Mariko's Toy Is On It's Way

We received an e-mail last night from the BC saying Mariko's toy, a stuffed dog, is on its way :-) This is a little secret we learned with our last puppy.

When we brought our Sheltie, Bailey, home as a puppy (very young, six weeks of age), we brought with her a stuffed toy that had been in the whelping pen with her since our initial visit two weeks earlier. Toys that have been in the whelping pen tend to have lots of smells on them that are familiar to the puppies (litter puppies have actually been known to play with these toys (-: ).

This little trick was instrumental in helping us transition Bailey from being with her litter mates to being alone in the kennel (we never heard a peep out of her).

Bailey with her toy from the whelping pen. As you can see, she loved it!