š¾ Pug for lifeš¾
Just over 2 years ago we welcomed a new member to the family. Her name is Jazz and she (if you havenāt already guessed) is a pug.
I had always wanted a pug ever since I watched Men in Black and was mesmerised by Frank the alien, talking pug. The chance came along to purchase one for our family and although I would of preferred a fawn Pug, I fell in love with this stunning looking black pug instead.
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She has not been the best behaved dog in the world, trust me, but she has been a fantastic edition to the household. Lucky for us we have a large garden so she gets plenty of exercise running up and down with our other dog Lola who is a Yorkshire Terrier.
Fast forward to current day and she is now a mother of 4 beautiful puppies of her own.
Now before you get all soppy eyes whilst browsing through the pictures, I want to tell you that raising 4 puppies is not and will never be a easy and rewarding job.
11 Hour Labour
We where very excited to hear that Jazz was pregnant and prepared everything we needed in preparation for the birth. But nothing could prepare us for what was to come!
On the night she went into labour, I was at that place they call work and working a 12 hour night shift. I received a message from my partner to say that she thinks that the Labour has started. For me this seemed early but just in case I came home early to be there.
3am
After persuading my partner to go to bed, I camped on the sofa next to Jazzās bed and vowed to stay awake just in case. Surely enough I was asleep within minutes.
8am
I was woken by jazz who was whimpering in her bed and as I went to take a look a black sack plopped out beside her. This was the start of an 11 hour ordeal which seen jazz giving birth in the garden, almost rushing her to the vets and unfortunately a still birth.
7pm
After confirming with a scan of her belly, we concluded that she had finally finished giving birth to her puppies and we had 4 new pugs in our lives. 3 boys and a girl.
Here Comes The S#*t!
Ok so I know that puppie poop comes part and parcel with raising a young dog but do they really have to poop that much.
The first 2 weeks they where constipated which was due to Jazz not doing her duty as a mother and helping them to go toilet. We had to sit and massage them to make them poop and pee. Yes! Often we would be covered in puppy urine but the cost of not helping would have been greater. Eventually, Jazz was toileting and cleaning them on her own and for the next two weeks things got a little easier for us.
The 4 week mark came around quick though and it was now time to wean the puppies off the mother and onto solid food. This is the point where the rollercoaster take I dive down a steep drop and all you can do is hold tight and scream.
Feeding 4 puppies 3-4 meals a day = lots and lots of poo and when I say lots well picture waking up at the end of a cityās sewage line and you will be half way their.
The Light at The End of The U-bend
Itās not all doom and gloom though. I know I moan like know one has ever experienced such traumatic scenes but right now thatās where we are.
Their is light at the end of the tunnel though as all 4 puppies will be leaving us next week and going on to make great pets to some lucky people. We never thought for a second that in the current climate we would find a home for these wonderful dogs but without trying we found homes in the first month of being born and I could not be happier with the people that are taking them.
In my own way I will miss them but I am looking forward to smelling the morning air again.