Welcome to the three weeks update!
WEIGHTS FOR WEEK THREE:
ANDROS: 7 pounds even (!!!)
ASTRA: 6 pounds 7 oz
AJAX: 5 lbs 3.5 oz
The pups hit lots of new landmarks this past week! Their eyes are open, they are walking with only a little wobbling, their ears are open and they have learned to escape from the whelping box! For the first time, unfamiliar objects entered their nest--they were given their first toys, and a soft puppy bed. They also encountered some different surfaces to try walking on when they ventured out of their box into the weaning pen. Today, on their three weeks birthday, they were offered their first solid food and got the hang of it right away (except for Ajax, who swam in it...). :)
They are starting to play with each other, and to exhibit a little more personality. They are still not seeing very well--their vision can take almost a week to adjust to something approximating clarity. But now is when they start recognizing Kyrie, and we humans, and differentiating between us. It's a fascinating time in their lives! Let's look at some of the best shots from this week of development. :)
Part of the problem with introducing toys and a bed was that Kyrie thought those should be HERS! Several times I had to rescue a small puppy toy that she had carried away and hidden, one little stuffed chick lost a wing, and here in these shots you can see that even the little puppy bed has been appropriated by a much-too-big mamma dog!
Astra was the first pup to recognize that the toys I placed in the box were something that could be interacted with!! Here she is, queen of the toy-pile:
And crashed out on top of the monkey that Uncle John gave her:
Your weekly shot of the Napping Astra:
This one's amusing because it's so much like those photos of human babies naked on the rug--you know, the one your mom always embarrassed you with! Astra would like me to point out that at least SHE has fur on...
And here's another personality shot of our sweet, calm girl. She is still the one who loves to snuggle and be loved on, and the quietest one. She was the first one to figure out that the mush I made for them today was "food". ;)
Andros, the biggest pup, has in many ways been a bit of a late bloomer. His pure size and weight meant that he had to build up some serious muscle to be steady on his feet! Now that his vision is improving, though, his personality is really coming out--he was the first pup to figure out how to howl this week. :) Here is Andros giving you his best "Won't somebody out there give me a wonderful new home in a few weeks?" look. Ajax is telling him, "Don't worry, bro! I know we'll get super-nice forever homes!"
Andros is starting to show his goofy side. Here is his "dingo face" look, definitely ridiculous on a three-week-old puppy!!
Andros is quite the champ at escaping the whelping box nowadays! When he wants something (in most cases, a snack at the "Kyrie bar"!) he goes for it!
Andros was the first pup to figure out what the soft puppy bed was for, though his brother wasn't far behind!
Andros isn't terribly into the toys like Astra and Ajax, but he did figure out that some of them make great pillows!
Ahhh, little Ajax. Just call him "Mister Personality"!! What a face!
Ajax, like Astra, figured out that the toys were to play with and sleep on pretty quickly. He really likes the bigger toys better than the little ones. Here he is attempting to NOM NOM the Easter bunny:
And here he is with Kyrie's old stuffed squirrel. This is one of the only plush toys that remains from the time when Kyrie and Leo were pups. When they got older, they would tear the plush toys apart, and got more interested in hard chew bones and such, so Squirrel got put away. Now he is back, and Ajax loves him!
And it was pretty obvious what that puppy bed was for...
The vast majority of the pups' time is still spent sleeping, a necessary break from all that new stimulation they're experiencing.
We get a lot of "Ebony and Ivory" comments from our photos of Astra with the boys, so we thought you would enjoy this latest one: Shiloh Bookends!
Thanks for tuning in for our week three update, everyone!
