If you didn’t read/view part one of this photo essay series about my sweet baby puppies Coulee and Plum blessed me with, I recommend checking that out first here.
Continuing on, we see the puppies experience their first dose of solid food. It was a monumental and messy day.
Day 20: June 26th, 2022
I think I introduced kibble to the pups a day or two prior, but this was the first day they really dug in and ate.
Mama was sent in to show them how to really eat. I settled into a feeding routine where I would let the puppies eat for about 15 minutes on their own, or until they fizzled out. Then Coulee would come in and clean up the scraps. Her presence kicked them into gear and taught them to eat with a fiery urgency.
At least one of the pups would belly flop onto the plate of food to get things started.
No such thing as too many puppy pics.
Day 22: June 28th, 2022
They hit a certain point where their colors darkened substantially. I was surprised that even though they are only a quarter Walker, none of them look like it.
Day 26: July 2nd, 2022
Righty here maintained the title as biggest, heaviest pup.
Day 27: July 5th, 2022
Watching their colors evolve on a daily basis was endlessly amusing.
This is Tika, the only female and the only pup without any dark spots on her body beyond her head.
Day 28: July 6th, 2022
Always naptime.
Day 30: July 8th, 2022
I would put Coulee and her puppy pack in the wire crate when I needed to clean up their kennel room. They didn’t seem to mind.
Day 31: July 9th, 2022
Plum, the father, chewing on a chunk of green bamboo. This was one of the rare moments when the puppies weren’t using him as a jungle gym. He was and is an excellent, very present, father. It’s far less likely these puppies will end up and thieving drug addicts thanks to Plum.
Day 32: July 10th, 2022
Always napping. Notice the teething ring below the bed—I had to be diligent about removing these from the room anytime Coulee was around because she could finish one off in about 3 minutes.
Day 33: July 11th, 2022
While they continued to grow an appetite for kibble, nothing compares to mother’s milk.
Check out that foot. All the puppies have very nice feet and almost all have black pads.
It was a really difficult decision to part ways with Lefty. Look at those eyes.
Day 41: July 19th, 2022
Once I gave the pups their first rounds of vaccines, I let them spend a lot of time outside and they loved it.
Turns out everything is chewable outdoors.
I had to be careful with letting them outside for too long because it was a brutally hot summer here in the Willamette Valley.
Pip, the runt.
Pip, the runt, lounging in a hole he dug himself.
That’s all for now, click the button below to head to Part 3!
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P.S. Did you know I wrote a book about my bobcat hunting adventures? It’s called Cat Dog Chronicles and I wrote it to share my journey with both other hound hunters and non-hunters alike. Fellow hunters — I know you’ll find it entertaining and relatable … But if you’ve never been hound hunting but are curious about what it’s really like, my personal story will give you a glimpse into this complex sport and show that it’s not as easy as you might think!
