Just when I thought we were sliding into a comfortable and manageable routine everything changed again. I took several puppies in for ear cropping and over the next two weeks we had to closely monitor activity and keep them separated so none of the other puppies would chew on their little healing ears. The time impact of rotating everyone so they still got plenty of play time while being protected from rough-housing was… wow, crazy. And noisy! Our little healing pups seem to enjoy “running the fence line” outside of the Puppy Palace while those on the inside chased and barked at them. Those with cropped ears had their little heads and ears shaved by the vet and now they look like little Monks.
To make matters worse, I started working on their coats and I’m slowly stripping out the puppy coat to reveal all that gorgeous pepper/salt Schnauzer coat coming in. But you know by now that I am all about making sure new experiences are positive. So, I only work on their coats if they’re relatively still and happy with all the praise. Consequently, their coats now look like moths have attacked them. They’re all patchy and spotty!
They turned 10 weeks old and three of them have made the journey to their new lives. Of course, I cried to lose them but I’m also extremely happy that they’ve gone to wonderful people that will love them and care for them. They’re lucky dogs.
My expectation is that these dogs will go out into the world and remind us humans how to love deeply and almost unconditionally – cause that’s just what dogs do! Plus, there’s the added benefit that as puppies they provide enough chaos and destruction to our lives such that they ensure we exercise our ability to show patience and tolerance. Some people may not appreciate that service, but any doctor will tell you that exercise is important!
It’s so hard to believe that they were this puppyish just two weeks ago! Here they were at 8 weeks old: