Once
in a while, there is a story in breeding that is rewarding and catches
your heart.
One
of these stories is about "Our Stuart Little"
Stuart
was born on December 12th. 1999, one of a litter of eight.
He
was born about midway through the birthing of the puppies, and
seemed
normal, other than being a little thin. He seemed to be nursing well, so
I wasn't worried!
After
a few days, the puppies were all noticeably growing... with the exception
of Stuart
The
litter at 4 days, Stuart back center
This
always sets off warning bells in a breeder's head...
so
Stuart was supplemented by tube feeding, but left with his mother for nursing.
Stuart
gained slowly and finally, after about two weeks of tender, loving care,
reached
eight ounces. I thought he was on his way!
NOT!
Stuart
stayed at that weight for a good two weeks (which seemed forever).
You
could hold Stuart in the palm of your hand.
One
day I was showing him to my husband, and Bill remarked "He looks like a
little white mouse"
....and
that's how Stuart got his name:
"Normandy's
Stuart Little"
Above
left: Stuart with two of his littermates
Right:
Growing up on his own
When
the time came to wean the litter, Stuart was in there 'like a dirty shirt'
and
finally, magically, he started to grow and develop.
As
the other puppies grew, Stuart had to be taken out of the puppy pen, lest
he be trampled.
He
was feisty, but he was so much smaller than the rest.
He
was put with a recent mother who had just weaned her puppies, and she took
Stuart
in
as her own. She and Stuart would cuddle right up, as if they were true
mother and son.
This
is typical of our Bichons!
Continuing
to grow
When
it came time to have his littermates health checked, vaccinated and microchipped,
Stuart
was just too small, however a couple of months later, he was big enough
and ready!
We
became very attached to Stuart.
There
was so much love that went into raising this little dog.
Everyone
who came to visit wanted to take Stuart home with them.
His
new home had to be one that was very special and finally,on May 14th,
in
good health and full of pizzazz, our Stuart Little left us for his new
home.
This
is Stuart barking at me on the morning of his departure
and
below are pictures of Stuart with his new family, who are
"head
over heels in love with him"
No
doubt, Stuart will soon have them wrapped around his little paws.
We
are looking forward to having Stuart visit us on occasion
so
that we can see how he grows and is loved by his new family.
Sometimes
good things happen!
So long Stuart, See you soon!
