Where is Raven Having Her Puppies?

noon temp: 99.5 (thank goodness!!)

5 years ago when Kachina was pregnant with Aliy and Raven I woke up one morning to find her temperature had dropped. As I said in my post the other day, that means pups are on the way, usually in about 24 hours.

In Kachina's case her co-owner was convinced (and managed to convince me) that pups would not arrive before nightfall. So although the whelping box was built, it had no bedding in it. I was waiting until someone was here to help me lift it so I could put the bedding in. I had plenty of time, right?

From the time Kachina's temp dropped to the time of her first contraction it was about 8 hours. Then it was another 20 minutes before her first water sac broke. At that time I still had no bedding in the whelping box. Can you say "panic time"? And within 40 minutes I had three puppies. So I've learned it pays to be prepared.

The little temperature drop scare this morning convinced me that I needed to get the whelping box built today. Details on how the whelping box is constructed can be found in this post I made to Aliy's World last summer.

Here is where Raven will have her puppies:


Whelping box under construction.


Whelping Box completed.
Here is where Raven THINKS she is having her puppies:


Raven's hole under the steps, view one.


Raven's "den", view two.

That was yesterday, today it is covered in snow.