Puppies Leaving the Nest

     At seven weeks of age, we needed to prepare the pups for going to their new homes.  Though they'd already had one vet visit when they were younger, it was now time for their first set of shots.

It's hard to transport eight puppies at once!  Luckily, Willow and Rosa were still small enough to share a carrier.

     It was also time to get the pups used to being on a leash.  Some of them took to it pretty quickly, and seemed to love the opportunity for some one-on-one time with us.  Others needed a little more convincing....

Our freedom-loving Tug puppy was NOT a fan of the leash at first!

     Play time (socializing) was still a must - and a "chore" which we loved.  We also snuck in a little training during play time.  By this age, house-breaking was well under way, the pups would eagerly come to us when called, and they were starting to sit on command.  Collies are smart dogs and are known for being pretty easy to train. 

You simply can't be stressed or unhappy while playing with a litter of puppies!

         

They still love their belly rubs too!  This was our sweet Jessie, asking nicely for a belly rub.  I have to admit that if I could have kept a second puppy, it probably would have been Jessie. 

Duncan plays with a favorite puppy toy - a stick!

The puppies were so active that it was hard to get them all in one shot.  I caught six of them together here.  That's Brutus in the back, overseeing everyone as usual.  Left to right along the gate are Tug, Duncan, Jessie, Wallace, and Rosa.

     When the pups turned eight weeks old, they were old enough to go to their new homes.  It was a bittersweet time for us.  Logically, you know that you can't keep that many dogs and spend enough time with each of them (not to mention buying all that food!), but it's still difficult seeing them leave.

Rosa was the first to leave - right at eight weeks.  The kids were eager to take her home, and she seemed very happy to go with them.  It was a little easier for me knowing that Rosa was still going to be in the family.

     Willow left the next day.  She went to a couple in Rhode Island.  Willow was always a bit more reserved around new people than her siblings, so I was pleasantly surprised at how well she took to her new family.  It didn't hurt that they brought their dog, Ginger, with them - Willow seemed to bond with her instantly.




Travel buddies and instant best friends.  We were told that Ginger quickly became Willow's surrogate mom.

    

At the end of eight weeks, we were down to six puppies.  Three of them (Duncan, Jessie & Chester) were spoken for, so we really just had three that still needed homes.

Just before Rosa left, I was finally able to get a decent shot of all eight of them!  There's a puppy toy on the other side of the fence from them, out of view of the camera, that kept their attention just long enough for me to take this!  Left to right are Rosa, Chester, Willow, Brutus, Jessie, Duncan, Wallace, and Tug.