Raising the puppies -- a full-time job
Properly caring for a litter of puppies is pretty much a full-time job. It's a testament to the Silbermans' devotion to their dog and attentiveness to every detail that none of the puppies died. "Our lives were entirely about managing Sasha and the puppies," says Ann.
Westcott and Cleary say the Silbermans were exceptional. They made the commitment to care for Sasha and her pups and do it properly, says Cleary who, along with Wiese and other friends, helped when none of the Silbermans were able to be at home. A mother and her litter shouldn't be alone for long. Puppies are good at getting themselves into trouble, and keeping 10 of them safe isn't easy. The puppies grew, becoming less dependent on their mother and more active and demanding of the Silbermans. By the time they were three weeks old, they had outgrown the laundry room, so the dining room's furniture was removed and the space was securely fenced off, lined with tarpaulins and covered with newspapers, and a bedding area was created at one end. As the puppies began to be weaned onto solid food at four weeks, the work intensified. ("What a mess!" says Ann.)
A relentless routine
The 24-hour routine of feeding, cleanup and supervised exercise was relentless. Each week Ann put out roughly 30 garbage bags bulging with compressed soiled newspapers. Although some puppies sleep better than others, few litters sleep through the night before they're eight to 10 weeks old. Once the pups were on solid food, the Silbermans had to provide the food and water -- every three to four hours. Their routine: bed at 11 p.m.; up at 2 a.m. for feeding yapping puppies, then putting them outside for exercise and to pee, etc., and while they were outside, cleaning up the soiled papers in the dining room. Then up again between 4 and 5 a.m., then again between 7 and 8 a.m. And the puppies' bowels were constantly active, relentless, 24-7. Ask any breeder: producing puppies and caring for them well is an exhausting, full-time undertaking.
Letting the puppies go
Finding good homes for puppies can be problematic. However, the Silbermans are well-liked members of a dog-friendly community, the father was the black Labrador and all of the puppies were healthy. Friends and neighbours stepped forward to take Sasha's puppies. Had the Silbermans lived elsewhere, had the puppies' attractiveness-potential not been so great, or had any of them been physically impaired, the situation could have been quite different.
The Silbermans had known that letting Sasha's puppies go would be difficult, but they hadn't anticipated how hard it would be on Sasha. After the first one left, at eight weeks old, she was frantic, counting the remaining nine, searching the house and yard. As more puppies went over the ensuing days, she sank into depression. The normally ebullient dog, whose tail was always wagging, became distant and sad. Although the Silbermans knew the puppies had to go and that they had picked good homes for them, Sasha's distress was terribly upsetting. It wasn't just Sasha, but also the puppies that concerned them. "You start to love those little beings," says Jack, "and you feel increasingly responsible and anxious about their lives after they leave." Most of Sasha's puppies went to homes near hers. She saw them often and her depression soon lifted.
Sasha's puppies are recognized all over Bowen Island and have created a bond among their owners. They all participated in the For Sasha's Puppies Only training course taught by Cleary. Sasha even had her own float in the island's summer festival parade: Wiese, dressed as Cruella de Ville, driving her 1967 red Mercury convertible with Sasha and her puppies in the backseat. "These dogs have brought such joy," says Wiese.
Looking back, the Silbermans say that if they had had even an inkling of what caring for puppies would entail, Sasha would have been spayed before her first heat. Nevertheless, Ann adds, "It's an experience I wouldn't have missed for the world."
Epilogue: Sasha has been spayed. Each of her puppies has been spayed or neutered.
Read more:
• Slideshow: Canada's cutest pets
• Quiz: What kind of pet owner are you?
• How to add a second pet to the family
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