Friday Dogblogging A Day Early

Sep 28th, 2006 | Dogblogging, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

As promised, here are pictures of “the children,” as they are affectionately known around my house.

Ellie was being a little camera shy today, so no good pics of her.

More after “the jump.”

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Puppy Update!

Sep 28th, 2006 | Dogblogging | No Comments

No, there are no pictures in this puppy update, nor is there much of an update. However, to demonstrate that I am responsive to reader comments, I am announcing that there will be puppy pictures posted this evening, along with a full update.

If you all are really good and very lucky, the Official Mascot herself, Ellie, might even make a brief statement for the press. Or, at the very least, I’ll just post a podcast of her barking.

Very much like a Republican, I’m promising you one thing, waiting way too long to deliver it, and, after it’s delivered, you’ll be dissappointed.

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Own A Piece Of Capitol Annex

Jul 11th, 2006 | Dogblogging | No Comments

No, silly…I’m not selling my blog (perish the thought!).

However, six lively Junior Official Mascots are becoming a bit too much for me and Ellie to handle. So, I regret that I must part with three of them.

Although I know my dear readers are spread around the state, I though I’d at least make the offer and, if someone was in Dallas or Tyler or something I could come up there or meet someone half-way or something.

After much soul searching and hand wringing, I regret that I have decided that Maddox, Lyndon and Senfronia will stay in the Capitol Annex family while Briscoe, Jordan and Laney must go to other loving, (preferably Democratic) homes (that will keep the puppies current names, but not a requirement). Ellie would probably prefer that all six go to loving homes, but I cannot bear to part with them all. (Or, at least, all at once).

It is with great reluctance that I offer up the puppies that my friends and family refer to as my “grandchildren” for adoption.

So, if you’d like to adopt Briscoe, Jordan or Laney, please email me at Vince_Leibowitz-at-cox.net.

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Puppy Update

Jul 6th, 2006 | Dogblogging | No Comments

When I last updated you on the status of the puppies they were about a month old. Now, they are two months old.

Anyway, on July 4th, the puppies enjoyed some outdoor festivities during the Capitol Annex July 4th Extravaganza (no, your invitation didn’t get lost in the mail, you were not invited), to wit: (pics below the jump).

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Puppy Update: One Month Old

Jun 5th, 2006 | Dogblogging | 3 Comments

The puppies turned one month old on Friday, if you go by the calendar; they’re five weeks old if you go by weeks (I think you can catch how that’s different (and I think that my math is right)).

At any rate, they now all have names, are eating “real” food since they have sharp teeth and Ellie has no desire to nurse a bunch of cannibals and are generally raising lots of good-natured hell.

Here they are: (after the jump)

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Puppy Update: Eyes Open!

May 20th, 2006 | Dogblogging, Uncategorized | No Comments

Ellie’s puppies (aka Capitol Annex’s eight new junior mascots), officially became Democrats this week, as their eyes opened.

As you can see at left, Ellie is a very attentive mother. The puppies are quite agressive nursers and the one she is trying to corall or clean in the photo had just finished walking on top of all of the other puppies trying to steal their nursing spots. There are actually enough spots for them all to nurse at once, but that puppy (along with the one shown below) likes to tear through the rest of the litter and seems to enjoy taking other puppies’ spots just for the general principle of doing so making me suspect he may have some Republican genes.

Starting Monday, a few had one eye open and by Tuesday night all had their eyes open. They’ve beel roaming around a bit and a couple have learned to “bark,” inasmuch as a nearly three-week old puppy can bark.

The little female shown at left is the most vocal of the bunch and also the most rambunctions. She eagerly wanders away from the rest of the litter and then yelps in hopes the others will follow her. A couple have gotten to the point where they will follow her after a few minutes. Of course, by the time they get to where she is, she’s ready to come back. She’s the unofficial leader of the litter and the most vocal. This puppy is also the one who likes to be “handled” the most. Whenever I’m around looking at the group or checking on them, she will come over and yelp to have some attention paid to her.
This little male shown at left is one of the more docile ones of the bunch. He was also the first born (that lived, making him technically the second of the litter). His little brown ‘eyebrows’ are very quite unique. Although I think their father is a Rotweiller, a couple of the dogs have very “terrier-looking” features, if such a thing is even distinguishable at this early of an age. The black and white ones especially look like terriers.

To track the puppies’ progress through the weeks, go here.

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Happy Mother’s Day (& A Junior Mascot Update)

May 13th, 2006 | Dogblogging | No Comments

Happy (early) Mother’s Day from me, Ellie, the puppies and all the rest of the crew here in the Annex!

By way of a puppy/junior mascot update, today I took mother and babies outside for a little picture taking. They will be two weeks old on Monday night/Tuesday morning. Thus far, Ellie has been more than accomodating in allowing me to examine and hold her puppies. In fact, I think she welcomes that, as nursing seven puppies (another was lost in the first week) can likely be very tiresome.

Ellie has a little “photo phobia,” though, as as soon as she saw me getting out the phone to take photos, she eased out of the way of the ‘line’ of dogs I tried to line up in that first photo. I think she has some “vanity” issues related to the fact that her breasts are a little saggy and large at the moment. She rolled around in the grass a few feet away while I fooled around trying to get the puppies to lie still in a row. As you can see, none have this task down pat (a couple went to sleep) yet, though an earlier blurry photo I took did have all but two in a row. The puppy one each end decided to try and climb over its brothers and sisters, causing total disruption as evidenced in the first photo.

I also tried to randomly group the puppies to get some photos; for the most part, that worked OK, except the solid black ones kept turing around and trying to crawl blindly through the grass while sniffing around. In the photo at left, you can see the two dogs will turn out with that nice brown color Ellie has. The one at left was as dark as the one at right last week, and has lightened up considerably to look more like Ellie. However, Ellie doesn’t have quite as distinctive markings, nor does she have a ‘patch’ of black over one eye. The one on the right, though you can’t see it in this photo, actually has one black ‘patch’ over each eye with the little white strip down the middle connecting the nose. Also, something you can’t see, his mouth-area coloring is quite wild, with small and large black dots of fur and skin throughout.

These two were asleep almost as soon as I brought them outside and, through all of the commotion of other dogs running here and there and to and fro and waking them up briefly now and again, they just seem to have decided “screw this,” and passed out.

The puppies’ eyes aren’t open yet. I don’t know how long it takes for dogs’ eyes to open after birth. I’ve been told two weeks and, if that’s the case, then anytime after monday, we can expect some eye opening. That will no doubt be followed by tremendous mischief.

The puppies are also getting very, very plump. The biggest one is the one on the left in the first photo.

And, names have been decided upon, although not awarded, pending definate determinations on their genders. (I’ve tried to check, but the dogs don’t like being rolled on their backs, so we’ll just wait until we see the vet week after next. The names used will be as follows (some are ‘generless,’ so that’ll help): Jordan (after Barbara Jordan and a reader recommendation for boy or girl); Lyndon (after Lyndon Baines Johnson, for boy or girl); Laney (after Pete Laney, another genderless name); Senfronia (after Senfronia Thompson, clearly for the most outspoken female puppy that exhibits leadership skills early on); Leland (after Mickey Leland, another reader recommendation, thinking we’ll go genderless with that one, too); Mattox (after Jim Mattox, going genderless on that one too), Stevenson (after Coke Stevenson, has to be for a boy), Briscoe (boy or girl, after Dolph Briscoe) & Houston (a boy’s name, after Sam Houston). Hopefully, we’ll be able to use Senfronia and Stevenson. If not, Briscoe and Houston are the alternates.

Of course, since not all of these dogs will be saying in the Annex Family, I’m sure others may be inclined to change their names, but I’m going to discourage that by claimiming it is terribly traumatic to change a dog’s name…or something.

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The Eight New Junior Mascots

May 2nd, 2006 | Dogblogging | 1 Comment

For your viewing pleasure, here’s another picture of Capitol Annex’s Official Mascot, Ellie, and her eight puppies, Capitol Annex’s Junior Mascots.

You really can’t see them all in this pic as they are nursing and one is kind of sleeping by Ellie’s chin (do dogs have chins?) but here they are.

It has dawned on me that most women would not want their birthing experience blogged about complete with photographs and graphic detalis, but thankfully, Ellie has not complained because, well, she’s a dog. And, animals who lick their offspring clean aren’t usually too overly modest.

In about six weeks, most of these puppies will be needing new homes so, if you’d like to have a Capitol Annex Junior Mascot of your very own, let me know.

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Light To No Blogging Today

May 2nd, 2006 | Dogblogging | No Comments

Sorry, but today will be a day of light to no blogging. After reporting that Ellie, Capitol Annex’ Official Mascot had delivered four puppies last night, she ended up delivering five more for a total of nine living puppies (10 total). The last delivery was shortly after 9 a.m.

Needless to say, I fell asleep right after that and just woke up and have to take the entire brood to the vet. More photos and what not later this evening after things have calmed down.

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Four Puppies; Time For Bed

May 2nd, 2006 | Dogblogging | 2 Comments

I’m going to try to risk getting some sleep now. I’ve tried as best as I can to try to get Ellie to lay in a position that will expose enough of her nipples so that all four puppies can nurse, but she doesn’t seem to have the hang of doing that quite yet. She has, however, been very accomodating to me, allowing me to move her around (not only from the couch to the floor (I picked her up, then the blanket with the puppies on it) but also in positioning her to ensure that the puppies could get milk. Although I am quite sure it’s taboo to do all this, she has allowed me to touch her and all the puppies, and even move them around to make sure they can find nipples. I was especially concerned about the little black one getting milk. She doesn’t like me to leave the room, and has tried to follow me on two trips to the fridge and one trip to the bathroom, but after I tell her to lay back down, she does. As you can see from the pic above, we’ve got one black one, one black and white one, and two dark brownish ones with white splotches. One, upon close inspection, appears to be marked more like a cat than a dog.

At any rate, I don’t think there are any more puppies waiting to come out, but we’ll see. I also find it odd, having never been around dogs giving birth (cats only), that the pups sound like human babies the way they whine. At times, they also sound like baby kittens. Also, I’m a little tired so I may be wrong, but I didn’t think you could distinguish their sex this early. But, it appears three may be male. Like I said, I’m quite tired, so, I may be wrong.

Mother and puppies are resting comfortably, inasmuch as possible given that Ellie doesn’t quite have the hang of nursing yet. I know there’s a lot to be said for instinct, but she keeps looking at me as if to say, “Can you do something about this? I’m not the breastfeeding type. Just grab a bottle for the puppies and strap some frozen peas on my nipples and stop this silly business.”

I got the frozen peas thing from a friend who told me that, after giving birth, the nurse told her to use bags of frozen peas to eleviate nipple pain and swelling if not breastfeeding. I don’t know if that’s just healthcare in rural Texas or something people actually do, but I’ve always found that funny.

Anyway, I’m off to bed. Ellie and the puppies are about four feet from the bed, and hopefully she won’t try to move them somewhere else in the middle of the night. Under the bed has been one of her favorite hang-outs, and if she starts heading there we’re going to have quite a discussion about what constitutes an appropriate place for nursing newborn puppies.

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