Our B Litter arrived on July 15 and into the wee hours of July 16.  Tess delivered thirteen puppies (yes 13)!  We were shocked she had such a large litter  Sadly, we lost 4.  Three were stillborn, and one tiny tiny runt (5 oz.) lived for only about 12 hours.  It's always hard to lose perfectly formed pups, but we are blessed with 9 beautiful babies.  

Stage II labor began around 5:00 pm and our daughter (Erin) and I took Tess into the maternity ward to keep her calm and sooth her.  We took turns actually getting in the whelping box with her to rub her belly and get her to rest between contractions.  Tess is such a loving dog and enjoyed all the hands on attention. 

The first pup was born at 10:55 pm on 7/15 and the last at 6:40 am on 7/16.  For practical purposes...we are listing their birth date as July 15.

Here are the pups birth weights (in ozs.):

Pup #1 Male - 13.5
Pup #2 Female - 11.5
Pup #3 Female - 14
Pup #4 Male - 13
Pup #5 Female - 13.5
Pup #6 Male - 9.5
Pup #7 Male - 14.5
Pup #8 Male - 10.5
Pup #9 Male - 15.5

They are all gaining weight and we are paying close attention to the two smallest pups.  We are making sure they get extra time nursing to play catch up.

Pups will get their nails trimmed today and will have dew claws removed and a health check from the vet on Monday. 

Tess is being a very good mommy.  She does not want to leave her babies so we have to literally drag her out to take care of business and clean the whelping box.  We have to feed and water her in the box as well.  She'll "lighten up" once the pups get a little bigger.

Pup #9 - Look at that cute face!

Check back soon for more photos.  We'll take individual pictures once the pups get a little bigger.  They kind of look like little black & white lumps (but darling lumps) right now.