Mom (18 months old) and her canine sister were picked up by animal control in a rural part of our state and brought to a local shelter. Their guardian went to the shelter to look for them. When he found out that Mom's sister couldn't be released right away because of an incident while they were on their travels, the owner told the shelter to keep both dogs.
The shelter called our Rescue and asked if we could take Mom into our system. Mom entered our foster sytsem (my home) on January 17, 2009. At her initial vet exam, she was found to be infected with heartworms.
Subsequently Mom was also found to be pregnant - only 10 days before she delivered.
On February 16, 2009 (President's Day), Mom delivered 9 healthy puppies - 7 black (2 girls, 5 boys), 2 yellow (1 girl, 1 boy).
Here are Puppy's Developmental Stages as described in Another Piece of the Puzzle: Puppy Development compiled by Pat Hasting and Erin Ann Rouse (editors):
Pre-Natal Period (before birth)
Neo-Natal Period (1-14 days)
Transitional Period (14-21 days)
Awareness or Identification Period (21-28 days)
Second Awareness/Identification Week (28-35 days)
Socialization Period (5-16 weeks)
Curiosity Period (5-7 weeks)
Behavioral Refinement Period (7-9 weeks)
Fear Imprint/Impact Period (8-11 weeks)
Environmental Awareness Period (9-12 weeks)
Seniority Classification Period (13-16 weeks)
Flight Instinct Period (4-8 months)
Second Fear Impact Period (6-14 months)
Maturity Period (1-4 years)
