7 weeks old

Seven weeks old, and soon leaving to begin their training as ICAN assistance dogs. Most of the pups gained about 2 lbs last week and currently weigh in at 8.4 to 11 lbs. Bella and Lilly are the little pups; Hunter continues to be the big boy. The pups are currently eating 18 cups of puppy chow per day (2 c per puppy!) It has been a very busy couple of weeks, and no time to blog. Those of you watching puppy cam have probably noted that the pups are spending considerable time outside of the puppy pen; they are both loose in the house and out in the yard. There is also a moveable puppy pen out in the backyard (much easier clean up out there!). The pups have recently had two ICAN outings - a stint on Fox 59 morning news and the Tony Stewart Foundation naming ceremony. Last week they started going for individual mini-walks on leash, just down to my neighbor's house and back. They have learned the "four feet on the ground" rule and do lovely sits for attention. If you call "puppy, puppy, puppy", they all come running. I just got back in from being out in the backyard with the pups. Dega got the zoomies, was running donuts, and all of a sudden did a somersault, got right back up and was off again. Aunt Bridget (Bodhi's sister) is here for the weekend, so the pups have another adult dog to interact with. Cleo has long since returned to life sans puppies. Some of the pups have met the resident house cats and have learned to mind their manners around these dog-savvy felines. When not busy exploring the world, the pups are in their puppy pen, listening to NPR or sound effects tapes.