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Has anyone been wondering why there has occasionally been a book or two in the puppy box? Perhaps this will give you a clue:






















Yes, the puppies burrow underneath it and it makes me nervous. What if they suffocate? What if Taika jumps in the box, doesn't realise someone is underneath and really squishes them? One day I went into the puppy room, looked in the box and saw only one puppy. The rest? In a heap under the mat.

And it's not like they are cold - the room is very warm and they usually spread out as far away from each other as they can get because they get too hot. It just goes to show how the instinct to seek a den affects even week-old dogs. That explains why most Lappy owners have a shrub or 2 in the garden which has been thoroughly dug under and around - the need to make a safe, dark den.

Here's another of someone emerging from underneath:
























The problem is with the corners of the mats. Because they shrink a little with washing & age (bad design flaw, people), the corners curl, creating a perfect space for puppies to burrow under. Of course, they always find these gaps because their instinct, even when they are blind before their eyes open, is to crawl face-first into the corners.

So we put a couple of heavy books on the corners to flatten them and stop the burrowing. Of course, that just means the puppies burrow into the book instead. You've seen Dino learning to read, well, Butterfly reckons that whatever he can do, she can do better.

























And here's Grey Wolf enjoying her snooze from the dizzy heights of her book-platform:























And, finally, today's news: Grey Wolf, petite lady that she is, is the only puppy under 1 kilo this morning, but I have no doubt that she will break that barrier tomorrow. As yet, we still have only 3 puppies with their eyes open. Two more days to vote, folks. And, no, you will be getting no hints.