Heidi and Her Balls
Yes, this bitch has balls!
You will notice she also has a bed, my bed.
I got Heidi a new ball for Christmas to replace the one that got mislaid. Then we found the lost one, so now she has two.
Heidi has not seemed too interested in the game "fetch the ball". I figured in the Spring I would try to teach her.
She has decided to "mother" her two balls. She carries them around in her mouth and tries to keep them with her. She like to lay with them and actually goes through the motions of preparing a "nest" for her and her puppies (balls) (pawing away at my bedding). She even brings them to bed with her at night so now I have to find not only a place for me to lie down but I have to try not to disturb the pups.
This has been very amusing to watch until I notices she was developing milk glands. She was starting to lose her sleek undercarriage profile. Humm! Will she produce milk for her balls. Should I "disappear" her balls.
I finally phoned the vet to find out if her mothering these balls has triggered hormones??? Say oxytocin, my favourite "the love hormone" which I used to give to first time cows. It turns out that dog's bodies once they have been in heat react as if they are pregnant. It was two months ago that Heidi was in heat and if she was pregnant she would be ready to welp. Well she isn't but her body has started to prepare for pups. So the changes in the milk glands has nothing to do with the balls. On the other hand, she may be mothing the balls in anticipation to having pups. It is possible she might actually produce milk but not likely.
Sows, on the other hand, are signaled by their body that they are pregnant so that the developing piglets are not discharged during their monthy cycle.
Well you learn new things all the time!
A final check on the puppies (balls) before laying her head down on the pillow
Using her tail to hold the puppies (balls) close
Puppies have slipped out from behind her tail.
When she is feeling really maternal she holds her puppies (balls) under her chin. Lucky them, the fur here is soft and feels like velvet. It is my favourite place to pet Heidi.
posted by Tossing Pebbles in the Stream @ 11:13 a.m.
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9 Comments:
Welcome back! I wouldn't take the balls from her. Once her body gets back to normal she will hopefully lose interest in them as pups. They are sweet pictures.
Bless her heart (and hormones)
Those are indeed her puppies. Poor baby. When I worked at the kennel, we sometimes had people bring their dogs in for boarding - and occasionally, they had to bring the pups, too. Sometimes they were balls, sometimes stuffed animals, one poor thing had a pair of knotted together socks. The owners cautioned us to be sure not to separate the "mom" from her pups. I soon found out why.
She will tire of the mothering - until the next time.
Be sure she is in the right mood when you try teaching her to play fetch by throwing her pup in the air! LOL!
That's really sweet, Philip. You're back in earnest, I'd say. You probably have a lot of blogging pent up just waiting to ooze out.
That Heidi--she has your number for sure.
Most interesting how our animal bodies work--we humans would do well to remember we too are animals and not always the cool intellectually driven beings we believe ourselves to be.
Philip,
You've taught me something about dogs today. I didn't know that they do this after they've been in heat. Come to think of it, I've only ever had one female dog and she had been spayed.
Love seeing Heidi with her puppies.
Hope you are well. I see in the post below where you haven't died or gone into hiding. LOL Going to read that post now.
Take care, my friend.
Blessings,
Mary
I love your pictures of Heidi. Looks like she's taken over the bed completely. I hope you have a comfortable couch (for you!)
Glad to see you're back and sorry to hear about the neighbor's death and all the other trouble you've been having with the weather and such. hopefully you will have some relief soon.
How cute to mother two balls, that must be very touching to see.
What a sweetie she is! My goodness. Hope she's doing OK now.
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