:Whoops..and then there were 3!

Well…it seemed she was done. She was content. I couldn’t feel another puppy in the wings, waiting for the right moment to come into this world. Or I wouldn’t have gone to work!

Rick phoned me yesterday, about 11:30AM. He and David had come to the house from the workshop to have lunch. Rick noticed Nagpo’s bed was pushed almost outside her crate. She and the puppies are in the bottom half of an airline crate, within a 2 x 3 puppy playpen. The playpen is lined with newspaper, covered by a large fleece pad. The entire playpen has a curtain pinned around it, creating a secure den for mother and puppies. It also keeps a certain nosey Labrador from poking his nose where it isn’t wanted. Anyway, Rick wanted to put her bedding back in the crate. He removed two puppies and started adjusting the bedding. David asked if he was going to remove the other puppy. Other puppy? Sure enough!

The final count is 3. Two females and one male. All are thriving. Nagpo is a calm, nurturing mother.

You may recall that Keeper is the sire of this litter. Several months ago I wrote in detail about the decision to introduce Keeper. If you missed that post, search the word Keeper, using the search box in the upper left hand column of the blog. It’s the post titled Very disappointing news about Ranpa. The Gompas are all named with Tibetan names. Nagpo, for instance, means black in Tibetan. I thought for this historic litter, something similar – yet different – would be appropriate. I mentioned it to Shirley Clark (one day soon I’ll blog about Shirley!) over the weekend. Shirley always has great names for her dogs. She also has been supportive of the work with the Gompa dogs. The next day, when I arrived in the grooming area, she said, “Whispers of the past…from the past. Past and Presence.” Yes! That’s the concept! Later, literally as Lhasa Apsos were being judged; her and me going in and out of the ring with the various dogs we were exhibiting, she swoops up to me. “Echoes of the Past.”

The girls are Whisper and Echo. I’d like something similar for the boy. Maybe there’s the perfect word…paying tribute to Keeper (Kai-La-Sha Keepsake is his registered name.) Ideas anyone?