Mrs. Roper Multiplies

Mrs Roper, my 3 year old beagle, has had a puppy. That's right. One puppy. She was pregnant and we knew she was ready to go any time but when she kind of 'disappeared' over the last day or two, we knew she'd gone off to have her litter. My husband found her this morning under an old boat we have and noticed that there was only one puppy. I guess if she had any others, they didnt survive for some reason. (In the picture above, you can just barely see the puppy's back legs and tail peeking out.) Anyway, she stays with the puppy like a good little mommy and only leaves it alone to eat a few bites. It's cold outside but since the puppy survived last night okay, we figure the nest Mrs Roper made for it is doing it's job. She dug out a hollow under the boat and is well protected from the wind. We're going to get some hay to put under there too and keep Bernice tied up for a while.

There's something strangely comforting about watching her take care of her one baby while I'm taking care of mine. We're bonding, I think.