We all took a deep breath as the advertisement went live. Homes wanted for six adorable pups. (Six, not seven, because we were still debating whether or not to keep a girl).

“What happens if we don’t sell them all?” Nathan said, a look of mild panic on his face.

“What happens if we do?” I said – cuddling one of them close. “How on earth are we going to say goodbye to these little guys?”

“Trust me – in eight weeks time, when they’re doing their business all over the place, you won’t be saying that!” Nathan chuckled.

I couldn’t imagine ever being tired of them. They were growing more adorable by the day.

By the end of week one, they had doubled in size (and cuteness), their features becoming increasingly more pup-like.

They still behaved in a mole-like manner, guided predominantly by their sense of smell. They were remarkably determined though, and had developed some stealthy ways of getting to mum for a feed, including burrowing beneath their litter-mates to get to the teats on the underside of her belly.

When full up with milk, they would often roll down mum’s sloping stomach, as though drunk, which was very amusing to watch. Who needs Christmas TV when you have a box full of pups to keep you entertained?

Apart from the sleepless nights, the workload during those first two weeks was relatively straightforward. Amber was the real hero- feeding her hungry brood every two hours or so. We were mostly needed to keep an eye on things, and provide a pair of helping hands when Amber needed them. We were the night watchmen- keeping tabs on the whereabouts of all the pups and helping Amber in and out of the whelping box, making sure she didn’t accidentally step on any of the pups during her route in and out.

Caring for Amber was a top priority. Her voracious appetite was back with a vengeance. With seven hungry pups to feed, it was hardly surprising. It was also imperative to make sure she had sufficient time out of the whelping box, just to rest. Our normal ‘no sofa’ rule had suddenly gone right out of the window!

Daily duties also included keeping the whelping box and bedding as clean as possible. The constant rumbling of the washing machine became the soundtrack of our Christmas!

In some ways, this monumental disruption to our lives had come at the perfect time. We all had over two weeks annual leave. We had nowhere particular to be. There was an abundance of Christmas films to watch on TV and a fridge filled with leftover Turkey and other Christmas fair , which seemed to cater perfectly for our strange lack of routine. Rather than cause added complication to our Christmas, the pups forced us to slow down and fall into a simpler existence, a benefit none of us had anticipated.

And then, the enquiries began to trickle in, slowly at first, then increasing to a steady stream. Our daughter Grace was appointed Director of Enquiries . And an excellent job she did too.

And my worries about saying goodbye to the pups were quickly allayed …Reading messages from families who had recently lost beloved dogs; or sweet young couples who lived by the sea; or a hiking enthusiast, looking for a loyal, loving companion to walk with, began a shift in my thinking. Suddenly I felt as though I were part of something of immense value- helping to bring into the world not just a wonderful pet, but a friend. Suddenly it wasn’t such a bittersweet task – it was a wonderful privilege.

And by the beginning of week three, just as the puppies’ eyes were beginning to slowly blink open, we had six wonderful new homes lined up for each and every one of the pups. And life with seven pups that were now waddling about, was about to get even more interesting!

Hope you enjoyed this post. Join me next week for more of our puppy adventures and find out what happened when the pups started venturing out of the whelping box!