Quick Update

I'm sorry I haven't put up any new photos yet, but my Dad suffered a stroke yesterday after being released from the hospital that same day. Fortunately he is doing exceptionally well. They airlifted him to Milwaukee where he is getting wonderful care and recovering nicely. The Flight for Life crew was fabulous. Quick action by my Mom saved him. So have some patience. I hope to be able to get some pictures up for their two week birthday which is tomorrow. The way their eyes are going, I expect them to all be open by Monday. Now I need you all to vote on who's ears will open up first and they will start to hear that wonderful music. The pups are doing great and growing sooooo much. They are starting to bark and make more noise and really getting their feet under themselves. I think our next poll will be which one will get out of the whelping box first!

My How We've Grown

The puppies are really growing now. They had their first nail clipping yesterday and they were all very good. They are all able to get up on their feet and take a few wobbly steps. I have noticed they are getting slits by their eyes, which means they will be open very soon now. That is when the fun starts and they developed their personalities. I will post more individual photos soon. Please note how big they are now as from the first post. It is amazing how quickly they grow.

the pups doing their favorite thing...eating

In birth order here are the latest stats

Aindreas (m) - Birth wt. - 12.5 oz. at 1 week - 25 oz.

Anrothan (m) - Birth wt. - 15 oz. at 1 week - 27.5 oz.

Aimhirghin (m) - Birth wt. - 14.5 oz. at 1 week - 24.5 oz

Aisling (f) - Birth wt. - 12 oz. at 1 week - 20.5 oz.

Ailchu (m) - Birth wt. - 14 oz. at 1 week - 25.5 oz

Smilebox postcard of pups

Make a Smilebox postcard

All in the Family-6 days old

Ailchu

Aisling

Aimhirghin

Anrothan

Aidreas

names

Since the poll was tied between Irish names and names starting with "a" we decided to give the puppies Irish names starting with "a." So here they are with their names in birth order.

NAME (how you say it) -what is means
Aindreas (AHN dray is) - Andrew (he looks like Andy)
Anrothan (AWN ruh hawn) - champoin
Aimhirghin (AV er yin) - born of song
Aisling (ASH leeng) - vision
Ailchu (EL khu) - gentle hound

The puppies made their first trip to the vet on Monday and were all pronounced healthy and strong. They are such good puppies. Active but quiet. They can scoot around the whelping box faster than a greyhound. Mitzy is being a great mother and Andy is a proud papa. They are all gaining weight and getting bigger every day. Today we are going to introduce the puppies with their new call names. Don't worry, they don't have to keep these names. We will be conducting a new poll to determine what radio station the puppies should listen to. I always play music for the puppies to acclimate them to common sounds, so here is your chance to help decide what they should listen to. First there is the WMYX, the Mix. They play a variety of music from some old stuff to today's popular songs. Next is WDRV, the Drive. They play music of the 60's, 70's and 80's, like Led Zepellin and Pink Floyd. A classic music station, yet to be determined.

First Look

Wednesday I will have some more pictures up after we give them names.

Name Game

While we are taking lots of pictures of the pups, we thought we would let you know that the vet visit went wonderfully today. Nuala really wants to see her little brothers and sister, but she will have to wait until the pups are older.

Also the names that we give them now don't have to be their name forever, we just need to call them something other then "1st born" or "girl." So never fear future owners, they are not stuck with these names.





To find out more about Staffordshire Bull Terriers as a breed please check out the American Kennel Club's page at:

http://www.akc.org/breeds/staffordshire_bull_terrier/index.cfm

Or check out our national club's website at:

http://clubs.akc.org/sbtci/





If you want to find out fun facts about the day the pups were born check out the Birthday Calculator at:

http://www.paulsadowski.com/BirthDay.asp






Lastly, if you would love to see some beautiful pictures of Andy (Dad), check out Katie Voss' page. Andy's pictures are under her photography and dog links. They are wonderful.

http://katieavoss.com/home.html

They're here!

Pups started arriving at noon. We were done by 7:00 PM.

1st pup, as boy, weighed 12.5 oz.-Small white spot on chest, no other markings.

2nd pup weighed 15 oz.-white triangle on his nose and a large white patch from his chin to his naval. Some white toes too.

Third boy was 14.5 oz.- broad white chest, one white leg, and white toes on the rest of the paws.

Little girl was born next. She is 12 oz. -small to medium white blaze on her chest. A couple of white toes.

Then came the last boy. He is 13 oz. and has a small to medium white chest.

They all are moving around the whelping box and nursing strong. They are quiet and content. Mitzy is being a great mom. They will all go to the vet tomorrow to be checked out.