We love our Corgis!
We were hopeful that LeeLee, our Momma Corgi of Cherry Ridge, would have her puppies on Monday, the day before, when both of our granddaughters where here to witness the miracle of birth. But as it turned out, it wasn’t to be until the next day, at five o’clock A.M. on Tuesday, when I noticed she was panting a lot, then bearing down, as we are instructed to learn in child birth classes. (Did they get these techniques by watching a dog?) She was very comfy lying on our couch in the library. Oh my God, it is time, I thought.
She can’t have those puppies right there on the couch. But knowing LeeLee, (short for Lelage and named after my husband’s paternal grandmother) she would have been fine doing so, provided I would stay with her. You know Corgis; they like to be where ever you are. Great Companions.
I hurried her down the stairs, well not really, her belly was huge and she was afraid of moving too fast and falling like a torpedo to the bottom, but once down stairs, she reluctantly went to the mud room and nestled in her whelping box which has been in place for almost two weeks.
While she was whelping (giving birth in dog language) I just couldn’t stay away. Even though I have seen birthing many times throughout my farm life, I am always anxious to experience the miracle of life. So to be close by, I cleaned and organized the mud-room; sat next to her box and rubbed her head. As we watched, our new little breeder Corgi, Tinker Bell sat between my legs. It was a moment of bonding for all of us, in my mud-room “delivery” room waiting for puppies to be born.
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| Howard Lee Blue our Stud Dog Welsh Pembroke Corgi breed used as herding dogs in England. But ours love to ride the golf cart and 4-wheeler! |
Of course, I “felt” the pain she was going through, being a mother myself. All of her pain was muffled but her eyes told me how she felt.
As labor advanced, the first puppy was born at 11:55 A.M. looking just like Howard Lee Blue, our tri-colored daddy. He was bought for me as a Valentine’s present from my husband. The last puppy was born at 5:00 P.M., looking just like momma, for a total of six: three girls, three boys, two sables and four tri-colored. And that is all I got accomplished that day, cleaning the mud-room and watching the miracle of life six times!
So here’s the thing: Farm kids don’t have to be told about the birds and the bees or the value of life or the pain that accompanies the loss of life, they live it and learn from it, just like I did. There is so much more to be learned from animal husbandry than just when to feed them, like responsibility and life lessons. But the miracle of birth/life is fascinating and amazing even to me still. And in such moments like these I can’t help but ask those around me, “And who is the master-mind that designed the master plan for all this?” And I hope they get it, really get it, especially at times like these. It is God, a true Higher Power that is really smart.
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| Avah Mitchell, Granddaughter and our Newest Corgi, Tinker Bell |
For info about our puppies contact me cherry_ridge_farms@yahoo.com
or visit cherryridgefarms.org
Sherry Mitchell...My Farmhouse Journal 