Introducing Tachi's 2021 Puppies

​Last Sunday evening, we were privileged to welcome into the world eight mini schnauzer puppies!  Cooper and Tachi had a healthy litter of puppies, and we are delighted to introduce them to you.

Belle - Salt & Pepper Female

Belle is the firstborn of the litter.  Keeping track of birth order is nigh on impossible with nearly identical-looking puppies, but Belle's light salt & pepper markings set her apart from the rest.  Our son, EJ (4) named Belle after the main character in Belle's Journey: An Osprey Takes Flight (by Rob Bierregaard).  We recently read the book as family, and EJ liked the name Belle.

Jackson - Black & Silver Male

Here's Jackson - one of the three boys in the litter.  He's black & silver, just like his brothers.  Jackson was named by AJ (10) after our seventh president.

Mandy - Black & Silver Female

Mandy, one of the 5 girls in the litter, is black & silver like her sister Willow.  Mandy has a teeny, tiny white dot on her chest.  Mandy was also named by AJ after one of his favorite characters in the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey.

Lucy - Salt & Pepper Female

Meet Lucy - the smallest of the crew!  MJ (6) has had the name Lucy picked out even before the puppies were born.  When we saw this little girl, we decided Lucy fit well because she's "Little Lucy."  At four ounces, Lucy was half the weight of some her siblings at birth.  She's thrived since birth and gained two and half ounces.

Murphy - Black & Silver Male

Meet Murphy!  Murphy was named by JJ (age 7) after his cousin's dachshund.  Murphy is black & silver, and he was the smallest of the boys at birth at six ounces.

Odysseus - Black & Silver Male

Here's Odysseus!  He was named by CJ (9) after the main character in The Children's Homer (by Padraic Colum).  We read about Odysseus as we studied ancient Greece in school this year.  We plan to call Odysseus "Odie."  Odie has a white spot on his chest.

Ruth - Salt & Pepper Girl

This is Ruth!  Ruth is a salt & pepper girl (who we mistakenly thought was black & silver for a few days as her salt & peppering was so minimal).  In contrast to Belle, Ruth and Lucy do not have as much peppering.  (To learn more about how we tell the difference between black & silver and salt & pepper, read my past blog here.  You need to scroll down to the picture of Gordon & Benny.)  Ruth is named in honor of the Biblical character Ruth.  We choose to name a puppy per litter after a Bible character or concept because we honor God as the Giver and Sustainer of life.

Willow - Black & Silver Female

Lastly, meet Willow!  Willow is black & silver like Mandy.  She has a slightly larger white spot on her chest than Mandy, which is how we tell them apart.  Willow was named by me (Vanessa) because I like willow trees and the meaning of the name is "slender and graceful."

Important Note: Click on their names or pictures to go to their individual pages.  Their individual pages have all their information and more photos each week!

Tachi and the puppies have had a fabulous week – Tachi’s been resting, feeding, eating, and keeping those puppies clean.  The puppies have been eating, sleeping, and twitching.  (See my past video of puppy twitches here.)  The first week of life the puppies’ eyes and ears are closed.  Though their pictures look sweet and peaceful, newborn puppies are on a mission whenever awake, which is not often.  Newborn puppies sleep most of the hours in a day away.  When awake, they are actively seeking food and warmth.  Healthy puppies naturally pile together to sleep, making adorable piles of paws, heads, and bodies going all directions.  They cannot walk, but they are experts at propelling themselves around their whelping box – an action we call “swimming.”  See Ruth “swimming” below as I attempted to take her picture.

​Our daily care of the puppies involves weighing them twice and keeping their whelping box spotlessly clean by changing the bedding.  We also begin their socialization with gentle handling and all the normal household sensations.  Our care for Tachi involves giving her access to fresh water and food, food, and more food to help her produce enough milk.  She’s an exceptional mom and has fed all her large litters all by herself up until weaning.  We also monitor her temperature daily.  In addition, we make sure she has ample time to go outdoors in the spring sunshine; though she’s usually ready to come right back to her puppies.  At this stage, she spends nearly every minute with them, only taking short breaks of 10-15 minutes away from them.  We are so happy that she is once again doing an amazing mothering job.

I plan to post updates on Fridays or Saturdays for this litter.  Check back for a blog post or video clip of the puppies as they grow!  At the time of writing this, we have puppies available in this litter.  Please like this post below and share the word about our family-raised mini schnauzers!  Thanks for stopping by!