Playful Patch Pups are Full of Energy

The Patch Pups have learned about play.

They are funny to watch these days as they bounce around the yard, chase a ball and wrestle with each other. They are no longer little helpless babies sticking right next to mom. They are full fledged puppies who want to explore the world.

They are eating Puppy Chow and drinking water out of their bowl, although they still nurse too.

As soon as I come home they want to come out of their nest and go outside. They are smart too. As soon as they go outside, the potty. They have figured out already that it's better to go outside than in their little indoor nest.

They haven't figured out daylight savings time though. So at 4:30 a.m. Sadie and the pups want to go outside. The cat usually wakes me up for them by 4 a.m. Only Buster, my Beagle, understands sleeping through the night and he ignores the predawn commotion and trip outside with me in my pajamas and the pups in a parade through my front yard.

And of course they are little, so they also can't wait on busy work days, but still they are in the habit of going outside. And their mom does much of the daytime clean-up still. But the puppies definitely produce more laundry than the teenager who did most of his laundry at school before coming home last weekend. As for Sadie, the puppies' mother, I think she is officially house broken. I don't want to jinx myself by bragging about her too much, but it's been a long time since she's made a mess in the house.

So now that the puppies are big and venturing outside the next step, I think, is to get them to the vet for their check-ups and shots. I am betting they will be available for adoption just in time for the holidays. Maybe they will each be someone's new year's baby.

If they get their shots in the next few days and I get the ok, they will be at Canine Christmas on Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. I am going to try my best to get them to be part of the sit and stay for the Guiness Book of World Records. But more importantly I want them to be in the Parade of Dogs Available for Adoption. The parade begins at 1 p.m. The world record attempt takes place promptly at 3 p.m. If they get enough play time in before 3 p.m. they may be tired enough to sit and stay — or at least to nap and stay.

Organizers are hoping to have at least 100 dogs participate in the Sit and Stay event in order to break the world record.

Canine Christmas takes place on the grounds of the Bishop Animal Shelter and there will be plenty of acitivities throughout the day, including an "American Fido" talent contest, a Canine Fashion Show, a Parade of Dogs available for adoption (I hope they Patch Pups can be in the parade), a silent auction and a raffle.

All of the dogs who attend must be social, they must wear their innoculation tags and they must have their people leashed to them.

There will be plenty of presents for people and pups. Services available that day will include manicures for the dogs and portraits with Santa.

And if the Patch Pups aren't yet ready for Canine Christmas, you can always see their latest photos here at Patch.