Maine Photographer Minor Moments Photography: A Chocolate Lab Named Diva and a Maine Dog Photographer

One year ago this week, a breeder friend of mine was in a crisis situation. I accepted an opportunity to help her out by welcoming a pregnant chocolate lab named Diva into my home, to help Diva deliver her puppies and raise them during their first 8 weeks of life. I have helped deliver puppies three times before, all with my golden retriever Violet, and all very small litters. I have witnessed puppies being born with my Chloe girl also. Violet was a good Mom, after the drama of delivery was over, but she needed to be watched under careful eye during the first initial hours. Violet would take care of the umbilical cord, separating her newborn from the placenta, but she would not remove the pup from it's sack and lick it firmly to initiate breathing! I had witnessed her mother Chloe giving birth, severing the cord, removing the sack and cleaning cleaning cleaning the pup, getting all of the proper tools working...but again...Violet never did that vital part, it was up to the humans standing by to rub the puppy in a towel..."piss it off" as one YouTube tutor taught us...until it breaths on it's own. If we had not been standing by to "piss off" Violet's puppies one by one, I'm pretty sure they would not have survived. (But again, we will never know for sure, if left alone if Violet would have stepped up to the plate or not, life and death is not something you wait for, you just intervene if you need to)

So, this was all of my puppy birthing experience in a nut shell. Knowing my role is more than a wide eyed spectator, but an active, outright "scared" participant. I say scared, I can't really put my finger on the right word...so scared is the best I can do...I'm afraid that I'll mess up...that's it in a nutshell.

I received Diva a couple weeks before her due date so she could get to know me and be comfortable in my home before giving birth. That in itself is something I hadn't given much thought to before, but I get it loud and clear now. Diva seemed very comfortable in our home right from the start. We are a house full of golden retrievers and we have Gizmo the cat too. Diva was very pregnant and very strong, but we could tell right away that she didn't spend much time on the end of a leash. She could easily take me for a drag if I wasn't careful...so we bought her a "no pull" harness and continued to take her for several walks a day, even though she wasn't a fan.

Heather, my breeder friend, had assured me that Diva was an excellent Mother. Diva had done this before and I had nothing to worry about. We were aware that Diva had approximately 8 puppies in her large belly. We also knew that Dad "threw" white puppies...in other words we could expect to receive black, white, and chocolate puppies.

Diva's due date was "April 1st" give or take a day. On the evening of April 1st, Diva was digging at the dog bed and couldn't seem to get comfortable...all signs that things were beginning. Although I had a guest room all prepared for Heather and she assured me she was just a phone call (and an hour and fifteen minutes) away, when I let her know things were getting started she assured me it would still be awhile and to touch base in the morning. I'm not a natural at this stuff. I'm scared remember?

I knew it would be a sleepless night of worry. Every time Diva needed to go out I would throw on my coat and shoes and grab a headlamp and follow her around the yard...again...when you are exposed to this side of dogs and life you know to expect the unexpected...and my brain goes in all kinds of places it shouldn't really go...it's exhausting!

Not sure how it happened but I managed to doze off for a bit. It's now 6am Saturday morning and Diva is...best I can tell...trying to get my attention. I get out of bed, ask her if she needs to go out...and instead I follow her into the living room...where I find a wet spot on the carpet and a clean and breathing puppy right near it. I go into high gear freak mode, holler to my husband that there is a brand new, very much alive and well white puppy in the living room!!! Dare I say, my husband is very annoyed with my full on freak mode. We have three golden retrievers in the house and a cat...and a husband...none of which woke up for this welcoming! I've told you of my past experience. I've explained that I needed to be standing by and ready to help when a puppy arrived. I had been told Diva was an excellent Mom, but wow...here it is a year later, I'm sharing this story with you, and it's still so very much amazing to me that Diva delivered a pup, took care of all that comes with that, cleaned it up, got it breathing on it's own and came to get me so I could be standing by for the rest. Do you get how amazing this is? Do you get that I have two other mother dogs in the house that managed to sleep through this too?

Needless to say, I let Heather know what was going on. She has much faith in Diva and I cause she doesn't leave her house without a shower first. No emergency here!! (I've shared that I am in high freak mode right?!!)

I relocate Diva to the main level of the house. I deliver puppy number two, a black one. Some time between puppy number two and three Heather arrives, and I happily relinquish my midwife responsibility to assistant of midwife.

It takes a good portion of the day to deliver them all. Eight gorgeous puppies. Four whites, two males and two females, three black males and one chocolate girl. Diva continues to amaze me with her Mom skills, often sectioning four off between her front legs to let four nurse at a time. Again, she is amazing to watch.

Day one...and then the weeks begin to fly...

I have a three generation family of goldens...and we receive many visits and playdates with siblings. I like to say "one of these dogs is not like the others"...but in reality, Diva is a true Diva, she got along well with everyone! And enjoyed the occasional opportunity to visit among those her own age :)

and my animal family in turn enjoyed hers.

I thought it was a bit interesting how the colors seemed to stick together :)

And to say I enjoyed my time with them is an understatement.

During the last couple of weeks I put a note on my fb page for dog loving friends who might like to come sit with the pups for an hour while I cleaned up their overnight "kennel". I was overjoyed to have friends reach out with enthusiasm for some much needed puppy therapy of their own. A very welcomed break for me!!