Daisy has puppies!! They are the most adorable things i have ever seen. They were born on august 28th. Originally there were 8 of them, but 5 died shortly after birth. This was really sad, but in retrospect, i think it was for the best, because i doubt that daisy would be able to support 8 puppies.Mother and puppies are both doing splendidly. I'm not sure if I can adequately express how relieved I was to watch daisy bouncing and jumping around like her old energetic self. She is critical to my happiness in the village. No matter what kind of day i am having, Daisy always makes me smile. We'll both just be relaxing around my house and all of the sudden daisy will decide that we are too far apart and get up and sprint over to me as excited to see me still sitting in my chair as if I had been away for a week. Every moment of life is an exciting surprise to Daisy, and i try to learn from her when i am getting frustrated. I'm really happy she's ok.....
And now she has puppies!!!! Three little girls, wonderful in their disproportionality. Look at them! Aren't they just the most beautiful things you have ever seen?? It seems to me that they are all belly, and from their current daily habits -- eating, sleeping, changing position, sleeping some more, eating -- that is really all they need. They haven't opened their eyes yet and their legs aren't really strong enough to support their big bellies. I love watchting them scoot around on their stomachs, pushing them selves along with those back legs that can't support their weight, wiggling their tiny little tails whenever daisy is around to feed and clean them. It would make even the most hard hearted smile. I haven't named them yet, because I can't really tell them apart.I want to keep all of them, except i think my village father wants to sell some. If so I think i am only going to sell them to other peace corps volunteers. In general, Zambians don't develop the same kind of relationships with their pets as we do. I often get teased for how much attention I give daisy. Perhaps it is this lack of relationship that causes the Zambians to be so rough with their dogs, but what ever the reason, i refuse to let one of these angelic creatures go to a home where they will be beaten with tragic regularity. Thus, I have turned down all of the villagers who came by to ask me to give them one of my puppies and will continue to do so. There is a volunteer in northern province who wants a dog, and i really want to keep at least two. I don't know how i will leave them when I finish.
The last funny thing about these puppies is that daisy in her infinite wisdom, decided that the best place to keep her puppies until they are more self sufficient is in the corner of my pit latrine. Yeah.... I guess it makes sense: it is a sheltered, small area where they can't get into too much trouble (as long as they don't fall down the latrine!!) but it makes for a rather uncomfortable audience a few times every day. In any case, i am just about as happy as happy can be. Thanks to my super sister becky, I now have a digital camera, so I will continue to show pictures as they grow from beautiful puppies into beautiful dogs.
Well that is all for now, I am heading to ATB lodge to watch the replay of the NFL season opener between the colts and saints. I am going to miss football sundays....
I hope you are all well. I will write again soon.
puppies!!!!!!!!
