I am not sure how it is that I have fallen in love with our litter of Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppies in a few short days. The puppies were born on Easter Sunday. Within a day or two I could begin to see differences in their personalities and I was hooked.

Although the puppies are close in size there are differences. The most demanding of the lot is the littlest female. We call her “The Mouth” because she is always first to complain. However, her name is really Clodagh (clo + da). My granddaughter Josie has “adopted” Clodagh.

There is a quieter little female. Her name is Maire (my+ra). Sullivan has claimed Maire as her special puppy.

There are two males in the litter of eight. One is larger. His coat is different than the others. He will be known as Rauri. The smaller male is Clancy.

The largest female is Deirdre followed closely by Sorcha (sur+ka). Next comes Aine (awn+ye) then little Ciara (kee+ra).

We chose Irish names for the puppies because Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers are originally from Ireland. They were originally all-purpose farm dogs. Our Tipper is definitely an urban dog. She has a lovely personality but she knew little about work until she became a mother.

Tipper has adapted well to her new maternal role. She is attentive and caring, but not overly protective. She allows us to look at the puppies and occasionally handle them. She also seems to be comfortable with the grandgirls coming near. When she has had enough she uses her body to cover the pups. It is a clear signal that we all respect.

Tipper is also a good teacher. One day I watched as she set up a small barrier by bunching the blankets in the whelping box. She watched as a puppy searched for her. The puppy tried to climb over the barrier. When Tipper thought the puppy had struggled enough she reached out her paw to the puppy who followed her arm then nestled in for a well-deserved lunch.

Yesterday the puppies began to stands for a second or two. Today they are attempting to take a few steps. Soon their eyes will open. The adventure of puppy-raising will then take on a whole new dimension.

The families we have chosen to take a puppy are all excited to meet the litter. Over the coming weeks they will visit often to help socialize the puppies. That will be a great help to us. When it is time for the puppies to leave us we will know their new families well. It will make the parting easier. In the meantime, I plan to shower the puppies with my love and attention. Who could ask for a better job?

© C O P Y R I G H T   2 0 0 8.  Mary Sullivan Holdgrafer ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.