Daily observations of my simple life.

Wailing wind and puppies.

Tuesday, storm clouds were on the horizen. How beautiful it all looks with the lights and shadows on the mountains. I got busy after unloading my pickup and replacing the water tank, hauling water. I watered all my trees. I told Frank , "I'm making sure it will rain." Grin. Never fails.

Frank was busy changing the oil on my motorhome and I was thinking about my trip later in the week. After spending a busy morning outdoors watering everything, the wind was picking up, so I planned a quiet afternoon in the house. I started sorting and filing my mail when the phone rang. It was my daughter. She was upset because her dog had had puppies in a tunnel she dug under an old trailer. They had found two of the puppies at the head of the tunnel  cold and almost dead, but couldn't reach her dog and she was afraid she might be in trouble. Could I take the two puppies and raise them as she worked and couldn't give them the attention. Emergency plans were laid and I headed up to her house. They spent three hours before dark trying to dig her dog out while the rain began. We snuggled the puppies up and I took off for home but first I needed to find something to feed them with. Got a bottle of visine,  cleaned it out very good and made a small bottle for the pups. Next I got on line and looked up orphaned puppies to see what I should feed them. It told me to keep them warm, 90 degrees, wipe their little bottoms with warm water on cotton balls to stimulate elimination, and  feed  milk with egg yolks every two hours. I didn't realize how like real babies puppies are. They cry. All night long I set the alarm two hours ahead for the next feeding, while the wind kept up a constant wail. 

 Early morning beside the wailing constant wind I could hear the rain burst from the sky in buckets. I was up to take my grandson to the bus stop between feedings and crying babies.  I felt like a mother raising twins. At the bus stop we were met with beautiful double rainbows. What a sight. I fed Cheriki and then  the rest of my animals in the rain.  I ran to the feed store and got some puppie colostrum and formula and a syringe. I also priced a panel gate for the horse corral. Whew, cost more than all six of the panels I got at the salvage yard. I'll make do.  Then back home where the routine continued. My neighbor called mid afternoon and said bring them over she thought her dachound who was just weaning her pups might take the puppies. It's pouring rain, really pouring.  I wrapped the basket all round with blankets with the babies all wrapped inside the basket with wool shirts. One of the puppies took right to the mother and the other was not strong enough to nurse so I left one puppy with my neighbor and decided to try to hand feed the other, hoping it would make it. Orphaned pups have a hard time surviving if they don't get the colostrum.

Got the pup home under my shirt and was resting for a bit getting dry when my daughter called. She was on her way home from work and they were going to try to dig her dog out again, if there were any more pups would I take them?  I told her about the neighbors dog and yes we'd try to save them.  About an hour later my daughter called and said, Chelsea's in the house with three pups, we got her out. She's happy and nursing her pups. We couldn't figure out why she had pushed the two out of the den but shes' a first time mom. She is half wolf so that explains the den but she seemed confused about the procedures it seems. In the storm one of the pups was laying in water and she didn't think it would survive. In the drenching rain I went for the pup at my neighbors and we got them all back to mom. Last we talked they were nursing and Chelsea was accepting them.

That will be a day to remember. I 'm starting to wonder if my simple life is not so simple. The rain just poured down, so glad I watered my trees, grin.

My poor horse and donkey it was raining so hard. Guess the barn and corral are the next project.  One thing the post holes will be easy to dig now that the ground is soaked.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 14:01 | link | comments (2)

Comments:

#1  21 October 2004 - 14:12

 

Reunited with their mama, and a dachsund wet nurse, wow! Simple and dramatic.

Leigh

#2  24 October 2004 - 10:53

 

That was one long day. Thanks for the story. You're right, life isn't all that simple, but it sure is nice when things that look really bad turn out okay.

I love to read your blog and others that remind me of the way I used to live, when life was hectic in a different way. Thank you.

InMyLife

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