Magnificent 7

by Janet Joers <JJoers@impulse.net>

Since our first mill Rescue almost exactly 2 years ago, the Kerry Foundation has rescued 92 Kerries from puppy mills, including 44 intact females of breeding age. What would be the chances that one of them would come to us pregnant? The answer, it turns out, is one!

The first litter of mill Kerries ever born into freedom occurred last week (16-May-06). Olivia, affectionately known as Miss Livvy, whelped 7 beautiful puppies just two days after Mother's Day, 5 boys and 2 girls. She did a fabulous job with this, her last litter. All are vigorous and healthy and weighed over 8 ounces at birth. One little boy, our "Traveling Man," is already over a pound and actively exploring his new world. They have all been docked and had their dew claws removed. Olivia herself is doing great, recovering from an infection and being a good mother.

Olivia, as we all know, is being fostered by Rita Lockwood, which proves that the Irish gods were smiling when this little girl was selected for her care. Rita has a 6th sense about Kerries, and these puppies could not be in better hands.
Prior to every auction Rescue, I ask our Rescue Coordinators if they could identify a foster family willing to whelp a litter. Since pregnant females are sold all the time in auctions, we needed to plan for this contingency. Only one such home was identified before the Shelbina auction, and that was Rita's good friend Denise Allen of Portland. Denise has whelped several litters for the local humane society, and has the knowledge and experience, equipment and facilities, and willingness and love to properly care for a litter. On the day Olivia was to be transferred to her care, our girl decided to go into labor, and could not be moved. Therefore, it fell to Rita to serve as midwife--dare I say nurse maid?--to Miss Livvy, and she's doing a superb job.

Could the litter have been prevented? Not in this case. When Olivia arrived from the auction, she had a vaginal discharge and was thought to be in season. This proved not to be the case, and she was later diagnosed and treated for a bladder infection. Afterwards, it became clear that Olivia was "in a delicate way" and we prepared for puppies. How Olivia ended up on the right coast, in the right hands, near the only home willing to whelp a litter is one of those unfathomable "little Kerry miracles" that seem to happen so often in Rescue.

We welcome these 7 puppies to the world. They will not grow up in a filthy cage and be roughly handled by uncaring hands. They will not be torn from their mother too soon, and sold in a pet store or as future breeding stock to another mill. These 7 are destined for the very best homes we can find, and will receive the very best care we can give them. They will grow up confident and healthy, happy and free. They are the lucky ones.

Miss Livvy and her puppies, only hours old, bellying up to Momma's Milk Bar.

The Magnificent 7 on their way home from the vet's after tail docking.

From: R Lockwood <ritasway2@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Thu May 25, 2006 10:59:07 AM US/Pacific

First - Thank you for your love & good wishes for our littlest club members. They are truly magnificent.
Olivia is an excellent mom. She sometimes gets out of the "baby bed", which is a kiddie pool, & lies right beside it to watch after her little ones, but still allow them to get used to not having mom with them 24/7. AND to have a little break... She likes to go in & out to the backyard to take care of her personal business, but will not leave the room if there is a stranger in the house. (stranger to her, not to us). If anyone enters the room she & the babies are in, she barks until I come. When I am in the room, she calms down. She is eating very good, & looking more like an elegant lady every day.

Some of you have mentioned concerns about leaving adult dogs alone with the babies. Thank you for your concern, rest easy. Brian has put up baby gates, & animals can not get in unsupervised. Quinn proved himself to be a great babysitter with the puppies Denise had with her for a few weeks, but he is with her right now, because we're being careful. Uncle Jake has been staying with Brian, but does come over occasionally. He is not allowed in the room with the babies unless adults are present. He has seen them a few times from a distance, & yesterday he was allowed to see & smell one from a very short distance. He then stood by the pool & looked inside. Olivia looked at him, he stuck his head toward her, & they touched noses. He put his front paws in the pool, & leaned over fairly close to the puppy cluster, very alert, very interested, & not touching. There were three adults in the room quite close to this encounter, & we will continue to be careful. Charlie Cat
goes in occasionally right up to the pool for a quick look, then leaves.

Yesterday was the day I realized Miss Livvy can no longer have breakfast in bed. Her love for yogurt is legendary, & it goes on top of everything she eats. Our little darlings are no longer just squirmy, but very active. I put her dish down, & almost immediately had a yogurt covered puppy. I hadn't realized that 8 day old puppies could get around so well.

BTW, when the puppies had the tails & dew claws done at the vets, they didn't cry, or express any discomfort that day. The picture of them on the website, in the pink tub, was maybe 15min after it was done.

Commentary on the KBTF Magnificent 7 will be continued...

Rita Lockwood Portland OR

From: R Lockwood <ritasway2@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Sat May 27, 2006 3:19:42 PM US/Pacific

Soon now I will be able to tell these little blessings apart. I may change their names as I get to know them, but for now I'm not willing to call them by number so ...

One of our two little girls, Hannah Mae, weighs just over a pound. She has a tiny white spot on her chest. Her little sister, Mary Faye, who weighs just under 15 oz, has a small white blaze on her chest. Our tiniest one, Alfie, weighs less than 14 oz, & has a small white blaze on his chest.. Next largest is Fergus with a med white blaze weighing 15 1/2 oz. The only all black baby weighs one pound 1 1/4 oz, that's Raphael. Teddie has a very small white spot high up on his chest, he weighs 1 pound 2 1/4 oz. Miles, our big boy weighs 1 pound 4 1/2 oz. He has a white blaze on his chest, & appears to be the only one with white anywhere else. The white on his back toe is so small it's easy to miss.

I am learning to tell them apart, but I must say, not one of them is more beautiful or more precious than another. Every morning, first thing when I get out of bed, I go to Olivia & the little ones & say Good Morning, We love you. We tell Olivia several times a day what a good mom she is, & what a pretty girl she is & that we love her.

I realize these are foundation puppies, but they are mine also. In a few months, I'm going to cry, but some adoptive homes are going to be very lucky. Meantime, I will admit the rescue coordinators are under orders to screen very carefully : )

Rita Lockwood,
Portland OR

From: R Lockwood <ritasway2@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Mon May 29, 2006 12:30:29 PM US/Pacific

Because of a previously scheduled (& already started) partial redo on my home, Miss Olivia & The Magnificent Seven have gone to Denise's home, & Quinn is here with me.

It reached a point where it was noisy, & the noise upset Miss Livvy. Not OK! So yes, I got teary, but I have access to Denise's house, & she has assured me I can come over anytime. I intend to wait until day after tomorrow.

My cuddly little Quinn, formerly known as Shelbina # 128 Chewbacca, has promised me all the hugs & cuddles I need. He's Mr Social, & is just celebrating his first birthday. Some Kerries at one year look almost grown up, he looks like a great big 3 month old puppy. & Yes, now I remember why we called him Chewie. Oh well, I needed a paper shredder anyway.

Yesterday he had a long hike with Denise & four other dogs. He loved the hiking part, logs on the path were a hurdle he had to think about, the smells were wonderful. Oh, & the water was cold, & very wet. He rushed over to the bank, slipped into the water, - & right back out. Promptly went to Denise to tell her about it in case she didn't already know.

R Lockwood, Portland OR USA

From: R Lockwood <ritasway2@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Thu Jun 1, 2006 9:43:23 PM US/Pacific

Today I went to Denise's to spend a few hours with our little family. Miss Livvy is very relaxed, & is enjoying having her own little studio to live in with the children. Her friend Nigel comes in & out when humans are there to allow access. Her needs are catered, Denise keeps the water dish full, & brings meals four times daily. Miss Livvy is never more than a couple of hours without human companionship except during the night. If she needs anything during the night, Denise's bedroom is so close she could hear Miss Livvy call out.

I weighed them today, Alfie & Faye are the two smallest, at 1 lb 3 oz. Fergie & Raphael both weigh 1 lb 7 oz. Hannah weighs 1 lb 8 oz, Teddie is 1 lb 9 oz, & Miles is 1 lb 10 1/2 oz. Keeping them in the container long enough to get a good weight is challenging. May have to figure something else out...

Alfie & Miles are the two travelin men. Alfie walks better than any of them. We suspect that is how he stays trim, he runs it off. All of them are little chubs, they roll when they try to walk. They can now escape the pool. Denise said when she went out this AM four of them were out. When Mary & I got there about noon, one was out, & before we went home for the day, another one had cleared the wall.

Miss Livvy & 7 babies

Miles

Raphael

-

Fergie & Alfie

Teddie

Faye

A close up off Miss Livvy's clear eyes and pretty face.
Doesn't she look healthy and happy.... 

Rita Lockwood, Portland OR

From: R Lockwood <ritasway2@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Fri Jun 9, 2006 7:35:28 PM US/Pacific

They walk, they talk, they charm & cuddle. Oh my goodness... Mary & I visited their studio yesterday & all the babies were walking around, & looking where they were going. [...]

These little ones are precious. I sat down to greet Miss Livvy first. She welcomed my attention, leaned into me for hugs & sweet words. Then she watched peacefully as we admired her "wanderlings" make their way around the studio floor. Teddie almost walked into Mary as she stood still. He stopped, looked up at her (yes she's bigger than he is) then Growled & Barked at her! Just over 3 weeks old, & he's confronting an adult human. We didn't even try not to laugh. He stole the show today. He barked two or three times, but growled several times. [...]

At this age they tumble, crawl intentionally over one another, & tumble around in what they obviously intend as play. Twice today we saw one of them grabbing someone else's head or body part for a gentle chew.

Miles is still the forerunner of the group, walks the most (Alfie is still a good second) eats the most, & walks crawls or burrows to get where he wants to go. Faye is quiet & sweet, will snuggle in your hands, or against your body, & make little snuffing sounds. Hannah is more outgoing at this point, less pliant, but does love her cuddles. Fergus is adorable, snuffling, & looking around, curious, but content. Raphael is precious, & somehow very special. He looks like he may know things the others have only dreamed about.

Till next time

Rita Lockwood Portland OR

From: R Lockwood <ritasway2@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:46:36 PM US/Pacific

Miss Livvy will be three years old June 14th. We don't know what the weather will be like, rain is forecast, so we tried to make today special. We took the kids & let her be alone for an hour or two, & gave her a treat in her food dish, because she's special.

We stopped by the vets, then took the kids to Mary's for First Baths. Part of the process of learning to eat involves snuffling the wet puppy chow, & like human babies, they can get messy! We didn't get too fussy, & one or two of them are not exactly pristine, but they're no longer coated with yogurt or puppy food.

This was Hannah's day to talk, or whine, or grumble. We don't know for certain what she was telling us, but boy was she vocal.! Faye was the quiet little sweetheart that we're beginning to expect her to be. Everyone accepted the car ride & the time away from mom with no stress. They did talk & tumble & yes - we cuddled.

Mary asked me recently if I have a favorite among them - No - not yet.! At the moment they're all adorable & developing wonderfully.

They send you all hugs & kisses, & thank you for making this great beginning possible.

Rita Lockwood Portland OR

Faye

Miles

Hannah

Raphael

Teddie

Alfie

Fergie

Back together again.

From: R Lockwood <ritasway2@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Thu Jun 15, 2006 7:09:37 PM US/Pacific

On June 14th we celebrated Miss Livvy's 3rd birthday. As many of you know, while she was at my house, I spoiled her with food. One of her favorites was beef topped with hardboiled egg & yogurt. I believe that while pregnant & nursing, the puppies basically get what Mama is eating. In fact, I was told at the vet's ofc that she should be fed the same puppy food that the pups would be weaned onto, because that way they would be used to it. They've all been eating a healthy puppy food mixed with puppy formula.

Anyway, for her b-day, Mary & I took her some beef & yogurt. We had taken her some Monday, because I wasn't sure I could get over there on Wed. She enjoyed it, & we could go on Wed so we fixed her some more. I sat it down in front of her, and, ever the lady, she didn't snarfle it up. A puppy came to investigate, & stepped in the dish. He started to lick it off, & Whoa! Stuck his face in the dish & started snarfing. Soon he was joined by one, & then two more. No, Wait, they're all tearing into it like - well - like a pack of hungry dogs. Seven little black doggies with white noses & fat bellies. I had forgotten my camera, (boo-hiss) sorry folks, but that was a "laugh till our sides hurt" moment. They ate so much that I removed two of them, then just took it away, sat it in front of Miss Livvy, & kept the puppies away till she had cleaned it up. They needed another bath, but we just washed their little faces & set them down. Those little stuffed sausages kind of sagged to the floor, & fell sound asleep. I'm guessing they had developed a taste for it! What do you think?

Happy Birthday Miss Livvy

Rita Lockwood

From: R Lockwood <ritasway2@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:47:12 AM US/Pacific
Subject: [KBL] Magnificent 7 Adventurers 5 wks old

Denise tells me our little ones are able to negotiate steps!!! OK, not a full flight of stairs, but a step up and a step down. As you might expect, the first step down was not too graceful, but they just got up and took off. No fear! Miles, of course, was the first to make it up one step onto her deck, then into her house. Tail wagging the whole time. Happy little Kerries.

They are real chow hounds, and nurse now mostly as a comfort food. Olivia, caring mother that she is, allows them to eat first.

They are all doing great socially. Denise was watching TV and playing with the puppies when she realized all the boys were with her. Hannah & Faye were with Olivia a few feet away. We're guessing that while Denise kept the boys out of their hair, the girls were having a little girl beauty session.

Hannah may go into politics. She has an opinion on everything, and lately has been expressing it anytime there's a listener. She's not barking or growling (well, sometimes she's talking). Faye seems to take after her mom, she's relatively quiet and ladylike, but not shy. Both the girls simply love cuddles. A really good cuddle is almost enough to shut Hannah up.

They are all unique little individuals. My personal favorite? Whichever one I'm holding in my arms.

Rita Lockwood
Portland OR

From: R Lockwood <ritasway2@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:13:41 PM US/Pacific

Today we took more beef andyogurt to Miss Livvy. We also took a separate serving to the little ones. Some of them ate with mom, but she got her share. We were delighted to see her yogurt mustache. We also took some big beef soup bones. She got one! They got the rest, but she always lets them help themselves before she eats. I tried taking pictures, but they move so much I didn't get good ones.

They are happy little critters. Running - tails up and wagging - attacking everything in sight. They are especially dangerous to toes.

Quinn went with us today. He got to say hello to Ms Livvy. They obviously remembered one another, and went nose to nose several times. He also remembered being at Denise's house and playing with the other dogs. It was sunny and clear today, so at one point we took puppies out in the grass. Quinn was delighted. He didn't chase or try to play, he just sniffed and watched.

We had to keep close watch on them outside. They ran in every direction, enjoyed the sunshine and the grass under their feet, wanted to explore everything NOW.

Denise has fostered several litters of puppies, & she thinks these little ones are all very sharp. After watching them, I'll tell you, there's no doubt they are Kerries!

Rita Lockwood
Portland OR

ritasway2@YAHOO.COM
Subject: Miss Livvy & the Magnificent 7 (long)
Date: October 26, 2006 11:20:17 PM PDT

Miss Livvy is still being fostered here in Portland. She especially loves being with Quinn (rescued at the same time) & her puppies. She is becoming more playful with them, has been seen bounding, pouncing & chasing. She talks more, which is a big surprise. This is so recent I am still learning to recognize her bark. I don't think she will ever become a social director, but she loves her beauty treatments, including brushing. She stayed outside a couple of nights (her choice, not mine), & would come to the front door about dawn & bark until I let the others out. Exasperated, one morning I told her to hush, & she looked right at me & barked once. As near as I can tell, other than spending time with her kerry family, car rides are her favorite pastime.

Alfie, now Paddy, has moved to Florida. His new family particularly appreciates his fiesty ways & his loving little self. Yesterday his new "mom" tried something new to encourage better eating habits. She put him in a crate with his kibble, set the timer for 15 min, & when the time was up, she opened his door, removed his kibble, & turned to put it away. He quickly got right in front of her, sat, looked her in the eye, & chewed her out. Fortunately she & her husband have many years of Kerry experience, so they got a good laugh.

Faye, now Aoife(sp) lives in Washington state, & apparently has convinced her new family that she is exactly what they were hoping to get. Rumor has it that she loves all of them, but has a special way with the daughter.

Raphael, now Guinness, also lives in Canada, & as his family & Linda Grisley can tell you, has them convinced that he is the smartest & bestest Kerry boy ever.

Fergie, now Zen, lives in Canada also, & his family thinks he is the smartest & bestest Kerry boy ever. He attended church with his "Grandma" a couple of times, & charmed everyone. He is now considering how best to put his talents to use.

OK you can count - Two more - Miles & Teddie. They are both here with me, & Quinn & Miss Livvy, & Charlie Cat. My youngest son has adopted one, & adoption is pending on the remaining one. If his adoption doesn't go through, I may have to keep him myself. Miles & Teddie are about the same size, & both give every indication that when full grown they will be of size & disposition to be reckoned with in any argument. Fortunately, they are both good with people, & are friendly & playful with other critters.
In short, all the puppies so far are living proof of the accuracy of temperament testing. I know - At 5 months, they're still puppies, but they are well adjusted, happy, smart, fun, loving, 7 magnificent puppies.

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