On the day that Sheba turns one (we will celebrate with ox bones and brand new squeaky toys when I come back!!), the puppies are one week old and all of them in good health. Everything has gone very well and Sheba is an exemplary mother. For the first few days, she wouldn’t leave their side. Now, she ventures into the garden to check on what the other dogs are doing, but as soon as any of the little ones make a sound, she heads back and informs the humans that she needs to get back on the veranda. My dad tells me the puppies hardly ever make a sound, so things must be going very well. Here are some puppy pictures!

Day 4

Day 5

By day 5, Sheba has started taking breaks from the puppy box while the litter sleeps.

Here she is getting a full explanation from Priscilla as to what the little ones are up to!

Day 6

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It really doesn’t take long puppies to go from helpless little bodies to miniature dogs, and for every day, I see new development. The puppies have been given African working names according to their number. Most of them - if not all - will be kept within the Eden community, so it’s a lot of fun getting to know them from scratch.

Miss Daya(1) is a calm lady who takes things as they come. She was the largest puppy at birth, but has since spent more time sleeping than eating, and is now the third largest puppy of the litter. She has a lower dorsal stripe and seems to take after her uncle Baloo.

Mr Biyu (2) had a special air about it from the moment he arrived, and he and my father bonded instantly. Just like his uncle Aslan, Mr Biyu is a dog to be reckoned with. He knows exactly what he wants (and what he doesn’t want!) but rather than complain, he keeps looking until he finds what it was that he wanted. He is a big eater and the heaviest of the litter.

Miss Uku (3) was the smallest of the litter at birth, but she has been growing well ever since and is a calm little lady. She has a cute little dorsal stripe that goes all the way from head to toe.

Miss Hudu (4) who was said to have great mole potential is taking on a reddish coat. A sweet and calm little lady.

Miss Biyar (5) was the first to be born with a ridge. At the first weight-in, she appeared slightly nervous and restless, but that seems to be changing now. She is a beautiful lady with a darker coat and a big appetite - now the second biggest pup of the litter after my father’s Mr Biyu.

Mr Shida (6) is a perfect merge between his two parents, having his father’s black puppy coat and his mother’s ridge. He is calm and willfull, and growing very well.

Mr Bakwai (7) was born the youngest and is the smallest of the males, but there is nothing “little” about him and he is quite determined as to what he wants.

OK, that’s it for puppies today - I’m off to catch a ride!