Puppies growing and learning

Just as every dog is unique, so is every puppy. Layer on top of that, the foster or shelter experience of that litter. We do the best that we can, we learn, and next time we do better.

Look at that pile – 11 unique beings ready to be noticed for their individuality and nurtured to be the best they can be.

That takes time. Time is one secret ingredient.

I dream of the day when the animal welfare world financially compensates foster homes. It is very hard work, very time-consuming. For example, tonight, each one of these 11 bundles of joy decided to poop, at the same time. We celebrated that the poop didn’t happen on their bed! And then we, 3 of us, sprang into action to remove poop, remove the soiled pads, prepare a meal for them, spread clean towels on which they would enjoy their feast, monitor to ensure each ate in peace, cleaned up more poop, changed bedding, asked Alexa to play waves crashing for enrichment.

It happens in the moment, and is not on any kind of schedule/timeline that humans are attuned to.

So, I know that grey collared pup LOVES LOVES LOVES his food. He swims in it, he eats more and longer than any of the others. I know thap purple collar and orange collar hang back, ‘waiting their turn’ – hence the switch to individual bowls so everyone has their ‘own’. I know that brown collar likes to graze – ok, now we need to leave some food around, after the others have fallen asleep.

That’s today. Everything can change tomorrow. But the more I observe, the more aware I am of individual differences, the more ‘seen’ these individual puppies are and the more they thrive.

I am in love and exhausted and completely in my comfort zone.