Alaska and Hawaii Pictures

January, 2015. After several weeks of not finding a good foster fit for us 11 puppies were transferred from Animal Control to IndyHumane. So foster doggies #49 and #50, Alaska and Hawaii, entered our lives.

At 3.5 and 3.0 pounds "Big" Alaska was larger than his sister, but had so much more fur that he looked almost twice as large. His body shape and face made him look like a baby beaver or otter. "Little" Hawaii had curious stripes and a coat that made her look somewhat like a baby possum.

They were about 5 weeks old and were eating kibble mixed with canned food. They had worms and diarrhea at first so we added some canned pumpkin for a while. After a few days it cleared up and they didn't seem to have any medical issues.

On the first morning with us they cried mightily when Theresa started doing her workout. Something about the music and her jumping around really got them worked up, so each morning at 5 am I was in the cage trying to keep them calm.

Alaska was convinced that somewhere under my armpits there were nipples to be had, so he would search and search and suck on the fabric. When they were hungry or just wanted some lap time they would stand on their hind legs against the cage, point their head upward and start howling. Ah, puppies.

We had family over on the weekends for some socialization and they did fine. Everyone loves puppies.

After the first week we started doing daily safaris to the kitchen and laundry room. It was always amusing to see young puppies awkwardly learning to do their first zoomies. After a few days Alaska discovered he loved chasing and carrying a small ball. It would take Hawaii another two weeks of growth before she could carry it around.

At night they always slept together on their bed, but during the day they would often nap on opposite sides of the pen. Alaska would sometimes sleep with one paw hanging in the water bowl, and sometimes would eat with his tail in it. Waterdog!

Little Hawaii proved to be the cuddle bug, always wanting to crawl up in your lap. Big Alaska was more likely to play with a toy while leaning up against your leg or foot.

Hawaii had a slight cough that went away after awhile. But after three weeks Alaska developed a cough so he went on doxy for awhile. He loved it.

To keep them clean we had to give the puppies a bath in the sink every few days and clean their bed and toys. It helps to have at least two beds for long-term puppies. And lots of newspaper.

Over the course of four weeks they grew to 9 and 6 pounds each and were fairly well behaved but increasingly active puppies. They went back to the shelter, got spayed and neutered, and were adopted to their forever homes.