From the old files
Although I had done a little work at SDP in 2014 - before I fell and broke my back and blew out a couple of disks - I really wasn't "attached" to any of the dogs, in particular. I had been watching on line since 2012, beginning with the Chuppies. The dogs were all sweet and adorable, but I didn't feel that I was really responsible for any of them.
And then there were the Starlets. First off, I adore Scarlet - she is just one of the sweetest dogs on the planet. And the babies were named for old movie stars - how could I NOT adore them, too??
I hadn't learned to do any photo work when these were taken, but I just love these pics so I'm going them a page:
First off - the newborns, all lined up and having a meeting at The Milk Bar:
Remember how GREEN little Vivien was??? This where I learned to count puppies -
3 merles: Ava, Gronk, Merle
3 whites: Audrey, Sophia, Bing
1 harl: Clark
1 green: Vivian
1 mantle: Mae
I quickly fell in love with little Mae West - she'd had a rough go getting going at birth, so I think I was a bit drawn to the little 'underdog'. But she was my cuddle monster and always running to meet me when I came to the nursery. Mae spent more time on my lap and leaning against me than any of the others. She was my "fantasy" puppy - if I could have had a dog to keep, Mae was the choice.
One babysitting gig, when she was being really a major fussbudget and waking the others up, I remembered how a trainer in Australia used to calm down tiger kittens by swinging them. So I fashioned a washcloth into a little swing and gave Mae her own little cradle. One of the CPs caught the moment on cam and told me I turned her into a "taco". Loved that!
Mae was a champion sleeper!! I spent a number of hours just holding her while she slept.
And she was FEISTY!!! For such a little thing, she didn't take guff off of anyone, especially those boys - Bing, Gronk, and Clarkie. Gronk was busy being pudgy and adorable, but Bing and Clarkie were little rascals. And Mae would tell them off!! She had quite the little shriek in her baby bark!!
The CPs were always catching pics of her being adorable - I think we were all a little extra attached because her coloring made her so striking compared to the rest.
The one thing I am never going to forget is the look on that sweet baby's face when she was so sick. Her little tummy was hurting so bad, so I didn't pick her up, but just let my hand barely rest on her skinny little ribs or her head, so she would know I was there. And the look she gave me let me know that she KNEW I was trying to help and to make her feel better. She knew.
It's strange - she wasn't my dog. But I can't help but grieve over her loss. I don't think I'll ever quite get over it - she still reduces me to tears. Mae was my first and my best connection to the puppies at SDP.
I love you, Baby Mae. You're always going to be my girl.
From the old files
Springtime and watching the Starlets learn their way around the farm. Taking a page from Julie Hansen - the wizard of photoshopping at WCC, I decided to start applying some of the application to a cute snap of Carlene walking with some of the kids:
You can tell I've done way too many field trips with elementary students, can't you?
A CP made a joke about car hops and the reference led to this:
Another CP-inspired caption. Someone asked if the older puppies knew there were new ones coing or not.
Summer Sunday Stews - the Starlets had so much fun.
And so did the people playing with them!!
Always fun to watch Earlene and Chaos.
Add a passel of puppies to the mix and it's REALLY fun!
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