It’s been a month since three of the Sheba Seven (Malva, Roiboos and Kimi) moved to Ishtar’s Ark. Kimi, who is Tabita’s dog, will join his new family after they come back from Europe in time for Christmas - and at around the same time, Malva and Roiboos will go to live with their uncle Baloo and help him guard the Eden terrain next to the office. Sheba enjoys having a world full of pupipes; four at the office and three at home.

This week, Anette and I got together to do a coordinated weigh-in; weighing both the Sheba Four at the office and the Sheba Three at the Ark on the same day. Daya was first up, volunteering to go into the exclusive bag that her mother carried all the way from the Ark to the Office (the same bag that Sheba traveled in when she was nine weeks old). I was pleasantly surprised to see that Daya had gained weight, as Daya was the puppy who when we arrived never had time to eat. Goat milk has certainly helped and Daya is now the biggest of the females, sporting long legs and a healthy of muscles. According to the size of her paws, she will most probably remain the biggest female, which is good, for she is definitevely the boss amongst the Sheba Seven!

In contrary to his sister, Sandy wasn’t too sure about the bag thing - but then again, he’s has so many veterinary checkups (thankfully, no needles!) that I’m not the least surprised. After weeks of recovering from his injured legs, Sandy - who used to be the biggest and roundes pup with an never-ceasing appetite, had lost a lot of muscles, especially around his back legs. He is now up and running again, training those limbs and making sure to keep his position in the flock. For the time being, he and Daya share the same weight, but Sandy’s paws are huge so it’s very unlikely that they’ll remain as such for more than a short period of time.

Darling Ecco couldn’t believe her luck when it was her turn to go into the blue Sheba-bag! She’s a healthy young dog with a healthy appetite, who is just the size she is supposed to be. Once the smallest, she is the second largest female in the litter, and things seem likely to remain that way.

One of the two smallest pup is Ronja, also known as Miss Hudu Hooligan. She was so small she actually still fit into the bag! I always thought she’d be bigger than Ecco, but her paws are smaller and she will probably be a medium-sized dog, taking after Baghera. Too big is not always an advantage, as I learned with their uncle Aslan.

Our second “petite female” is Malva, the oldest of the Sheba Three. She weighs the same as Ronja, but her paws are even smaller. Malva doesn’t mind a smaller size, because when it comes to temperament, she’s fighter - fighting her brothers Roiboos and Kimi all the time. If Ronja was the Hooligan during the month of September, Malva certainly is certainly up to most mischief today! There’s not a rule she hasn’t tried to bend, and when she can’t get her way with us humans, she goes to steal something from her brothers instead…

Roiboos is my second favourite after Sandy, my father’s dog. He’s a clever, thoughtful dog and eager to please. My mother would have loved him! He’s very settled and goes well together with his sister Malva. She’s a little edgy, while he’s as stable as they come. For some reason, the two “dark ones” have prefered each other’s company right from the start, which is great, as they’ll be living together later on. For several weeks, Roiboos was the heaviest pup in the litter, but on this weigh-in, he just got passed by one of his siblings, who beat him with 300gr!

Yes, you heard me. An underdog grabbed first position at the weigh-in! Josef and Renate were so surprised when they heard the news, because I’ve been concerned about Kimi’s weight even weeks before he moved into the ark. He has so much to grow into, but didn’t have an appetite that matched his body’s needs. Goat milk however has helped him increase his appetite and he now eats more than Roiboos. His paws are huge (bigger than Roiboos) and he will definitively be one of the biggest dogs in the litter, but Sandy’s paws are bigger still, so we’ll just have to see how they grow!

Kimi with his mother at the Ark