I remember the night so well. Savannah was frantic. She would dig in the whelping box, then in the bath tub. She’d want to go outside, and would try to go under the back stairs. She’d dig in my bed. She’d whimper. It all seemed to be a normal event. This was June 17th, 2011. She was so different as a pregnant bitch. Gone was her very sleek, racer body. She was round and fluffy. It happened quickly too, that she seemed to be more protective of what she now carried, jumping less, running more carefully.
There was some stress because the process seemed to drag on. Nearly a day had gone by since her temperature dropped, and three different friends contacted me with concern as the 18th came and went, sharing stories of how they’d lost litters during this first stage, when it dragged on too long. So I finally carted her to the vet. He laughed at me really. Said every first timer comes in over the same thing. But it was my first time and I was worried for my baby, so I did. I think we decided her temp really dropped later. It had started to drop on the 17th, but it was the morning of the 18th that it dropped truly below 99 and stayed a bit.
Some people say a bitch doesn’t break water. Other people do. I think it there would be no debate on the exact physiological process, however it finally just happened. She squatted and left a puddle, and then it began.
The first baby was Red Girl, Aanandi. She was a large puppy. She was so strong. Savannah had barely got the sack off her and she was on a nipple. I remember co-breeder/coach Kelley Hoffman said “already?” I marveled at her color. It was so brindled looking. She was mostly tan/ fawn, not a particularly vibrant shade, and just very different. As a baby, she never needed for much. She often slept singly on her mother’s front paws. She was independent and confident, but didn’t make a fuss if others cuddled beside her. I found that I could not say “no” to Aanandi. Something about her I could not let go of. So I she chose me, and I chose her. She stays. Even Jai finds her to be his favorite… perhaps Savannah too.
Next came Pinkie. She was an exquisite dark puppy. Smaller. When we x-rayed, they appeared quite uniform, but at birth, there was a group of five “Biggers” and three “Smallers.” Pinkie was a “Smaller.” She still is! She arrived singing her songs, and was often complaining about something. As she grew, she would scream about things unfair, or things worthy of fright. Today she’s what some might call nervous. I say her brain works very fast, and she’s fairly hectic. She’s not brave mind you, except in her way of flying through the forest. It’s her way of behaving at decision time. “I’m not sure I want to go out with the big girls” is often a tap dance with front paws, then a race around the sofa, leaping on the recliner and thinking about it. Then she’ll decide by racing out the door, or staying on the recliner. Mostly she only goes out with the pack if I go with her; otherwise, her playmates are the boys, or Aarti. She does play with her “big” sisters, but they are not always fair. Aarti is always fair. I’m exploiting this tap dance move Pinkie does. We’re working on a trick… I say tap… she dances. But this is how Pinkie is… she races in a circle and tap dances when she is unsure, or needs to think. She learns extremely fast. She is fast with everything. Of course she is. It is one of the meanings of her name Ashwini. Swift!
Then there was Purple Girl. Aptly named Lourdes (Alluring), she was a large dark girl. She climbed out of the womb with both front feet, like she was tunneling in from China. She was so dark it was hard to know what color she was. Kelley figured grey, and rightly so. She was lovely. But she was sharp. When I’d wake her to trim her nails or weigh her, she’d breathe fire. I called her the Purple Dragon. If one of her siblings crossed the line, she abused them briefly. She showed lots of drive, and was one I had in consideration for kShe was different. I liked that. She continued in this vein of Dragoness, until her ears stood up. This was just before 12 weeks, and just before Kelley arrived. Suddenly the world changed for her. I think her ears went up and down a bit after leaving here, but for this time, they just stood up. She became demure. She was maybe just unsure at this new world, which suddenly was loud. She stayed close to me and watched. When Kelley came, she latched on to Kelley. I knew she was Kelley’s dog. I had chosen Aanandi who had also chosen me, and Lourdes had chosen Kelley. She’s an exquisite sable beauty, and Kelley’s husband Rick calls her Princess. Though I dare say he calls her this with some sarcasm, as Lourdes is quite haughty. She has a holier-than-though demeanor, a very proud and arrogant Belgian – just like the first Belgian I ever met.
Then was born a sweet and angelic boy. I nicknamed him Tiny Tim. Now called Mulder, and registered as Amal, this Aqua Boy was instantly a sweet presence. He was so beautiful. He was one of the “Biggers” and he was also a dark puppy. With Amal, it was clear he was a grey puppy. He has all the magnificent drives of his siblings, but he was later blooming. He was just quiet. He was no slouch however. If his siblings crossed the line, he’d put them in place. But he had no need for dominance. If one of his dominant siblings abused him, he cried bitterly over the injustice. He was Tiny Tim of course… “God Bless Us All, Everyone.” Today Mulder/Amal is a happy, playful boy, very confident, and apparently quite a handful, instructing his new family in the ways of prey drive and dominance…in typical Belgian style, he’s manipulated his place in the vehicle, in the bed, and around the home and become King. He provides them with hours of entertainment.
Then was born Abhithi. My little rocket scientist and innovator, the Green Girl. Like Pinkie, Abhi was an exquisite red puppy. So dark and lovely. She was the first to leave the whelping box to go exploring, and that was the beginning of her excursions. She would invent toys from the oddest things, bringing me the broom, the dust pan, anything novel to play with. She’s the fearless one. That is what her name means – fearless. I would say, if ever searching for a SAR dog, agility dog, any kind of performance dog, she’s the one. I find that I cannot part with her. Perhaps for just the right home, but she’s my little pocket rocket. So precocious, so shocking. She throws herself at people with great joy, and when she looks at me, she oozes “I love you.” She was such an entertaining puppy.
There was a moment of fright after the next boy arrived. He briefly wore the blue ribbon. When he emerged, I found he wasn’t moving his legs. They seemed securely locked in place, front feet behind his ears, and back feet folded, as one folds their arms. I gently touched his feet, studying the arrangement. We thought something was wrong. It was a moment of prayer… on my breath and in my heart “God please let him be okay.” And then he moved his legs. And then in minutes he was crawling around, over and under puppies. There was never another matter with it. We figure he was crammed in one place up against a rib or the diaphragm, unable to move around. Orange is what he became… the future wonder boy. It didn’t take him long to exert his dominance, prove his wild streak, and in a few short weeks, he was leaping of the top stair when we went outside. He is a lover, and was the favorite of Ashley, who sometimes came and helped me with the puppies. She said he was loyal. After his two brothers left to their new homes, it was Anu who slept on my pillow, often curled around my head. He was well behaved as puppies go, and was allowed to be loose in the house when I worked. He used his litter pan, and didn’t destroy my house. It was hard to let him go, but I certainly couldn’t keep them all, and I was certain when I met Sandra that he was supposed to be her dog. She’d been interested in Abhithi. I watched videos of her with her other dog and just something said it must be Anu. She now calls him Novak, and sometimes Anu. They train in Agility, Frisbee, Obedience and Herding. She’s already put three starter titles on the handsome prince!
Then came Aarti, the Yellow Girl. She was at once fairly middle-of-the-road, and more of a follower. She still is that today, and a lovely companion. She’s not explosive like her siblings, but has fairly intense bite drive. But as a baby, it was very often the Abhithi and Aarti show. They were perfect partners in crime. Today, she is a generally polite girl, who has just found blessing in swimming. Her back injury has improved in leaps and bounds since she started swimming. We go to the swimming hole several days a week now.
When Blue Boy was born, I thought he was Kelley’s dog. It was his demeanor. I though he or Tiny Tim would be so perfect there. It was his laid back personality. He was the alpha male, without question, but not a bully most of the time. He slept on his back, and showed extreme promise. The truth be told, if I were to recommend a Belgian for someone as an all around dog, with plenty of drive for SAR, IPO, agility or herding, it is him. I would have picked him ten times over for myself, but I knew I wanted a girl to stay with me. Blue Boy did go home with Kelley. She named him Vallon (Registered as Amsterdam). He’s plenty naughty now, as teenage boys go. Truth be told, I think it was a difficult choice of the boys for her between Vallon and Mulder. But to me, he was the boy for her. It was just a feeling. Something so lovely that seemed to fit. He was born so closely after Aarti, Savannah was still cleaning Aarti when he fairly launched from the birth canal.
I spent some time reminiscing and revisiting photos, videos, notes and blogs from this special and magical time. I look forward to the opportunity to experience this magic again!
I leave you with two early videos of the babies: Baby Steps
Intention Hill 