Bailey's Birth Story

Yesterday morning around 9:00 AM I noticed Bailey seemed to be breathing a bit heavy. This can be a sign that labor is near, so I took a video and sent it to a fellow breeder and said "I think Bailey might be in labor, I bet we will have puppies tomorrow" Typically when Ellie would start this phase of labor it would last a full 18-24 hours before a puppy would appear. Within a few minutes Bailey progressed into panting and not seeming able to get comfortable. I decided I better get her whelping box prepared and got some towels together and our birthing equipment. I brought her into the room where our whelping box is and she immediately jumped right into the whelping box and began to nest. Around 11:30 AM she had dug all the towels and the rug in the whelping box into a little nest for herself. I removed her from the whelping box and was trying to lay the rug and towels flat again and the entire time Bailey was **really** wanting to get back into the whelping box. I still wasn't expecting her to have her puppies anytime soon was a little bit surprised at her urgency to get back into the whelping area. As soon as she got back in I checked her and noticed a foot coming out! I was shocked! Things had progressed so quickly and I was about to have a puppy any minute! After about 15 minutes the first boy made his appearance.

Each additional puppy came out about an hour after the previous one. After she had her fifth puppy she laid down and went to sleep, and seemed like she was done. I was pretty sure our X-ray had showed six puppies, so after palpating her belly I thought I could feel one more puppy.

About two hours after the fifth puppy had arrived, number six finally arrived! We have five beautiful boys and one gorgeous girl!

Bailey has been a wonderful and very attentive mother. She is not too fond of me taking the puppies out and weighing them and will come investigate each time one of the pups leaves her whelping box.

Flannel, Jack, Patch, Pumpkin, Smore, Autumn. It is especially hard to explain to Quincy and Fletcher why they can't hold the puppies constantly, as it is all they want to do! We are so excited to watch these little guys grow!