We have puppies!

Mixers, our country hound-dog, gave birth this morning to several fiesty and cute puppies. I felt like she was going to have them last night, and I checked on her several times before going to bed. When I got up this morning, I went out and called Mix, but she didn't come. Shelby got up a little later, and went out to check on her. It was so funny, he came screaming in the house, "We have puppies! Mixers had her puppies!" So I went outside and sure enough, there were four little ones. We watched as she delivered two more, then came back inside.

This afternoon, we went out to discover that she had given birth to two more puppies, but sadly, one didn't make it.

There are six mostly black ones and a white one with three spots in a row down his back.

Mixers is a good mama. I picked up one puppy to look at it. She gently licked it then ever so tenderly grasped it with her mouth and took it from me. She has let them nurse. The seven little ones all seem to be doing well, and Mix seems to be very satisfied as a new mom.

Mix is a beagle/basset mix, and she mated with a stray (a medium sized dog that looked to be part Lab - these pups ought to be some combination!!!) that wandered up in the yard. We put off having her spayed because we figured, wrongly, that since she's been with us for two years now that she was probably already spayed. After she's weaned these puppies, she will be taking a trip to the vet!

UPDATE: There are now eight living puppies!