" Hey guys , wake up ! Mom's gone & took the milk with her ! "

Two out of three puppies like belly rubs !

Today Jasper is 3 weeks old . Of the 77 Cardigan pups I raised , Jasper may be the cutest !

Busy day at the Cardigan Milk Bar . Jasper is now larger than the two King Charles pups ! Belle is a great mom .

Tomorrow the gang will be 2 weeks old & will be wormed . The King Charles girls are a day older & have their eyes open . Jasper has one eye open . Update ; both Jasper's eyes are open .

Today Jasper is almost 3 times his whelping weight .

Lost my long handled pliers . Thought I was losing my mind . I knew I had it at the work site but now it was gone ! My inner Cardigan sense told me it was a 4 paw caper  . . . but which one of the 14 ? Using my detective skills I narrowed it down to one Cardigan , Heddi ! She held up well to my grilling but time was on my side . Next day I watched Heddi fetch the tool from its hiding place . Teeth marks match . Heddi is a thief . Then the 4 boys ( Ricky , Jelly Bean , George , & Waldo ) raided my hardware stash in the garage , spreading stuff in the high grass !

Jasper was a lonely boy & his mom full of milk , so when the vet called about 2 King Charles pups needing a wet nurse , we jumped at it !

Belle & Jasper .

4am this morning , Belle whelped one Blue Merle male puppy . Jasper is beautifully marked . Next eight weeks will test Belle's mothering skills & Jasper's strength . Off to vets at 8 & will clean up whelping room . A full nights sleep will be nice .

Belle's temp was 98.5F this morning . Something's got to happen !

This morning Belle's temp was 99.0 F & she vomited twice . She's carrying longer than expected . Will continue puppy watch .

Belle's temperature is 100.2F at 2pm . Getting close to 99F , the magical temperature associated w/ whelping .