Kathy and Milo, look at those smiles!
On July 25th, Georgie Girl went into labor. She had a very tough time delivering
her puppies. The delivery was long and it was hard for this little girl. What she was about to have, was totally unexpected. Georgie
delivered a stunning sable girl that was stillborn but very small. As a breeder this is hard to accept, each and every time
it happens, tears are shed and I feel sick to my stomach. It is something I never get use to happening and always
dread it could happen.
We have had puppies weighing 5 to 6 ounces in the past but nothing smaller than 6 ounces
has ever survived. We try everything we can to save the little ones but so many times, we just can't save them. We
even have a stuffed bear to put in a box with a heating pad for the tiny ones to help them gain strength and keep warm.
Georgie's babies were not big but not tiny either. She had already delivered several babies when she delivered
a very small boy, this little guy was stunning but so very small. My heart sank. I knew he would now make it.
I
weighed him and felt just horrible seeing the scale stop at 4 1/2 ounces. Our puppies are generally between 8 to 14 ounces.
I put the little guy up with the others but he was continually pushed out from nursing his Mom by his brothers and
sisters weighing nearly twice as much as he did. Once the delivery was done, I did as I always do, pulled up a recliner and
put it beside the whelping pen for the night to monitor the new babies and Mom. I knew by morning our little man
would not be with us. As I checked on the babies and Georgie through the night, this little guy was trying to nurse.
He had the will to live and was very smart but the body just wasn't big enough to be able to hold his own with the bigger
and stronger puppies wanting to nurse.
Through the night, I would sleep on and off keeping an eye on the
puppies.
When I woke, I looked down at Georgie thinking I find that the little one had passed on. It was amazing.
This little guy was latched on and nursing as his brothers and sisters slept. That was when I made the decision. He was small
and had the desire to live but needed our help. I weighed him and he was now 4 ounces so even smaller with little nourishment
since he was born. I talked to Gary and we decided to tube feed him to give him strength and hopefully stop the
weight loss. We did this for 2 days every few hours. As we were working to save this little guy, another puppy was
lost being laid on and smothered by Mom. The next day it happened again. I knew the little one didn't have a
chance. A few hours following the loss of the 2nd puppy, I went into Georgie's pen and could not see the little
one anywhere. I knew he was under Georgie. I quickly grabbed her and lifted her up. Yes, he was there under her but she had
apparently just laid down since he was still alive and squirming, trying to get out from under his Mom. A few more minutes
and he would not have been with us since he was not big enough or strong enough to crawl out from under his Mom.
We started to call this little one Rambo. He was a fighter with the will to live. Three days after
being born, Rambo was still having a hard time getting the milk he needed. We stopped tube feeding him and started to
give him private nursing time with Georgie. If the puppy is strong enough, this is the best way to get them nourishment. As
Rambo got stronger, he figured out how to get his share of milk. He decided instead of going on top of the others and getting
thrown off, he would go under them to nurse. Often we would not see Rambo since the others would be on top of him but he would
be there nursing.
This little guy won the hearts of everyone in our family. Our grandchildren treated him
like a baby. They would feed him with baby bottles, rocked to sleep, wheel him in strollers, and carry him everywhere.
They all wanted Rambo. Rambo grew into one gorgeous puppy. Although he was smaller than the others, he soon was putting
on weight at a faster rate than his siblings were.
Puppy picking was soon to start and I didn't
offer Rambo for adoption since he was so much smaller than the others. There was a family from Florida who
asked me about him. I said I had not listed him since he was so small. They said they had fallen for this guy from the
beginning. They said they would love to add him to their family and asked if he would be a special needs puppy.
I told them if they really wanted him, he could certainly be their boy, however, the only special needs this puppy would
need would be extra love and attention since he was extra spoiled.
Mark and Kathy adopted Rambo, now known
as Milo.
Our grandchildren continue to ask about baby Rambo and have shed many tears since he left us. They have
missed this little guy terribly. There will be more Rambos for our grandchildren to love. They love each and every
puppy with gravitating to the smaller puppies of the litters. This little guy stole their hearts, as he did ours.
Rambo, who is now named Milo, is a miracle.
Thank you Mark and Kathy for having the faith in this
amazing puppy.
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Milo
Our little Miracle
Man now lives with his family in Florida
And look at me now!!!
They had the faith in me, I had
the determination.
I am now a big boy, soon to be a full grown collie
My new family in
Florida loves me very much and I love them.
There is nothing better than to be loved
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| Sorry Mom, I want you with me. |
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| Oh yes, this is the good life |
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