Week 3 - 9/26/2021

Wow, week 3 is already here and gone! It was fun week, but these weeks need to slow down, I don’t want puppy time to end so quickly. Week 3 brings a lot of firsts which is always exciting. We introduced goat’s milk to the pups early in the week to help Zazu out on feeding time. Bir and Aby caught on really fast! Manx wasn’t far behind once I dabbed his nose in the milk. Mau just played and didn’t really seem interested, even when I put a little milk on my finger and put it on his tongue. The puppy lapping sounds is pretty cute to hear. Later in the week we introduced soggy puppy kibble with goat’s milk and Mau and the other two boys were very excited over that! It’s actually Aby now that prefers the milk over the kibble. I’m sure she’ll be diving in to eat it with her big brothers in a day or so!

The pups have been out of their whelping box a little, getting to explore and eat outside of the box. Bir is our little explorer and is pretty confident on his feet, even on the slippery floor, as he leaves the group to check things out. We’ve also started introducing loud noises for the pups to have a startle response and then calm right down because nothing bad happened to them with those loud noises. They’ve heard crowd clapping, pans dropping, cheering for the Cardinals winning their game, Amazon air packaging popping and other misc. noises. We’ll start to introduce thunder, sirens, vacuuming and more next week.

Since their eyes and ears are fully open, it really warms our hearts when they hear us and wake up and get excited to see us and come running over to say hello! They look right in our eyes and if you put your face low enough, there are four little pups just kissing and kissing your face!! Life can’t get better than that. I know all Chinook puppies are quite the kissers, they start really young, but Manx has been nicknamed my “boyfriend”. He seems to give kisses the longest, and they don’t usually end in nibbles like the other pups do. Aby has given up her nickname “sassifras” since her sassiness has pretty much disappeared this week. She was soooo sassy and vocal during week 2, and then now she’s the sweetest little thing! She reminds us a little bit of Zazu when she was young, sitting back and just staring at you with those contemplative eyes. Then she’ll come over for a little loving.

You want to know what the cutest thing ever is…? Watching 3 week old puppies wag their tails! They’re walking a bit better and they are recognizing us so when they see us, they wag their happy little tails so much and it’s just so sweet!

Photos

Videos

They’re starting to play with their toys (penguin is a favorite… and fun fact he’s the first toy we bought when we had our first litter in 2012!) and they love chomping on each other. I tell them they’re “ferocious” as their little teeth nibble each other’s legs and tails and faces. It’s funny seeing the two puppies, sitting face to face, with each other’s noses in each other’s mouths!

Big sis Aelin has calmed a bit down on living in the whelping box 24/7. She’s still very aware of the puppies and if one cries she zooms over to check on them. And she whines when she’s separated from them like going on a walk or going to bed at night. But she’s at least not in their box all the time! She still goes in a few times and they play and chew on her while she snuggles with them. Aby and Aelin are pretty cute snuggling together.

Ok I talked enough. Usually week 4 is my favorite week but these little guys really amped up week 3 for me this time around! Next week we’ll introduce them to more rooms, surfaces and noises and probably take a short trip outside if it’s cool enough. This is our first litter where we have to put cloths in ice water several times a day and put in their pen for them to sleep on because it’s too hot for them! They like the A/C on a nice 77 degrees or they whine at us. Spoiled… HAHA!

The Kitty litter (as always in order of appearance):

Desert Sol Mau

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Pronunciation:

MOU

Sex:

Male

Weight:

5lb 13oz

Name Origin:

Eqyptian Mau: Egyptian Maus are a small to medium-sized short-haired cat breed. They are one of the few naturally spotted breeds of domesticated cat. The spots of the Mau occur on only the tips of the hairs of its coat. It is considered a rare breed. The Eqyptian Mau is the fastest of the domestic cats, with longer hind legs and a unqiue flap of skin that allows the legs to stretch back farther. Maus have been clocked running more than 30 mph! The Mau is known to be a loyal, playful and friendly breed.

Desert Sol Aby

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Pronunciation:

A-bee

Sex:

Female

Weight:

4lb 5oz

Name Origin:

Abyssinian: The Abyssinian is a breed of domestic short-haired cat with a distinctive "ticked" tabby coat, in which individual hairs are banded with different colors. The Abyssinian breed is one of the top five most popular breeds worldwide. In the terms of domestication of cats, the Abys have been found to be one of the oldest types of animal in existence, with mummified cats in Eqyptian tombs. Abys are frequently regarded as "Clowns of the Cat Kingdom", and their dog-like characteristics include their particular need for affection and desire for interaction.

Desert Sol Manx

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Pronunciation:

MAYNKS

Sex:

Male

Weight:

5lb 9oz

Name Origin:

Manx: The Manx cat is a breed of domestic cat that has a naturally occurring mutation that shortens the tail, known as the "Manx taillessness gene". Many Manx have a small stub of a tail, but Manx cats are best known at being entirely tailless, the most distinguishing characteristic of the breed, along with its elongated hind legs and round head. Manx are prized as skilled hunters, and have been sought out by farmers as rodent hunters and a preferred ship's cat breed. They are social, tame and active cats.

Desert Sol Bir

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Pronunciation:

BUR

Sex:

Male

Weight:

5lb 7oz

Name Origin:

Birman: The Birman is a domestic cat breed with long-haired, color-pointed fur, distinguished by a silky coat, deep blue eyes and contrasting white "gloves" on each paw. Birmans were almost wiped out as a breed during World War II. Only two cats were alive in Europe at the end of the war, a pair named Orloff and Xenia. They were the foundation of the breed, and all offspring were of this pair. They were heavily outcrossed with other long-hair breeds, like the Persian and Siamese, to help rebuild the Birman breed.