{"id":986,"date":"2012-01-21T06:50:58","date_gmt":"2012-01-20T20:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/?p=986"},"modified":"2021-08-02T14:53:11","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T04:23:11","slug":"introducing-dulcie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/rescue\/introducing-dulcie\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing Dulcie"},"content":{"rendered":"

I mentioned in a past post<\/a> that Lucky wasn’t stay with us because we had a long term foster dog. It’s time for you to meet her.<\/p>\n

This is Dulcie.<\/p>\n

\"Dulcie<\/a>

Dulcie the shar pei cross staffordshire bull terrier, upon arrival in South Australia<\/p><\/div>\n

Dulcie was admitted to Queanbeyan Pound (New South Wales), and when her kill-date came around on the 6th of January she didn’t have any local options. \u00a0Adelaide All Breed Dog Rescue<\/a> organised and financed her save, having her flown to South Australia, where she was then placed into my care.<\/p>\n

\"Dulcie<\/a>

Dulcie the shar pei x staffordshire bull terrier<\/p><\/div>\n

She showed herself to be a very sweet loving girl, very people orientated. She knows ‘sit’ and uses it to demand attention (adorably!). \u00a0She adopted my fiancee, and spent most of the time hanging out with him. \u00a0She was a bit of a grump with the other dogs, but that’s okay – that’s what I have dog yards for.<\/p>\n

But there was a big problem…<\/p>\n

\"Dulcie,<\/a>

Dulcie, 8 weeks pregnant<\/p><\/div>\n

Yes, we took on Dulcie knowing that she was pregnant. It’s just we didn’t know when. \u00a0She was here for a week, and I took her temperature a bunch of times to try to predict her whelping – but her temperature was all over the place. \u00a0I gave up.<\/p>\n

And then, Saturday night, she didn’t eat her dinner. \u00a0She peed inside (something she hadn’t done in the week prior). \u00a0She stopped liking me, went into her whelping box, and wouldn’t evacuate. \u00a0She, of course, came out for my fiancee, but only briefly. Things were happening.<\/p>\n

My bitch, Clover<\/a>, is very vocal when in labour. \u00a0She pants, and yodels, and makes a bit of a to-do. \u00a0Though I could see Dulcie was in labour, I was thinking it was the beginning stages… I was wrong…<\/p>\n

\"Potter,<\/a>

Potter, 12 hour old "staffy crossbreed" puppy<\/p><\/div>\n

I found this little guy in her whelping box, crawling around and being busy. \u00a0A very guilty moment for me! \u00a0I missed that she was actually at THIS stage of labour. \u00a0Dulcie was giving me devilish eyes, wrapped around her baby… I had only known her for a week and wasn’t game to test her mothering instincts. \u00a0I looked at the puppy from a distance and tried to sketch his markings, so that I would be able to identify who was who at a later date. \u00a0He had an attractive white collar, that kind of looked like a lightning strike, so we called him “Potter” (after Harry Potter, who had a lighting strike scar, for those who aren’t up with this kind of thing). \u00a0(Naming him Potter was mostly for my own benefit – I was waiting for an onslaught of white collared puppies that I’d struggle to identify.)<\/p>\n

Potter was born at (what I approximate to be) about 7pm. \u00a0So then I was watching for puppy number two.<\/p>\n

\"Klunk,<\/a>

Klunk, 12 hour old "staffy crossbreed" puppy<\/p><\/div>\n

Out fell “Klunk”. \u00a0Dulcie was enjoying eating all the mess that comes with a puppy, and I was growing concerned about Klunk inhaling his own fluids – particularly as he had been born on his back, and he was staying on his back with all the muck falling in. \u00a0I decided I needed to intervene, and reached in and grabbed the puppy…<\/p>\n

And Dulcie was too interested in eating guck to notice.<\/p>\n

Klunk actually took a bit of effort to get going. \u00a0I did all manner of tricks and rubbing, but it wasn’t until I used the giant eye dropper to suck fluid out of his mouth that I got his first breath. \u00a0Klunk was born at 7:40pm, and I had about an hour until I had to worry about the next puppy.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, puppy number 3 and number 4 were born with a deformed jaw, among other deformities. \u00a0These puppies perished soon after birth.<\/p>\n

Dulcie calmed down. \u00a0I took her for a little walk to see if I could encourage anything else out (if there was anything). \u00a0I changed her soaked bed and put clean towels down in the whelping box. \u00a0She was still contracting, and I guessed she had some guck or placenta to pass.<\/p>\n

But instead, out popped this (10:50pm, 95 minutes after puppy number 4):<\/p>\n

\""Sniper",<\/a>

"Sniper", 'staffy crossbreed' puppy at 12 hours old<\/p><\/div>\n

This guy was good to go. I gave him a quick rub to dry him off, and then he went back to mum. We called him “Sniper”, as he snuck up on us.<\/p>\n

Dulcie was clearly finished, and settled down. \u00a0She has proven herself to be a good mum.<\/p>\n

So, Dulcie is my long term foster I alluded to. She will be here for at least 4 weeks, raising her puppies, and the puppies will probably be here until 10 weeks – phew!<\/p>\n

Right now, I’m enjoying this quiet time before they open their eyes, start walking, start pooing and peeing around, and generally being annoying.<\/p>\n

(Dulcie and the puppies will not be available for a while, but any enquiries should be directed to Adelaide All Breed Dog Rescue<\/a>. \u00a0They have a bunch of dogs available right now! \u00a0Just not these guys.)<\/p>\n