This is a bittersweet post to write.
Bitter because we lost our sweet Moxie to complications after the birth of her puppies. We have been grieving the loss of a very dear family pet. We miss the wagging tail when we come home, the way she rubbed through our legs in a good morning hug and her mid-dream sleep howls. Sadness is particularly hard when you don't have your faithful friend to console you - Moxie was always the shoulder to cry on and the constant presence through pain for all of us.
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| Moxie took a loooong nap on the couch the day before she went into labor. |
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| Moxie had a friend in the whelping box with her when labor began. |
So for those of you who took one of Moxie's previous pups home with you after the loss of your own dear pet, we understand how you felt and are doubly glad today that your home is once again full of "Airedale-ness."
There is sweetness still in our home in the form of three really great pups. They were born healthy and strong and were even able to nurse a few times before we lost Moxie. They seem to be thriving on puppy formula and are gaining weight and progressing through developmental milestones at the same rate that our previous litters have.
We have two girls and one boy. We have been planning all along to keep a female knowing that this would be Moxie's last litter. So we have just one male and one female looking for families.
Their eyes are open and they are making us laugh with their "drunken sailor" first attempts at walking and running. They are testing out their vocal cords and surprise themselves every now and then with a cute little growl or bark. It's sweet to find a little dark-eyed face looking up at us from their box when it's feeding time!
The pups were born January 27th and will be ready to go to their new homes the end of March. They will have been wormed and have had immunizations. Since there are just three we are already able to do some preliminary potty training with them and are hopeful that they will have a good start before they leave our home. We also have plans to invite a couple of Moxie's best doggie friends over every now and then to play with the pups and give them chances to socialize with big dogs.
The last few weeks have been a blur of sadness, round the clock puppy care, and smiles brought about by sweet puppy kisses. If you have contacted us via phone or email and haven't heard back from us yet, we apologize - messages may have fallen through the cracks. Please contact us again.
We are looking forward to placing these two puppies in great homes soon!
