A Quiet Thanksgiving

Yes, it's a quiet Thanksgiving at the Tempesta's in Inverness. It's just us and the 11 dogs. The puppies grow so fast that it's hard to believe the difference in their behavior from one day to the next. Oh, they're still puppies, so there's a lot of eating and sleeping, but there are also times of great activity, sniffing and wrestling and running around and playing. Then it's back to sleep again. They are on half solid food and are well on the way to being able to turn Momma loose.

Now Momma is another story. She was so shy and cowered whenever we would move. Raise your hand to pet her and she'd shy away with fear. Now she knows that a hand means petting and she is as friendly as can be. The last two days I've been running her out in the woods without a leash and she has become a member of "the pack". She joins Jodie and Coco for a run out back to do her business and is even getting to play with our two. Jodie was a bit of a bitch at first, but she has warmed to Freckles and is mesmerized by the puppies. One day she was laying outside the puppy enclosure with her nose pressed against the screen. On the other side several puppies were either amusing Jodie or being amused by Jodie. It lasted about half an hour, so it must have been good for them. The Momma was even up on our bed yesterday, along with Jodie, Coco, Helen, and me. It didn't leave a lot of extra room, but it was a civilized gathering. Though we love the puppies, passing Freckles on to her new family is going to be more traumatic for us. She is a beautiful, sensitive dog that has had a life of abuse. That she has rebounded so well is a tribute to her inner strength. She had a deep bark, which she uses to great effect. Coco will sit in front of us and stare until we do what she wants. Most of the time it's for a cookie, but can also be because she wants to go out or there is no water. Freckles will make eye contact with Helen and bark and yowl, almost talking. This means that she wants to be fed or she wants to go out. She has done a remarkable job of training us in only a couple of weeks.

This is a lot of work. The washing machine and dryer are running almost non-stop. With eight pups, some one has just pooped or will poop in another moment. This brings up another situation that I didn't forsee. Those of you who have changed diapers know how different it is once a baby goes on solid food. Well, the same is true for puppies., phew. I was watching TV yesterday when an odor reached my nose and I was certain that the Momma had done a job in the house. Nope, it was one of the pups.

At least having the pups hasn't prevented Helen and me from eating out. We're going to Carrabba's on Saturday! Helen is going at 3:30 PM and I'm going at 7:00 PM, Ha HA.

Among other things, this year I'm so thankful that we got a chance to raise these marvelous little pups.

That's all I'm saying for now.