Today Glory’s pups turned seven weeks old, and we went on a grand adventure!

We went to the barn for “picture day”. But first hubby carried an ex-pen out there for me so the pups could be safely contained.

Here’s their darling seven-week-old pictures <3

Merry (4# 14 oz)

Bright (5# 6 oz)

Jolly (5# 2 oz)

The barn was a whole new setting for the puppies. There were so many new sights, sounds and smells.

They got to meet Cajsa, Zuma and Cody. I’m so glad we have big dogs that are gentle with little puppies. Introductions to various sized dogs is important for puppies during their socialization. We leave big Ben out of the mix though because he’s getting older and little, wiggly puppies make him grumble. There’s no point in introducing a puppy to a big dog that isn’t happy around puppies and might leave the puppy with a bad experience.

The cats are usually in the barn but today they weren’t around. I do like to introduce our puppies to cats if I can. But if the cats don’t cooperate and show up then it doesn’t happen. Summertime when we can take litters to the garden, then the cats are more likely to join in the mix.

I made use of the wheelbarrow too and pushed it around and around the ex-pen. My kids used to ride their bikes or motorcycles around when puppies were outside to get them used to the movement and noise, but since they are grown and gone, I took advantage of the wheelbarrow instead. The pups didn’t mind at all.

Then I moved the ex-pen closer to the edge of the barn and threw a bit of hay over the fence to entice the horses closer. Honestly, it took a while before the puppies even noticed the large creatures nearby.

We all started to get cold, so I loaded the pups back up and took them inside to see their mom.

That’s not your mom!

There’s mom! You can tell by the blurs how excited they all were.

Snack time!

And then time to explore

Then I decided to take them outside for their first snow adventure. As you can see the backyard (and my door…dog art! They’ve scratched all the paint off!) it’s a mess. The snow has slid off the roof in huge piles. Now it’s rock hard from thawing and freezing. And the dogs have made it dirty from their trek back and forth to their favorite potty spot. Oh well, the pups don’t mind. This photo gives a better perspective of how high the snow is piled.

Don’t jump, Bright!

They had a fun afternoon but we’re ready for a nap after this.