Patch Pups Get Ready for Canine Christmas

The Patch pups have had their inoculations and they are ready for the world.

It's a good thing too because I swear they get bigger every day. Julie Royal from Royal Rescue, the non-profit agency that pulled the dogs from Manatee County Animal Shelter and brought them to me to foster, came by and weighed all of the puppies on Friday.

The biggest of the bunch was 12 pounds at six weeks old. All of the others were a little more than nine pounds. That's 40 pounds of puppy and they are all ready for Canine Christmas.

I will be at Saturday's event under the Patch tent on the grounds of . The puppies will be with me under the tent from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and available for adoption the day of the event. Fair warning: they are irresistible. They are healthy, playful and oh so soft.

The good news is that they are garnering pre-event attention.

During her visit, Royal took photos of the Patch Pups and put them on the Royal Rescue site. One of the puppies is already spoken for and Sadie, their mom, may have found a home. Royal called me with the news on Tuesday. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to hear these guys are going to get adopted.

Of course now I realize I am going to miss the puppies and their mom, even with all of the work. It is so much fun to watch the puppies run around the yard and play with each other. They love tug of war and it's hilarious to see them pull each other around the yard.

They also love to snuggle and once they are worn out or they have full bellies, one of them will sidle up to me and will want to get on m lap for some pampering. Bruiser, the big boy, won't be able to get on anyone's lap for much longer. All of the puppies are growing fast. They seem to get bigger every day.

They are starting to listen and will come when they are called. They will have their own little pen at Canine Christmas, but they will attempt to get in the Guinness Book of World Records with the sit and stay record Saturday afternoon. It will be fun to see if I can get them to sit and stay. I am guessing I will need a hand.

Stop by the Patch tent on Saturday to say hello, get a treat for your dog or find out about what we do at Patch. Canine Christmas is so much more than an adoption event. There will be opportunities for pets to have their photos with Santa, vendors will offer great Christmas gifts for both pets and their owners. I will also be taking photos of the dogs and their people for the Patch site.

While Canine Christmas is sure to be big fun, given the doggy talent contest and the fashion show, the event is also designed to help raise money to bolster the county's no kill campaign. So don't miss the event. The Patch Pups will thank you.