.
Domestication is a wonderful thing! Enjoy your weekend!
Elizabeth