TRIPLETS!!!

It all started with a frantic email from Pet Helpers... "There is a litter of neo-natal puppies in a local shelter and they can't find anyone to care for them. If they don't find someone tonight they will have to euthanize them!" Pet Helpers already has a litter of tender puppies that they are caring for... to take in a litter from another shelter would be tough, so they were calling in re-enforcements.

I didn't know exactly what kind dog a 'Neo-Natal' was, but they sounded like they were in trouble! So after far too little consideration Batman and Robin sprung into action! (Yes, Brian you can be Batman in this story...)

Pet Helpers did the actual rescuing, I can't take credit for that. They checked the little nippers out to be sure that they were healthy enough to hand over to novices like us... uhm... I mean Super Heros (!) like Batman and I. All seemed to be as well as could be expected for a litter of seven puppies without a mother only ten days into their life. Calls were made, details confirmed and on St.Patrick's day we walked into Pet Helpers get the litter...

I wish I had brought my camera along to show you the mountain of stuff that we were faced with as we were walked through the fostering process. I was holding a cute and cuddly little fur ball that I instantly decided would be mine forever, lost in love... until I heard Kristen say that if I fed them and their temperature wasn't at a sweet spot of between 99 - 102 degrees they could die! I then quickly put the cute, cuddly puppy back in with it's siblings and with eyes wide as saucers, I paid careful attention to all that she said.

And it continued... den temperature, feeding schedule, cleaning regimen, and don't forget the de-wormer and probiotics in the mornings. Being under two weeks old they will sleep a lot. As it turns out, I have to restrain myself from waking them to play, as this sleep is very serious business. So after that sobering message, we packed up the pee towels and puppy formula and all the other care supplies we'd need for our neo-natals (which, by the way, just seems to mean teeny tiny puppy) and Batman and I took our triplets back to the bat cave.

Oh the antics that will ensue!

The plan is to blog about it all, in between the six feedings everyday, to share the highs and the lows of the experience. Just like a baby's first weeks, they grow so fast and change so much that information could be forgotten and lost in the shuffle. So my hope is to chronicle the first weeks of these three little ones.

Now we just have to come up with names... but first, it's time for a feeding.