We slept through the night, our first night without puppies. We miss them, but we also missed sleep, exercise, complex thinking, and we are so excited about all their new homes and families. We felt great about every person who adopted a puppy.

Mabel is still available for adoption. Now that she's got an empty nest, we wonder if she'll be ready to befriend other dogs. She sure loved playing with her puppies and we'd like her to have plenty of companionship in the future. She is in heat, and will be spayed July 2. Maybe after that she'll be ready to meet new dogs without barking/growling/lunging/whining/worrying. We've tried walking near another leashed dog, and she couldn't bear it. That was always my first step for dog introduction, but Mabel needs other first steps.

Let us know if you have any tips for Mabel's canine socialization, and contact Pawswap if you're interested in adoption - Mabel or another future friend!

Down to three puppies and Mabel - by tonight I expect we'll have three dogs total! We've heard from nearly everyone and it's wonderful to see pictures and get tidbits of the puppies' new lives.

It's unreal, bittersweet, all the emotions you would expect. Click each face to decide which puppy you'll adopt. And contact Pawswap ASAP before they're all claimed!

Birds are nesting in various parts of our roof (soffits, maybe?) and we say we're going to repair them after they all fly south. We'll see if we manage that.

In the meantime, they enjoy eating the puppy kibble strewn throughout the yard. Last week we found a dead nestling on the ground. So today when we found a live nestling on the ground, we wanted to rescue it.

We made a nest out of paper for it and put it on the porch roof, 4 feet under the soffit. We watched its parent fly with worm toward the baby several times, but never land to feed.

So Phillip put the bird back in the roof. We may never know its fate (especially if we don't get around to fixing the roof).

 Click photo to learn more about each puppy. (beware: a few are spoken for)

Don't want to deal with teething and house-training? Mama Mabel is also available for adoption.

Apply today! Puppies (and Mama Mabel) available June 5.

Little Benjamin Button was nicknamed Booker because he was skinny, bony, thin-skinned like our beloved Booker. Now he's one of the heaviest and definitely tied with Rosie (always one of the heaviest) for tallest. The thrill never ends, as we watch them change and grow.

Their personalities are taking shape, too, though we expect they will change a lot as they go to new homes and settle into lives as only dogs, or one of two dogs. How will their humans socialize them, especially with covid-19? Will these puppies learn to trust and enjoy strangers or be afraid? When will they get to play off-leash with new dogs? We know some will get their exercise only in fenced yards, and end up barking at anyone who comes by. Still, they will be adored by their humans!

I mean, assuming you're not a jerk. Mabel loves people  - everyone. She barks at cars or people outside her fence, then they come into her yard and she loves every single person. Even the people who pick up her babies. Including kids - she plays well with kids and tolerates them climbing on her!

While Mabel plays with the puppies exuberantly, we don't know how she feels about other dogs. We've only known her about-to-give-birth or as a mom. Plus, she was attacked while walking with us by two loose dogs (no injury, but shook us all up). And she does seem interested in chasing cats and birds, but we've never tried introducing her to a pet cat. Proceed with caution - but Mabel is seriously worth it. She's loyal, playful, adoring, quiet, and just likes to be around you and chew rawhide.

She needs play and walk manners. She gnaws on our hands while we're playing - just like her puppies do - no one ever taught her not to! It's clearly playful and not injurious, but this is a habit to break. We're trying the go-limp-and-yelp method, and have read that if we have to do that more than 3 times in 15 minutes she needs a time-out on playing. Any other tips?

Mabel also pulls on walks, and acts like she's never been on a leash before (gets in the way of the human and so forth). I mean - maybe she hasn't been walked much! No one knows this young lady's history. Now we're walking with her breakfast in a bag that gets handed out a few kibbles at a time to keep her attention on us and reinforce staying next to the human. It's definitely going to work with time - maybe that is YOUR time rather than ours? Training is deeply satisfying for dogs and will bond you for life! Apply to adopt this wonderful friend today.

[ADOPTED]
She was the runt but now weighs more than a few of her siblings! Hannah hops, happily. She is the most obviously joyful of the 9 and we adore her happy hops. We're truly grateful that she's going to live with someone in our extended family so we can watch her grow up. He picked her because she was the smallest - now that she's not so small, he's already smitten and won't change his mind:-)

[ADOPTED]
Tucker got his name because Phillip couldn't remember which was Parker (#4 and #9 look a lot alike) and if the name was Parker or Tucker. So Tucker is Tucker.
As he should be! He tucks into his food and then falls asleep, tuckered out. He often sleeps alone - way more than his sibs. Therefore he'll be a good fit for a family with an older cat and no other dogs. Tucker is way friendly and easy-going, a mellow dude who will delight his new family.

[ADOPTED]
What a doll! He was always one of the smallest puppies, but has become the tallest and has big feet. He's also got the most nose so far, as in, the most elongated face. So if you're not thrilled by Mama Mabel's pitbull face you could be woo'ed by Benjamin Button Baby Booker Boy (read more about his early weeks here).
Benji-Booker is easy-going and adorable. He plays more with siblings than with us, though he loves to snuggle and gnaw on our fingers, too.

[ADOPTED]
Jack was the first puppy to be named - with the eyepatch, piracy was a gut reaction. Unlike my stereotype of a pirate, however, Cpt. Jack is way sweet, mellow and cuddly. He plays with us and his siblings and his Mama Mabel, but is the gentlest biter of all 9 when it comes to my fingers! He's one of the most tolerant with being laid on his back (by us) so we can rub his belly. He just beams. A true winner - he will warm your home!
(If you're not into pirates, you could also go for a panda-themed-name.)