Happy New Year!

The pups tried to stay awake until midnight, but at four weeks old, they're lightweights when it comes to partying...



HAPPY NEW YEAR! May your 2009 be better than your 2008.

Day 27 Update

The big news around here is that not only are Mindy and Schuyler back to being best buds again, but Mindy is actually letting him be around the puppies when we let them out for a romp. He is still very cautious, but it's as if he knows his boundaries and does not want to cross them.

The kids all have developed personalities. Lucas Jackson is to the pups as Moe is to the Three Stooges... he thinks he's the boss. He's also the Indiana Jones of the tribe as he is the one most likely to try to scoot away under a chair or behind someone's feet in quest of a great adventure if we don't watch him. Mackenzie looks sweet and timid but she can hold her own when LJ wants to pick a fight. She can get things started too if things are too calm. Tanner is the laid-back one. I can picture him on a beach chair sipping a rum and coke, listening to Jimmy Buffet music on his iPod and watching the girl puppies go by. Not much bothers him.

We're starting to introduce them to semi-solid foods. I'll let you know how that is working out. So, what do you you think: is it time for another video?

A new version

Hollywood has announced that the latest movie adaptation of an old television series is currently in production, and one of us here at Mindy's Puppies WebCam has a major role in the film. Look for the movie version of the NBC series...



Starring our own Lucas Jackson!




Coming soon to a multiplex near you!

Day 21 Weights

We've not weighed the pups since Wednesday. Here's their weights as of tonight, 3 days later:

• Lucas Jackson - 4 lb, 12 oz (11 oz gain)
• Mackenzie - 3 lb, 15 oz (8 oz gain)
• Tanner - 4 lb, 11 oz (12 oz gain)

Whew! And they're not even weaned yet!

Day 23 Update & "Marley and Me"

Things have been hoppin' around the ol' Basset Ranch the last last few days. The pups are all walking fairly well. I'll be building a bigger pen for them within the next few days so they'll have more room to move around. Yes, it will be web cam friendly.

Went to see "Marley & Me" last night. Not a bad movie, but be warned: it's not what I would call a kid-friendly flick, especially the last half-hour or so. I won't go into too much detail at the risk of spoiling the movie (if you want to know what happens, that is if you haven't already guessed, you can certainly find out from other websites), the key dramatic scene is brutally honest, truthful, and emotionally touching. Oh yeah, and wait until you see Kathleen Turner as a dog trainer. I turned to Mindymom and whispered, "Holy ****! What happened to her?"

We enjoyed it, but then we didn't have to explain it to any little ones. As we left the theater we saw that scenario being played out at least three times that we noticed.

Day 21 - Another Christmas Video

This was shot this morning (Christmas Day!). The nippers will be 3 weeks old around midnight tonight.

Day 21 - Merry Christmas!

Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season! Here's a short little clip taken about 5 days ago. I'll get some more more up later today. Left to right: Tanner, Mackenzie, Jack.

Day 20 Stats

It's been awhile since I posted their weights. As of 12/24/2008 @ 2:55pm EST:

• Lucas Jackson - 4 lbs, 1 oz
• Mackenzie - 3 lbs, 7 ozs
• Tanner - 3 lbs, 15 ozs

Everyone gains weight over the holidays. Even puppies.

Herding puppies is a lot like herding cats

Well, I've just spent the better part of a half hour trying to get some decent Christmas pictures of the Basset Bunch and it's been... how shall I put it... have you ever tried to juggle confetti? I'll have to wait until Mindymom gets home to help me corral them so I can get some good pictures taken. None of them would hold still for a good shot. Mackenzie is so quick she almost walked off the edge of the couch at least three times. Mindy was just as hyper as the pups. I felt like that poor schmo taking baby pictures at (insert name of el-cheapo discount store here) trying to get a crying, screaming, drooling toddler to get his thumb out of his nose and perhaps smile or at least not look like Jack Nicholson after he fire-axes the door in "The Shining". But at least the puppies were cute.

The owners of the sire have pick of the litter and they came by yesterday and chose Tanner. He'll probably be a stud dog at Huckleberry Mountain Bassets. As the Canadians say, lucky dog, eh?

We've not forgotten you winners of the name-the-pups contest. As soon I can get a good picture taken I'll send it along to you.

Just in case we don't post again today, have a Merry Christmas! We's gots puppehs ats ouws howse!

(My New Year's Resolution: never talk or type or post like that again. As God is my witness.)

Day 20 - Christmas Eve Update

A quick post for now... a more detailed one will follow later with updated stats and pictures. The big news right now is I can't log in to the Ustream account to get the video feed going. I'm trying my best, after all, what would would Christmas Eve be without without puppies? Stay tuned.....
EDIT - Got it going. Password issue.

Day 17 Pictures

Here's some pics taken today when the Basset Bunch are at two weeks, 2 days old. First up is LUCAS JACKSON...


Next, the lovely but loud MACKENZIE...


Last but not least is TANNER...

More pictures coming!

Day 16 Picture

OK, just one....

Day 16 Update

Just a quick update for now... at two weeks and 1 day of age, here's today's weigh-in...

• Lucas Jackson - 3lb 5oz
• Mackenzie - 2lb 13oz
• Tanner - 3lb 3oz

I'll definitely be getting some updated pictures posted, and I've been shooting some video footage as well that will be put on Youtube. At this age they're not too active, but once and a while one of then will yawn or stretch. Stay tuned….

Day 15 - Video feed problem

Sorry about the video feed being down today. We are both at work so we might not be able to get the feed going until this afternoon when one of us gets home. It's not an electrical power issue as I can remote into the other PCs at home; the problem is isolated to the laptop that drives the webcam. We'll get it going as soon as possible. Nobody misses watching it as much as we do.

Day 15 Update

All the pups have now opened their eyes. They are now 2 weeks old. We'll get some fresh pictures up this weekend. Now that their eyes are open we'll need to use natural light instead of of a flash. I'll also get some videos up on Youtube.

Day 14 - And the names are....

Without further ado (and just what the heck is ado anyway?), here are our picks for the puppies' names:

• We pick LUKE for "Jack"; actually we will call him Lucas Jackson. LUKE was submitted by Stephanie, Crash16, and Michele in Florida
• The very first name submitted for "Nightshade" was hard to top. She now will be known as MACKENZIE, suggested by Doodlebug
• Mnttwobe and Michele in Florida liked TANNER for "Tanner", and we like it too, so that will continue to be his name.

I need your e-mail addys so we send along the exclusive family portrait. Thank to everyone who took time to suggest names.

Day 13 WrapUp

The boys have not opened their eyes yet, but the little girl opened her's today. Mindymom said that's because females are more inquisitive than males, to which I opined that one should not confuse inquisitiveness with just plain being nosy. In the spirit of the season, she didn't stay mad long.

Mindy & Schuyler spent about 15 minutes together at close range earlier tonight. They even sat together on Mindymom's lap for a while. We still keep them on leads while they are near each other, and we only do this when they are upstairs away from the pups.

Nominations for names closed about a half-hour ago. Mindymom and I have our choices down to a short list, and we'll let you know what our picks are tomorrow.

Day 13 Update

Don't forget that tonight (Wed. 12/17) at 8pm EST is the deadline for you to submit names for the pups. Mindymom and I will consider all submissions, and announce the winning names tomorrow. The person(s) submitting the winning names will be e-mailed an exclusive picture of the happy family. Thanks to all who have entered so far.

Day 11 WrapUp

Here's today's statistics: they have still not opened their eyes yet, but the two little boys seem to be trying. They all continue to gain weight...

• "Jack" is now 2 lb 9 oz, up 5 oz since Saturday
  
• "Nightshade" is now 1 lb 15 oz, up 3 oz
• "Tanner" is now 2 lb 8 oz, up 5 oz

The names are in quotes because we're still calling them by their "working" names... don't forget to suggest names for them, but get them in by 8pm EST Wednesday, 12/17.

Day 11 - A Milestone of Sorts

From the Extremely Cool Department: as of today, when you Google "Mindy's puppies", this blog comes up as the first and second search results.

Day 10 WrapUp

Mindy and the pups had 3 sets of visitors today. None were people she sees on a regular basis. She was very good with everyone and let them hold and love her babies (she had to be close by, of course).

I made a mistake earlier today when I posted the weights. The little girl is 1 lb. 12 oz.

Day 10 - Name The Pups Contest

Doodlebug reminded me that I had said there would be a contest to name the pups, and when I published their pictures earlier today I called them Jack, Nightshade, and Tanner. Those are the names that Mindymom and I have started calling them, and of course their new owners can name them anything they want. But for right now they each have "working" names so that we don't have to refer to them as Number 1, Number 2, or Number 3.

So. We're open for suggestions for other working names for the pups. Doodlebug has tossed in "Mackenzie" for the girl, which does have its charm. Nominations are open until Wednesday at 8pm eastern. No prizes will be awarded, but if you win you'll get a warm feeling all over your body.

Have at it!

Day 10 Update - New pictures

My el-cheapo Olympus D-520 camera finally died. It was an adequate camera, and quite frankly I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.

The puppies are growing like crazy. They are gaining as much as 2 ozs. a day. None have their eyes open yet, but they all are trying. Here's some new pictures taken about a half hour ago with a borrowed digital camera. The pups are lined up in birth order.


The first one is called Jack. He's at 2 lbs 4 oz. The second goes by the name of Nightshade, and she weighed in today at 1 lb 10 oz. And last but not least is Tanner, and his weight today is 2 lbs. 3 oz.

We continue to encourage Mindy and Schuyler to become friendly again. Maybe in a day or two we'll try to have them in the same room without leashes.

Day 7 - Pictures from the past

Here's a picture of Mindy & Schuyler taken about a week after we got Mindy. She's probably about 9-10 weeks old and Schuyler's about a year old. We had to separate them at feedin' time because even back then Mindy would try to eat all the food. Check out the tongue action (click on the picture for a larger view).


Here's another taken at the same time. Look how small Mindy was then. She's 4 times as big as Schuyler now.

Day 7 - A Week Old!

The pups will be a week old around midnight tonight. They have grown remarkably since then and are starting to develop their own personalities. I'll take some more pictures of the three of them probably tomorrow and I'll pose them lined up like they were in the Day 2 pictures for comparison.

We're working on getting Mindy and Schuyler reacquainted with one another. We'll have them both on leashes - upstairs, away from the puppies - and let them sniff and howdy-do each other for about a minute before we separate them. We'll continue to do this daily until all signs of tension between them are gone. Hopefully they can go back to being the best friends they were before the babies came, but we don't expect this to fully happen until the pups have moved to their new homes. If anyone has experience with this scenario, we welcome your advice.

We enjoy hearing from you. We feel like we've got a community going with good folks from literally all over the world. If you've never given us a shout-out, leave a comment or drop us an email, and be sure to tell us where you're from.

Day 6 WrapUp

I weighed the puppies tonight. The lemon is 1 lb 8 oz, the black is 1 lb 4 oz, and the tan is a whopping 1 lb 9 oz.

Day 6 Update

If you're ever watching the feed with the sound on and you hear Mindy barking & howling, don't worry if everything is OK. What's probably going on is that one or both of us were down there and had just gone back upstairs. She loves it when we spend time time with her and doesn't like it to end.

Write your congressperson and suggest a Mindypup becomes our country's First Dog!

Natalee and the pups

Here's two pictures taken tonight when our granddaughter Natalee saw the puppies for the first time.
 

An Open Letter to Our New First Family

Dear President-Elect and First Lady-Elect Obama:

Sincere heartfelt congratulations on your election to our nation's highest office. In your acceptance speech America heard you promise your daughters a puppy when you and your lovely family move into the White House. I humbly suggest you consider a basset hound puppy to be Malia and Sasha’s new dog. Bassets are gentle and friendly dogs with a sad but lovable countenance. They are loyal to those they love and are fairly low-maintenance dogs. Allergy concerns should be minimal as bassets have short coats.

We would be honored and delighted if you would accept our donation of one of our Mindy’s puppies. Please contact us if you would like to be the proud owners of what would probably be the first basset hound in history to reside in the White House.

One question: since Mindy would be the mother of our Great Nation's First Dog, would she be eligible for live-in around the clock Secret Service protection? We have a comfortable couch in the basement close by Mindy's pen.

Deepest Regards,
Mindymom and Mindydad,
Shenandoah, VA

Day 5 Morning Update

Everybody is doing great. The pups are growing and Mindy is eating well. She's willing to spend a little more time away from the kids and be with us. She enjoys it when we sit on the couch beside the pen so she can jump up there with us and nuzzle up to us and get petted like she used to. The pups will whimper, though, and she's quick to jump down and get back to them. We're still keeping Mindy & Schuyler separated. In a day or two we will try letting them socialize again, but this time they will both be on a lead so we can avert any aggression.

Day 4 - This morning's action

We've been keeping Schuyler and Mindy separated since the puppies were born, particularly since she snapped at him a couple of days ago. This morning I was downstairs with Mindy - the basement door was closed - and she heard Schuyler walking around upstairs. She ran to the top of the stairs and was whimpering and her tail was wagging. I thought that since she was acting like she wanted to see him, I would let them get together again and see what happened. She ran right up to Schuyler, tail still wagging, and Schuyler immediately tensed up. I think he remembered how Mindy attacked him the other morning, because of a sudden he attacked her and a bite-fight broke out. We immediately pulled them apart and I took Mindy downstairs while Mindymom calmed Schuyler down. When I got Mindy in the pen with her puppies, I saw that my left forearm had been bitten. I think Mindy accidentally got me while I was separating them.
Mindy & Schuyler are both OK, and as for me, " 'tis only a flesh wound." (Trivia Quiz! What movie is that line from? First one to give the correct answer will be the first one to give the correct answer.)

By the way, when you answer the trivia question, or post a comment or send an e-mail, please let us know where you are from. We've heard from Canada, Manila, London, and other places. Mindy and the pups are on their way to becoming global superstars!

Mindymom bought some canned food and we gave some to Mindy. She gobbled it down quickly, which is the first meal she's eaten since the births. We're SO glad she's eating again.

Day 4 Morning Update

The pups are growing before our eyes. I weighed them Saturday, but they all look like they're gained weight since then. Mindy and Schuyler got into it this morning and I got the worst of it; I got bit on the forearm when I was pulling them apart. I'll post again later today with the full scoop (how's that for a tease?). Everybody's doing OK now, we'll have to continue to keep them separated.

Day 3 Update

Mindy and her pups are doing great. The 2 little boys are up to 1 lb. 4 oz each and the girl is 1lb. 1 oz. Mindy enjoys getting out once and a while for a quick poop'n'whiz break, but she can't wait to get back to her brood.

Schuyler the dachshund is livin' large as the only upstairs dog. He enjoys sitting with us more than he ever did. I guess he thinks we have only one dog now. Mindy is still very protective when she senses he is anywhere close to the babies so we keep them out of each other's eyesight.

Day 2 WrapUp

Mindy's been restless some today. I think the confinement may be getting old. We've let her out three times today but she can't wait to get back to the pups. She'll settle in again with the babies but will soon get restless all over again. She stays calm when we're down there and will whine and bark when we leave, but that lasts for less than a minute.

I'm shutting the video feed down about an hour earlier tonight so she can have some peace in the dark. We'll resume the feed tomorrow morning. In the meantime, be sure to check out the pictures in the previous post. They were around 36 hours old when I took them.

Mindy is doing an excellent job of motherhood in spite her restlessness.

Pictures and Statistics

As promised, here are some pictures of the babies that were taken today about 12:30pm when they were right at the 36-hour-old mark. They are lined up left-to-right in birth order.

The first one (a male) is a classic lemon color and was born on Dec. 4 at 11:54pm, weighing 13 oz. The black one (a female) was born 25 minutes later on Dec. 5 at 12:19am at 12 oz. The tan pup (another male) was born 21 minutes later at 12:40am weighing 14 oz.

Notice how pink their nose and mouth areas are. That's a sure sign of a puppy's good health.

Day 2 Morning Update

Mindy & the pups are doing great. All of the babies are very active. When I tried to line them up on the couch for a picture, none of them would hold still. They were squirming around looking for the milk bar. Mindy has been out for her morning constitutional but was very eager to get back to her babies.

We're keeping Schuyler upstairs for the time being. Mindy gets very aggressive when he comes downstairs where the babies are.

Day 1 WrapUp

Well, the puppies are almost a day old, and I have not posted to the blog today as much as I intended. We've both been sick - as our regular readers know - and I simply have not felt like doing much of anything today. We have looked in on the new family frequently to make sure all is well. Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully we'll be more up to speed healthwise and less lethargic than today.

On a programming note, we're cutting the webcam from a 24/7 schedule and will be switching it off overnight so Mindy can get some well-deserved rest without a light on all the time. We'll stream from around 6:30am to 9:00pm EST (or thereabouts), so be assured that we will continue our live video feed, but at more reasonable hours.

Pictures of the puppies and their stats WILL be posted tomorrow, I promise.

First picture of the family

Here's a shot of Mama & the kids. More to come.

Day 61 aka Day 1

I stayed up with Mindy until about 3:15 am and when I was satisfied that she was not going to deliver anymore pups, went up to bed. We were up at 6:30am, both feeling miserable from the colds and the late-night hours we kept (Mindymom, bless her heart, is still in bed as I write this), and I went down to check the nursery. Mom and babies are doing well; everybody, except Mindy, is getting enough to eat. Later on today I'll take some still shots of the babies and post them here on the blog along with their stats. From here on, we'll refer to the Days as Day 1, Day 2, and so forth.

Day 61 - THEY'RE HERE!

Three pups were born in the early hours of Friday, December 5, which was Day 61 of her gestation. Thanks to all who rooted us on from the sidelines. Since Mindy & the family are doing well, we're going to get some shut-eye. We're pooped! I'll post tomorrow and share info about gender, weight, and SLTT (stuff like that there). I'll be downstairs with Mindy in case there are any more puppies yet to be born.

Taking a break

I'm going to take a nap for a little while. I have feeling I'll be up later tonight. As I write this there have 1,074 hits to this blog, and today there has been 113 new visitors. Our little lady has become quite an internet star.

All I Want For Christmas...

is this T-shirt

or maybe this one.

Day 60 Afternoon Update

Took Mindy & Schuyler out for a walk when I got home, then took the pool/bed out and steamed-cleaned the pen. Replaced the old newspaper with fresh stock and got her settled in. If anyone was watching today about 10:50am you would have sworn she was going to deliver then.

The wife and I both have colds and sore throats. Those who know me know about my headaches, and they have really ramped up due to the cold. I've made arrangements to be off tomorrow (my substitute teacher has already been notified), so that means I'll be around in case Mindy does not deliver tonight, but I'm worried about spreading germs.

Does anyone know if human colds have an effect on a mama dog and her offspring during the whelping? I'll be washing my hands frequently and using hand sanitizer, but I'm still concerned.

Also, some have posted that they cannot see the video feed here on the blog. Try going to the raw video feed and see if that works. If it doesn't work, make sure you have Adobe Flash Player installed then restart your browser. If that still doesn't work, go to Adobe's Flash Player Troubleshooting Page. And if you're trying to watch at work or school, Flash Player may be disabled at that location. Talk to your IT guru and see if she/he can help you.

Day 60 Morning Update

She made it through another night. We've put newspapers in her pen to give her something to shred. Will today be the day?

Day 59 WrapUp

Well, another day has come and gone. Viewers have commented today about Mindy's spurts of activity mingled with acute inertia. Typical behavior for a soon-to-be-doggie-mama. Doggy Mama...? Wasn't that a movie with Tina Fey and Amy Pohlen?

Shoot, I don't know. I've had a long day and I'm glad Mindy didn't pick today to deliver.

.....but then, there's always tonight. Please Mindy, hold on one more day. Daddy's tired.

See you tomorrow (if not sooner).

Day 59 Morning Update

Another quiet night... no puppies yet. You may notice we've taken her collar off. That's so the puppies won't get caught in it after they are born.

I really hope she holds on another day or two. I have to work late today, and probably won't be home until 9pm or later. Let's hope for the best.

Day 58 WrapUp

Looks like she's going to make it until tomorrow, which will be day 59. 59 days is an acceptable gestation period (59 to 65 days is the ideal range, with day 63 the average). Her temperature is 99.8 which is an indication that she could deliver tomorrow. We're hoping she can hold out until Friday evening, so we can be with her when she delivers, but I'm thinking she won't last that long.

We'll leave the webcam on 24 hours a day until the puppies arrive.

We'd like to hear from you. Drop us a comment if you feel like it. Thanks again for your support.

Day 58 Morning Update

Up at 5:45am. Everything is well. No change in her behavior or appetite.

Day 57 WrapUp

It's been an uneventful day for our favorite mom-to-be. While she's content to rest and conserve her strength, she still likes her walks and is always ready to go out. Schuyler the doxie tries to get her to roughhouse with him, but she just lies there and gives him a majestic "You MUST be out of your mind" look.

This blog has had 112 visitors since we put a hit counter on it. We thank all of you for your interest in Mindy and the puppies that are on the way. We'll be having a contest to name the babies when they get here, so start thinking.

Good night, and we'll see you tomorrow. Mindy says "woof-grunt-moan-woof".

Day 57 Morning Update

Day 57 - Mindy had another quiet night. I got up at 5am and she did not whine at all until about 5:30am when I took her and Schuyler out. They are both upstairs with us now. Mindy gets bigger everyday and she looks like she's about to pop. She needs to hold on until at least Wednesday the 3rd. Check in again later for more updates.