Bunny Puppies on Day Four

I love everything about puppies (except for the work, of course).

I love watching them twitch in their sleep. I love watching them roll over, and curl themselves up like little snails. I love watching them nurse in their sleep, little mouths curving to accommodate the nipples they are dreaming of. I love watching the pigment fill in on their noses, one tiny freckle at a time. I love how they sometimes squeak in their sleep, and I love wondering what such tiny puppies could have to dream about.

I love photographing them, too. They change so rapidly at this stage of life that it can sometimes be invisible to our eyes, simply because we see them so often. Photos allow me to look back and watch their progress, charting their changes, seeing their heads and bodies develop.

Today’s new photo set is here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/frenchbulldogs/sets/72157602968873697/

Bunny has turned into such a wonderful mother that it’s allowed me the luxury to simply sit back and watch the pups as they grow, rather than fretting over them constantly. She went from having no interest in her puppies at all, to barely tolerating my handling them.

If I lift them out of the box, which I do several times daily to check them and to accustom them to being handled , she whines and paws at me until I’ve put them back. She then sniffs and cleans them thoroughly, and curves herself around their bodies until they can hardly be seen. Her very posture epitomizes protective motherhood. It’s become a joy to watch her as she bonds with her pups.