Twelve puppies is a large litter and we’ve done a little supplemental feeding so far to support what Finley is able to do.  The puppies are getting mostly Finley’s milk, but we’ve begun some bottle feeding to make sure that these growing pups get all they need.

Either Biff or I have been sleeping alongside the whelping box through the night.  Beginning tonight we’re going to be “on call” but not right next to the box.  A baby monitor will alert us if they get noisy and need help.

They’re one week old as of this evening/tomorrow morning and the growth has been incredible.  We now have to use both hands to hold them.  Weights have doubled or nearly doubled in one week.

We want to say thank you to wonderful friends, Holly, Julie and Christy for the support they’ve provided.  We’ve so appreciated their presence and puppy care through this first sleep-deprived week.

Here’s a close-up of number “Five” a little girl that was snoozy when I was looking for a good one to photograph.  The puppies eyes will open at about two weeks.  They are incredibly sweet – sometimes ferociously nursing, sometimes sleeping piled on top of each other and they settle into a snuggle with us, too.

Here are a few photos taken this afternoon.  The puppies (which we’ve cleverly named One, Two, Three, Four, etc. through Twelve) are now about 5 days old, give or take a few hours, and their lives are all about eating and sleeping.

Chev has now met his offspring and seems only slightly interested in them.  He’s been very patient with the changes in the routines around here.  Biff and I are also settling into new routines with a dozen more little lives in the house.  It’s all good!

The puppies are noisily suckling as I type this.  I captured two shots this evening that I just had to post.

We’re weighing them twice daily and they are all growing steadily.  We use a kitchen scale (under the bowl in the photo) with a large glass bowl for holding the pup.  Biff taught me tonight that the puppies calm and hold still if the bowl is lined with a warm towel.  (It’s hard to get an accurate weight on them when they’re jiggling all over.)  Works like magic!

Life with 12 puppies is BUSY!  Here are a couple of shots from today.  We’ll make sure to post photos as often as we can, at least weekly.  Finley is a remarkable mom to her dozen babies!

To our surprise, Finley’s litter was ready before her due date.  12 wonderful, all healthy, Griff puppies whelped between 3:30 on Thursday afternoon and 4 AM (yes AM) on Friday.  What a marathon!

There are 4 girls and 8 boys and they’ve already grown since whelping. (We’re weighing them twice daily).  Finley’s motherhood instincts switched right on and she only leaves them briefly to due “her business” outside.

We’ve received a great number of applications for the puppies in this litter.  We’ll be contacting folks within the next week to talk about placement.   They’ll be ready for their new families the weekend of January 11th.

We’ll post photos as they grow.

We’re a week out from FInley’s whelping “due date” and just about everything is in place.  The whelping area is set up and supplies are ready.   The big question is still, “How many puppies are in there?”  We should get an estimate on Tuesday when Biff takes her in to the vet.  We’ll post that news when we get it.

Here’s Finley on Sunday, November 10th with her bulging belly.  She moves easily, has had plenty of exercise and doesn’t look as huge standing up as she does when she’s lying on her side.

Finley looks fit and agile moving outside but she also looks puppy-heavy when she’s relaxing inside.  How many puppies are growing in there?  We’re wondering, too, and plan to get an estimate in the next week.  We’ll post that info. when we get it.

We just got back from the AWPGA National Specialty Show in Colorado.  Chev and Finley (whose belly is getting bigger by the day) both did well over the weekend and we had fun looking at over 60 other Griffs and spending time with others who are as crazy about their Griffs as we are.  Puppy preparations continue here.  We’re just 3 weeks away from whelping.

We’ve been astounded at the interest in this litter.  If you’ve written to us, but haven’t heard back, we apologize for having missed your message.  Please, if you are serious about a puppy, send us a completed application with a message about your interest in a Griffon.  We’ll respond to all applications, but we can’t promise dogs for everyone who requests them. Click on “Puppy Application” on this page and then again the smaller green “Puppy Application” on the next page (above the Leave a Reply box) for a downloadable pdf.

Puppy Application

We got the news yesterday.  Finley IS pregnant and we are delighted.  Her due date is November 17th.  Gestation for puppies is 63 days, 9 short weeks and, as of tomorrow, Monday, October 21st, she is 5 weeks along.  She’s full of her usual energy, bulging slightly in her belly and snuggly as ever.