All Born and Everyone well.

Saturday 28th May 2016:

I spent the night with a restless Gaia, but no digging and no pups. Got up just after 5am as she seemed to be changing her behaviour and Pontus was born at 7.05. She was insisting on staying in the Tuffies nest and everytime I tried to move her to the whelping box, she went back.

Gaia all stressed out in her nest before the first pup.

Finally, she had the pup, Voramissen Pontus, in the whelping box.

Gaia giving birth to her first puppy in the whelping box

Everything going smoothly and Gaia says hello to her first puppy.

Gaia saying hello to Pontus.

She insisted on going back to the nest to have her pups and Atlas was born in the nest.

Atlas being born, Pontus already white and clean.

It turned out that every single pup came out backwards. Here is Atlas arriving.

Atlas being born, feet first.

Green and dirty when just born.

Phoebe arrived at 9.45, also born in the nest!

Three pups born in the nest.

Nothing happened for three hours and I decided to move Gaia and children to the whelping box and keep her there. At 1.05 Calypso arrived and shortly after that, Oceanus.

Calypso being born in the whelping box.

Soon after Theia came reversing out:

Theia being born.

Cleaning up Theia.

Suddenly Gaia decided to put them all back in the nest! I couldn’t stop her, she had done it in a flash.

Gaia carrying a puppy back from the box to the nest.

Phoebe being put back in the nest.

Obviously I put them all back in the whelping box and took away the nest.

After a long wait again, Selene was born at 3.55 followed quickly by Titan.

Titan just born.

So at 4.10 with eight pups, I assumed it was all over and Gaia was resting very peacefully. We sat outside the door in the sunshine and I allowed myself a little Gin and Tonic to celebrate. At 6pm I heard worrying noises and went back in, Helios was being born.

But that was it. Five boys and four girls.

The final count of nine pups.

Pontus on the nipple.

Pontus falling asleep.

Zonked out and fallen off the nipple.

I took Gaia out today, less than 24 hours after finishing her whelping and she LOVED it.

Gaia running on the grass.

FREEDOM….