The Keltic litter is 4 weeks old yesterday. They have all mastered lapping from a bowl, have erupted teeth and often get the zoomies between nap times. So cuddly and cute these days.

Day 18 for this lovely strong group. All are up on their feet, eyes open and starting to react to sounds. Barking, growling and howling. Another week and we can start getting them lapping from a bowl.

We finally decided on a theme for naming this lovely litter. We will be using Gaelic names. One boy has already been named Padraig. Which one that is is still to be decided. New homes can pick their names from a list we found on line.

We will likely use Deirdre (deer-dra) for our girl

https://www.Irish central.com/roots/100-Irish-language-first-names-meanings

Weigh in this morning was so exciting. All the puppies have doubled their birth weights. Such a healthy vocal bunch lol.

All chunky monkeys are doing so well. At 9 days things turned the corner with all of us into a routine. Nellie is dedicated to lying in the whelping box. She whines when it’s time to get up and does not move until pups are safely in a basket. Ian sleeps in the garage and was only up once for about an hour to take Nellie for a walk. I sleep in the house and this princess got 7 hours of sleep. LG is up to 1lb 12.1 oz. The largest pup is 2 lb. 14.2 oz. There are some lovely babes here. Wow!!! Very comfortable in our digs. Thank goodness for good wifi in the garage.

We have reached a milestone. Puppies are 7 days old and most have weighed in over 2 lbs. They are a very robust bunch. Nellie continues to be very attentive to their every need. She is very predictable and whines to get our help to put the pups in baskets before she moves . She still spends all her time lying with the pups in between the breaks. We still mostly live in the garage keeping an eye on things 24/7. Ian has been so wonderful taking the night shift.

February 21, 2022 aka Family Day in Alberta. Day 5 of being sequestered in the whelping garage. We continue with 24/7 supervision of these young puppies and the Dam.

Starting to think of a theme for naming this group. Nellie has a strong Irish lineage. The tattoo letter for 2022 with the CKC is “K”. Thinking about using “Keltic” as a prefix and synonyms for “ majestic”. Also there are very interesting Irish plant names to use. All just thoughts at the moment. Waiting on a theme that really resonates.

February 20, 2022: Day 4 – we are into somewhat of a routine now. We are sparing each other off to get sleep and well needed naps during the day. Nellie is exceptionally devoted to her puppies, giving us a whine if one moves too far away. She’s very predictable if we meet her needs first (feed and tea) and get her out for walks every 3-4 hours. She’ll lie quiet for 3 hrs letting us cat nap.

Puppy weights are all up as Nellie’s milk came in yesterday. They are so strong and vigorous. I can’t pick them up with one hand anymore.

This is the time to stay vigilant and not get complacent. An unpredictable move by Nellie could easily squish a puppy.

February 16, 2022

We took Nellie in to the vet yesterday to be assessed and it was recommended we do a C-Section. It was the right call as we had lost one puppy in utero and another was distressed and couldn’t be revived.

Our count was males-3 and Females – 5

All are black with the Irish markings. We are coming up to 24 hrs post surgery and Nellie is being a very attentive Dam and has taken to her role immediately. That is such a relief!! We are anticipating her milk will come in soon and things will continue in a positive direction. All the pups are strong and vigorous. We are feeling blessed to be at this point.