The cat’s out of the bag, per the last post.
Or should I say: the PUPPIES (please, read this with an emphasis on the “s” as there’s a lot of them) are out of the bag…
Yes, we’re now the sleep-deprived co-parents to SIX puppies of unknown origins (DNA test in progress). Plus our usual 2 (Clem and Felix) means we’ve become a household of 8 dogs. Whew.
8 dogs + 2 people in a high rise apartment in one of the biggest and most bustling cities in the world is not exactly the best recipe for happiness and relaxation, but it’s where we’re at now.
It takes a village, as they say, and we’re lucky to have one! Our dear sweet new mama Clem definitely needs a team to support her in raising these little guys.
The new additions require 24/7 supervision, as Clem is super young AND completely deaf, so she can not hear when the puppies are crying – out of cold, out of hunger, or because she is sitting on them or squishing them against the wall (which occurs surprisingly often). So we’ve got to be around and ready to rescue a smashed pup, or to scoop up someone who has stumbled away from his siblings, or to redirect mama to the nest to feed the little ones.
If you’d like to hear how the puppies are doing, please check out our Pupdates below! I’ll be writing each week to share my experiences in helping take care of newborn pups. This is a totally new gig for me, and it’s been as fun as it was unexpected.
Week 1
The puppies were born on August 1 at the veterinary hospital, under the supervision of our trusted family vet, Andy (who is incredible and I’d be happy to share her details with you if you’re in Mexico City).
All 6 were born healthy and happy – and the little family of 7 were sent home to our apartment in Polanco.
The first few hours (and lets be honest, days) at home were HECTIC. Clem had never been in this apartment before (we moved from Condesa to Polanco while she was at the training center), and was understandably unsettled.
She paced around the house and tried to scratch herself a den, and at one point hid under the bed and didn’t want to come out. We tried to keep calm, and helped show her around the apartment so she could feel safe and comfortable.
The first few nights, we had the new fam in the small walk-in closet between our bedroom and ensuite bathroom. We put down a few waterproof blankets (and on the second day, added a heating blanket underneath; it’s pretty cold in our apartment and CDMX in general). Clem felt pretty comfortable there, but it wasn’t the smartest choice for us (we couldn’t access our clothes or our bathroom without disrupting the puppies), so we needed to switch it up.
We came up with the GENIUS idea (yep, patting ourselves on the backs here) to move them to the shower in the main bathroom. 10/10 recommend for any other unexpected pup parents. We had a waterproof blanket in the shower and in the bathroom area, so that no matter what, the little closed-eye pups weren’t on the cold tile. This was an IDEAL place (the shower also meant we could take the pups down and easily “hose down” the area… puppies make a lot of mess).
This first week, the puppies crawled around a bit, but slept aside from maybe 2 hours max a day. They ate a LOT and doubled in size.
Their eyes are still closed, and they are SO cute and sweet!
A short vacation in Thailand turned into a life abroad with a canceled ticket home. Nearly a decade later and after living in Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Puebla, and Puerto Vallarta, Steph is on to her next adventure and living back in beautiful, cosmopolitan Mexico City. She is living, traveling, and working (both as an expat therapist and an international health insurance representative) around the world to find the beautiful, inspirational, and interesting while sharing it with you!
