Week 2

It is a real progress week this one. First eyes, woofs, purring growls that sound exactly like Star Trek Tribbles and they can now hear and react to sound as well as vision.  Staggering round the box is now quite normal as is sitting up! Photos from week one and this week are now up here :-) Enjoy. They have had a fair few visitors. These I select carefully as they have to be people that Tykky is comfortable with and knows really well, as it is possible that too much activity would upset her and prevent her from mothering effectively. Of course she is delighted to receive guests :-) as is Ilo.

I have also had various discussions regarding names. As Mika is an overseas sire the KC have said I must send off my names 'yesterday' if registration papers are to go with pups as they are in a 'high volume' period at Aylesbury registration HQ.  It is a shame since last time I was able to let owners choose pedigree names,  but that is hard to organise fairly with some people yet to visit. A slight panic ensued, mainly as I had only just contacted Kati Soila Smith who helped me so generously with the phonetics.

I thought you might like to see her explanations:

 

Jieknja is N Sami for Ice and subject to KC approval I have had to allocate the names, so:

Carmine is Baldu = Iceberg/Ice Flow
Sky is Rudni = Ice Hole (for fishing)
Sienna is Suossa = Bay Ice
Pink is Duollu = Ground Frost
Aqua is Boara = Smooth Ice (after Spring snow has melted)
Silver is Cuokca = Ice Bridge over a river
Sunshine is Sealli = Melting Frost on trees

Welcome to the Jieknja Litter

After a four-year gap the next generation is born.  Jieknja or jiekŋa ( say Yee-ek-ng-ya - I think :-) ) is N Sami for ''ice".  Those with a great memory with remember my first litter was called Muohta,  N Sami for "snow".

This litter has been a long time in the making and after last year's long trip to Sweden but no pups it really is lovely to have a litter from our trip to Bavaria.  Long Live Dream Alaska (Mika) and Tykky are very well matched in so many ways. Tykky had a very active and uneventful pregnancy, but she kept everyone waiting over the Bank Holiday weekend. Even her beau Mika waited patiently for news:

Mika the expectant Dad in Bavaria (J Scheidig)

Tykky in no particular hurry in Rye

Midwives and husbands came and went, and due dates checked and checked again.  Eventually, having being threatened with a c-section, Tykky decided she could hold them no longer and 7 beautiful pups were born in the early hours of 6th May 2015 - 5 girls and 2 boys. The pups have some wonderful markings already and 3 of the girls are wolf sable, with the other 4 pups being black with bright tanpoint markings. The marking are changing daily, it is really interesting to watch them change.

Tykky is being a super attentive Mum, after some encouragement with cleaning. Pups need stimulation to eliminate for the first few weeks. Normally this duty is undertaken by the mother licking the pups. Tykky decided poo was not on her agenda whatsoever so I decided to temp her into the less refined maternal duties with the help of some strategically placed (organic) Greek yoghurt.  After 3 days she decided it was worth it and is now happily cleaning away.

The best position for 7 pups to feed

Two paws, Mum and son (S Crowhurst)