Continued from the previous page.

PUPPY PALOOZA!

On my way home from my first visit to Warrior Canine Connection . . . I was already planning my second visit! I had some unfinished business and needed to return.

The four days I was there in late July revolved around the whelping training class I took on Saturday, July 27.

WCC Ann and her six puppies the day after their birth, which was just a few days
before my arrival in July (screen shot from Explore live cam 7-22-19)

I enjoyed this visit even more than the first one because I had a lot more quality "puppy time" and wasn't doing more physically demanding jobs in the kennel. I still put in up to ten-hour days, which is more like being on staff than volunteering. That was pretty long and tiring for me, but more satisfying because of more time with the pups.

Local volunteers usually work two- to four-hour shifts. Some come in once a week or more, others less frequently because of their schedules. Some shifts are covered by staff members if no volunteers can come in, especially the long overnight shift from 8PM to 8AM in the whelping box.

Care is provided 24/7 for puppies in the whelping room and nursery. Older puppies have rest periods during the day when no volunteers are assigned but Danielle or other staff are present.

Six of Dawn's Remembrance Litter puppies at five weeks of age;
how is that comfortable, Miss Pink and Mr. Green??  (7-2-19)

It was also more exciting while I was there in July because two new litters were whelped right before I arrived in late July. A total of twenty-eight puppies were in the puppy center while I was there, which either set or tied a record for the number of pups Warrior Canine Connection has ever housed in the trailer at one time.

The nursery was turned into a second whelping room and Skye's month-old Lab puppies had a new pen in the playroom that was separate from Dawn's older litter of Golden retrievers:

Skye's litter was in this enclosure most of the time during my second visit.
The Explore live cam couldn't swivel to show it online. (7-26-19)

During the four weeks between my visits I watched the Explore.org live cams even more intently, messaged back and forth with several other EPWs (Extreme Puppy Watchers), and discussed a tentative schedule with WCC staff for the days I planned to be there in late July.

Here are some more screen shots from the live cams during the interim, starting with the two older litters (Elaine's and Dawn's) and ending with Skye's. I'll show the two brand new litters later.

Elaine's litter of ten Labs (in foreground) left in early July for their puppy parents or other service dog 
organizations. Dawn's pups are in a separate pen in the background in this screen shot I took 7-2-19.
It's always amusing to watch the older pups try to escape their enclosures, or knock the fence down!

Standing room only:  Dawn nursing her eight 5-week-old puppies  (7-1-19)

One of Dawn's sweet babies at 7 weeks of age  (7-18-19)

Dawn's pretty Miss Pink on the deck  (7-23-19)

All seven of Skye's puppies sleeping with Lamb Chop; that might have been the stuffy I took there in 
June but there are multiple Lamb Chops that volunteers have donated.  (7-13-19, twelve days old)

Two of Skye's pups cuddling with Mr. Caterpillar in the whelping box  (7-15-19)

PUPDATE ON ELAINE'S FREEDOM LITTER

After my visit in June, five of Elaine's Lab pups in the Freedom Litter went to live with staff members or their WCC puppy parents and five went to other guide or service dog organizations in the cooperative.

Some of WCC's pups came back for basic training while I was there in July but they were no longer living in the puppy center. 

   
Elaine's Miss White (now "Darby") and Mr. Red (now "Mike") stayed with WCC.
These photos are from the litter's Facebook page and were taken later in August, 2019

One of the things I did my first day at WCC in late July was help Danielle carry puppy paraphernalia over to Rick and Molly's house to give to the new puppy parent of one of Elaine's pups that had been temporarily living with a staff member (I think it was Miss White AKA Darby, pictured above). Rooms in the basement of the house are used for offices and meetings.

It was interesting to hear the information Danielle gave to the puppy parent -- one of their experienced ones -- and to meet her and another volunteer who was with her. Both are EPWs and it was nice to put faces with names. That happened a lot on this visit since I was in the puppy center more this time.

You can follow the five WCC pups in this litter on their Facebook page and Fennel AKA Miss Orange (the only yellow Lab in that bunch) on the ACTS Facebook page.

PUPDATE ON DAWN'S REMEMBRANCE LITTER

Most of Dawn's Golden retriever puppies in the Remembrance Litter were also gone when I returned in late July. They turned nine weeks old in the middle of my second visit. This is my favorite litter since I've been involved with WCC so I was very happy that Miss Pink, Miss Purple, and Mr. Red were still there.

Another male puppy from this litter was also present a couple of days; he was living temporarily with a staff person and came to work with her during the day.

These are a few of the pictures I took of this litter while I was volunteering on campus in late July:

Miss Purple AKA Devin (L) and Miss Pink AKA Tuffy  (7-28-19)

Miss Purple (Devin) has distinctive white "angel kisses" on her face.  (7-28-19)

Miss Pink (Tuffy) is mesmerized by something in the grassy Mom Yard.  (7-28-19)

What a gorgeous puppy!  (7-26-19)

Mr. Red blends in with the flooring in the puppy center. 
He went to another organization and I don't know his name. (7-26-19)

Here is the bench shot Danielle took of the Remembrance Litter in late July before they left the puppy center:

Another adorable Golden retriever puppy who came from Susquehanna Service Dog Sophia and WCC Cooper's Hat Litter, known at the time as "Bonnet," was also living with Dawn's remaining pups in the puppy center for a few days until her new puppy parent could take her.

What a chubby, fluffy cutie! I loved cuddling with her. She was about a week older than Dawn's puppies but close enough in age and size to play and sleep with them.

Above and below:  Bonnet was as kissy as Dawn's puppies.  (7-26-19)

 

Bonnet looks almost like a little sheepskin rug when she sprawls out like this!  (7-27-19)

WCC renamed her "Bonnie" in honor of a retired female USAF veteran and placed her with one of their experienced puppy parents. You can follow her interesting daily journal and photos at this link as she continues her service dog training.

I was able to assist with the care of Dawn's remaining Goldens all four days I was on campus in July. I helped clean their pen and the deck several mornings, hand-cleaned their hard toys, assisted with some enrichment activities like solo play sessions out in the mom yard, and had more cuddle time with them than I did in June.

It was a little sad to see Miss Pink leave for a plane trip to Florida while I was there. As mentioned on the first page of this series, her sire is from Southeastern Guide Dogs near Tampa and she was their pick of the litter.

Miss Pink and Bonnie  (7-26-19

SEGD has sponsors name their puppies. Miss Pink's sponsor named her "Tuffy" and she is living with puppy raisers in Florida who periodically post pictures of her on the WCC-EPW Facebook page. They know the EPWs love her, too.

That's great, because we don't usually know what happens with these pups after they go to another organization.

Here is the Remembrance Litter's Facebook page header again for the five puppies who are staying with WCC's training program:

Continued on the next page:  lots more puppy pictures!!

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, Casey-Girl, and Holly-Pup

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© 2019 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil