Shelby's Puppies

I wrote this big announcement about the new puppies 2 months ago and haven't said a word since then. I sooooo enjoyed the puppies. This is the first time in my life that I've actually had a dog that I have planned for them to have a litter. I was completely blown away when she had SEVEN!!! Shelby only weighs 15 lbs. and is about 14-15 inches tall. Not only did she have 7 little darlings, but they were so chubby and healthy.



For the first few weeks, they would nurse, sleep in a pile in a big box, nurse, sleep in a pile, etc. When they were about 4 weeks old and too big and lively for the box, I put them in a kiddie pool until they could climb out of it. Then, we gated them in a small out-of-the-way corner of our kitchen. A vinyl floor covering was key to their location.



Every evening, my husband, mom, son, and I would hold one or two at a time. We played with them as often as we could. My big ol' softy of a husband would actually lay down on the floor and play with them while I cleaned the floor where they had been. It was the cutest thing to put them back into their "pen" and watch them play.



But.........it was not possible to keep 7 puppies in the house any longer and we were getting very attached to them. So, when they were 6 weeks old, I put an ad in the local paper. I had 2 of them sold by word of mouth. The other 4 sold in less than a week. I am sooooo grateful that each of them have gone to really good homes. That was important to me. A young couple (I had had the girl in school a few years back) bought one; the others have all gone to homes with young children or with grandchildren near by.



So far, I know the names of 4 of them, including the one we kept. They are Brutus, Cooper, Buster, and Ethan's baby is Gunnar.



It was a lot of work taking care of them, especially with Mike and I both working everyday. But, I loved every minute of it. Mini-schnauzers have a wonderful disposition, anyway. We now have Shelby and her son, Gunnar. We are all acting like we have a toddler in the house and enjoying it, too! The "Magnificent Seven" was certainly worth the time and trouble.