Victory's Tiny Dancers: The tempo increases . . . .

It's hard for me to believe that today is Day 27 of the Tiny Dancers' lives. In some ways it feels like they were born yesterday, and in others it feels as though they've always been here. They're absolutely marvellous.

I realized that I haven't taken the time to update the blog with some of the wonderful things that have been happening here. Today was a momentous occasion: the puppies had their first solid food! They took to their plateful of rice cereal like old pros. Someone had said that she had just put her puppies' noses in the food and sooner or later they figured it out. But these pups were ready. They spent some time nibbling the edge of the plate, but when they got the idea, the raptor genes came to the fore. Lots of rice on the feet, faces, and bellies, but the puppies sure were happy.

For some days Victory has been doing the "speed feed" version of nursing, so it certainly was time. Isn't nature amazing? Sharp little teeth = mama starting to wean = puppies ready to try other food. I knew this earlier this week: I was giving them each a little bit of yogurt off my finger, and Twist came and stuck his head in the bowl and started lapping away at it.

So the Tiny Dancers are launched on the first steps of the dance that will eventually take most of them away from their mama -- and from me. That's a little daunting, now that I think of it. Ray says that if we lived in the country, we'd just keep them all. These little lives have enriched ours immeasurably.

Each day the puppies get more agile and more assured in their movements. Their little legs, which early in the week could barely support their "robust" (ahem . . . read: pudgy) bodies, are now bouncing them across their play spaces. They are learning to climb and explore. They're examining their toys. I knew they needed some stimulation, so I went out and bought a couple of things for them to chew and carry around . . . .

Just a few things for the puppies . . .

Then they got a gift from their Auntie Carol, who went looking specifically for interactive toys:

. . . and a few more things . . . .

And then I went to Value Village and picked up a few more noisy toys, like a See 'n Say and a wonderful piano to encourage their musical side:

Twist making music

What can I say? Sure, they're spoiled, but when will I get the chance to do this again? And they're getting to experience strange textures and lights and sounds -- and none of it is bothering them in the least.

We're into the really fun part of this whole experience now: time to socialize the puppies and to encourage their little temperaments along so that they grow up to be the wonderful, solid little partners that I'm convinced the genetic side of that "nature vs nurture" equation has already set them up to be. Each day I play with them and cuddle them and take them on little adventures to experience new sights and smells and textures. And we play and play. What a life!

My main job over the next five weeks, though, is to observe them -- to get to know each member of the troupe as an individual so that we can make the best possible decisions about which pup is best suited to which prospective owner. Bit by bit, they are telling me who they are, and I am absolutely charmed by what they're telling me.

If I had to choose one word to describe Victory's babies, it would be "sweet." Yes, they're bratty and pushy and adventuresome and fun . . . but I just love that they truly are sweet puppies. They love their kisses and cuddles, and they seek me out. They play together, and they have all sorts of fun, but they love their people, too. To me, that's pretty much perfect.

So here they are as we approach the end of Week 4: Victory's Tiny Dancers, getting stronger by the minute. They're a chorus right now . . . in a few weeks each will be someone's principal dancer.