It’s a beautiful snowy Sunday in Montana and the whelping room is toasty warm and filled with cuteness.

We have walkers, tail waggers, lickers, and now new players. All five puppies after they get nice and milked up via Mama Rhumb, they fall over in a half drunk stupor and start wrestling, grabbing, chewing, and licking on each other. It is all in slo-mo of course, and lasts for no more than 5-10 minutes, but it is true cuteness.

They are starting to explore the world through their paws and their jaws, their new found voices, and what they can see and track.

Rhumb is such an attentive and tuned in Mama dog. She is also a ‘get real’ Mama dog, and she has clear rules. If while the puppies play, there is a growl or squeal, she jumps back into the whelping box and noses the pups apart, and keeps them apart. Her lessons in canine etiquette have begun, and it is a privilege to observe Mother Nature, all by itself, take over.

I handle, love on, and talk to the puppies through out the day. I let them do their thing as they are supposed too, but when all is settled and quiet, it is my time with these puppies. And everyday, there are little glimpses into who is in that little body, a bit more personality comes out.

We are all healthy, thriving, a bit tired, and grateful – Nancy