Puppies !!!!

May 24 - It's amazing how much they've changed in just one week.  All the puppies have their eyes open and they are all walking and playing with each other.  Their favorite games is trying to see how many different things (or sibling body parts) they can get into their mouths. We had our first outdoor adventure this past weekend and the big dogs got to spend some time with them as well.  Uncle Kusko can't wait to play with the puppies, and is already trying to get them to play.  You can see these exploits below. The puppies are simply huge, with all of the boys now well over 5 pounds at just 3 weeks of age !  The next few weeks should be a lot of fun. Stay tuned ! You can see the first few days of pictures here and the first week here and the second week here.

Skyland Statia - Female, 4 lbs 13.1 oz;  birth weight: 14.5 oz Saba really dotes after Statia, constantly bathing her and allowing Statia to sleep on her, climb on her, etc.  Statia doesn't seem to mind, however, as she is usually cuddling with her mom or one of her brothers. Statia is named after the island of Statia, or St. Eustatius, which, along with Saba, is a part of the Netherland Antilles.

Skyland Maarten - Male, 5 lbs 13.8 oz;  birth weight: 15.5 oz Maarten is our most "active" eater, often digging under the pile (and sometimes under Saba) to get to his meal.  So far, he seems to be a very active, confident puppy. Maarten is named for the island of St. Maarten, the smallest land mass in the world to be shared by two different nations. Only 37 square miles are owned by France and the Netherlands Antilles.  It is the jumping off point to reach the island of Saba.

Skyland Croix - Male, 5 lbs 6.2 oz;  birth weight: 14.8 oz Croix is our smallest boy, though he has been catching up to his brothers in weight very quickly !  Another very "active" eater, his head and tail are usually bouncing around while he eats. Croix is named for St. Croix, the largest of the US Virgin Islands.

Skyland Caicos- Male, 5 lbs 13.8 oz;  birth weight: 1lb 1.06 oz Caicos (a.k.a. "Bobblehead puppy") is our largest male.  A very confident puppy, he likes to cruise around the whelping box, doing laps. Caicos is named for the Turks and Caicos islands, a group of 40 islands and cays (8 of which are inhabited) just below the Bahamas.

Skyland John- Male, 5 lbs 8.9 oz;  birth weight: 15.2 oz John is an extremely snuggly puppy, usually either sleeping on one of his siblings or on his mom.  You also have to be careful when sitting in the whelping box as John will quickly fall asleep on your foot as well ! John is named after the island of St. John, the smallest of the US Virgin Islands.

Some more litter shots ...
Saba using Maarten as a pillow	Mother and Daughter
Sleeping puppy pile	Maarten was the first one out
Statia on the prowl	Caicos, Maarten and Statia
Saba teaching her sons how to play	The boys !
Uncle Kusko with John	The whole pack
Dining Al Fresco	Saba enjoying the outdoors with her litter
Statia showing off how cute she is !	Everyone is tired after playing outside
Saba, Maarten, Statia and Caicos	Saba and Caicos
Less room at the milk bar each week !