Here we are, not-quite-a-year later than the last post. Today we are welcoming the Onnekas litter, who arrived so slowly that I took mama dog to the vet at 1am because I was worried that she was suffering from uterine inertia. But lo and behold, perhaps because I just didn't give her enough time, or perhaps thanks to the trundle down the stairs and out into the car, the first two puppies were born in the car on the way. In fact, they were born truly more or less at the same time. Poor Anni! There were two yelps from her, as you might well expect from the first-born puppy of a maiden bitch, about 3 minutes apart. When we got to the vet and opened up the back, there were two of them! So we stayed at the vet for a few minutes, got everyone warm, had a cup of tea and then bundled everyone back into the car and back home to the quiet & peaceful whelping room (aka Jay's office). Jay says it's the most expensive cup of tea ever. I cannot disagree.
But, seriously, I will always ere on the side of safety and caution and I don't begrudge one penny spent on puppies and mama dogs to ensure everyone is safe and sound, healthy and strong. Waiting a few minutes too long to take necessary action when puppies are being born can be lethal not only for the puppies, but for the dam too. So no unnecessary chances here.
Of course, that means we don't actually know which puppy was first and holding up the proceedings. None of them are particularly big, so I don't think that was causing a delay. It was more likely that a puppy was coming breech (feet first) or (even worse) bum first. Certainly, Anni's mum, Tuuli, birthed several that way, and in fact I saw two more come at least feet first in Anni's case too. So that's the most likely explanation.
I'm taking a guess on the boy being first, but literally only because he was a bit bigger at birth.
Why Onnekas? Well, this litter marks my 13th as a breeder of Finnish Lapphunds. Lucky number 13 deserves a lucky name, and "onnekas" is Finnish for lucky. It's also the name of my first Lappy, my special Neka. Although these puppies are not related to Neka, they are named for her <3 p="">
Here is the handsome sire, who is issuing cigars as I type; I couldn't hope for a sweeter, funnier, more gorgeous and fluff-some boy than Arttu. Big thanks to Shelley & Sammy for helping to make this happen.
Ch Pavoskas Aly Arttu JW ShCM
Arttu
Mama is the Hollisters's adorable Anni:
Infindigo Taysikuu Anniina
We have spent some time today trying to distinguish between the puppies, and I think we got there in the end, but (as always) I reserve the right to fix it later. Ahem. And several of them might be wolf sable but at the moment they look brown or black, so I might be changing that later too.
As for the quality of the photos, we do this quickly at this stage, and these puppies wriggle, so don't expect great detail.
If this is not your first time to the blog, you will know that my puppies' Finnish kennel names are chosen by their eventual family. In the meantime, each puppy is given a baby name. These puppies have been given the names of rivers in Cornwall as Anni is a Cornish girl who lives on Bodmin Moor. Thanks to Jane for the great idea and to the Hollisters for the suggestions - they're perfect.
Puppy 1 - Neot
Sex: Male
Colour: Wolf sable (or maybe black, tan & white)
Time of Birth: 00:45
Birth Weight: 347g
Puppy 2 - Penpol (Penny)
Sex: Female
Colour: Brown, tan & white
Time of Birth: 00:48
Birth Weight: 305g
Puppy 3 - Fowey (pronounced FOY)
Sex: Male
Colour: Black, tan & white
Time of Birth: 02:45
Birth Weight: 335g
Puppy 4 - Treverbyn (Trever, like Trevor!)
Sex: Male
Colour: Brown wolf sable (or maybe brown, tan & white)
Time of Birth: 03:33
Birth Weight: 295g
Puppy 5 - Kensey
Sex: Male
Colour: Wolf sable (or maybe black, tan & white)
Time of Birth: 03:53
Birth Weight: 300g
Puppy 6 - Ottery
Sex: Female
Colour: Wolf sable
Time of Birth: 05:29
Birth Weight: 339g
Puppy 7 - Loveny
Sex: Female
Colour: Black, tan & white
Time of Birth: 07:30
Birth Weight: 239g
