SHE'S HERE . . .

It was dark when the big white pick-up pulled into the meeting place. A man and two little boys got out. The man brought out a small pet crate and opened it, and four 6-week-old German Shorthair pups spilled out onto the wet grass – three males and one female. We knew little Bess right away by the distinctive round spot on her back.

Meet Bess, one of a litter of eight (six males, two females) born April 29, 2013, in Tri-Cities, WA. She and Nellie have the same grandfather, Butchie, and are therefore cousins. And her great-grandfather, Mr. Perkins, was our Nobie’s father.

Last year Mike put in for a female with this same breeder. However, the litter had only one female, and she was spoken for. We were offered our pick of the males, but “we” weren’t interested. The males are larger, more aggressive, more apt to run – and the list of cons goes on – headed by dumber / do stupid things. So, again this year, we put in for a female with the understanding that the breeder would keep one female of his choice, provided there were any. (This breeder theorizes that the older the mother dog, the more apt she is to bear males.)

I was home – and Mike wasn’t -- when the breeder called on April 30. “Tell Mike this is his lucky day,” he said.

 

“If this is Mike’s lucky day, then there must be just two females,” I replied.

“That’s right,” he said. And then he told me that six males and one female were delivered, and they thought it was over. However, at midnight his wife followed her intuition, got out of bed and went to check the litter. The mama dog had given birth to another female, which meant that we could have the one the breeder didn’t choose.

So, the litter was born in Tri-Cities – an easy drive 130 miles west of us – and then the breeder took a new job in Winnemucca, NV, and moved his family, including the dogs, of course. Winnemucca is about a day’s drive from us, and so we were relieved when the breeder said he would deliver her along with other dogs to this region. And that’s why we were waiting for him last night.

While we watched Friday night, little Bess cavorted with her brothers, ran with her socializers (the little boys), and then seemed to tire of it all, shivering in the wet grass. I picked her up and she relaxed in my arms. When I moved to set her down, I thought she was clinging to me. Mike and the breeder settled the business and we left the group of onlookers. Mike and I were tired and anxious to get on with the night’s routine. We still had to introduce Bess to Nellie, and everybody knows that new puppies can cry with a voice many times their size.

Nellie greeted Bess with some enthusiasm, but then she looked me in the eye with her ears lifted in a question mark. “Yes, Bess is here to stay,” I said. “You have to help take care of her.”  

“And show her everything you know,” added Mike.

We offered Bess food and water and were encouraged when she immediately ate and drank. Nellie gave a low growl when Bess attempted to eat from her dish – and that’s good, too.

And then it was bedtime. Mike had secured the pen so that Bess couldn’t slip out and provided a separate kennel for her. We aren’t quite sure what the sleeping arrangements were, but we think both dogs slept in the dogloo. No one cried. The night was peaceful – except for the horses who escaped from the corral across the street.

Oh – and unlike other puppies, this one is really cute. (LOL) KW