Day 60 - Afternoon Report

After a couple of hours of errands on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, I arrived home to see some telltale signs that Deca is almost ready to have her puppies.

Unlike every other day that she’s been here, she didn’t immediately greet me at the door along with my other German Shepherd, Ajax. I was in the house before she emerged from the basement where I had set up her whelping box.

While I unpacked the Explorer, I let the dogs out to savor the glorious sunshine. Ajax, as per his habit, ran around until he found a stick to play with. Deca, on the other hand, immediately headed under an azalea bush, looking for cover and a place to nest. The nesting instinct was confirmed as she began to paw the dirt under the bush and lay down.

Back in the house, I directed her to her whelping box for comfort and security. My comfort, her security. I could see that she had been in there while I was away from the house. Again, the nesting behavior as she began to paw at the newspapers and bedding materials that were there.

Earlier today, I took her temperature, for the first time, per the advice of numerous folks who say they know something about this. Her temperature was 98.9, which according to the literature suggests that the puppies will be whelped within 12 to 24 hours…or not.

Another sign that's she almost there, she refused to eat her food this morning, so watch this space.