The Puppy Gym Extension

Some weeks back, I wrote about the Puppy Gym that Bukíng constructed for the two-month old pups. But now, in just a short time, they've outgrown it so he expanded and expanded and expanded...

... that by now, it has become a quarter-oval track with ramps, slaloms, and even a skyway! It's made entirely of bamboo that just grows in the farm, 100% recyclable though I have yet to apply for LEED certification :) We should be selling these!

Puppy Exercise

We don't just keep the puppies in their playpen/gym, but they freely run around too at some times of the day. This is incredibly good exercise for dogs, especially large breeds like working line German Shepherds. One reason why Vitra leads a fairly balanced life is because she is close to nature and has plenty of space to roam around and just be herself.

We take turns supervising the puppies' free time, in this case my staff May enjoys running around being followed by her sprightly wards. It's a great time to bond with them and make an imprint; their senses and memory are at its most impressionable during these months.


We're not naming those that we are not keeping; all the more it would be difficult for us to be separated from them when the time comes :c

The Puppy Gym

Bukíng constructed an amazing playpen for the puppies, using mostly available materials like bamboo and found objects that we use around the farm. When I arrived for the weekend, I was so delighted to see not only the playpen but even more importantly, that Buking has undoubtedly displayed an immense fondness for the pups.

He's made ramps and steps for the pups to exercise in, and he says that in the last weeks he's watched over them, they have bonded and developed a relationship already. He easily distinguishes one from the rest, and not just by physical marks but by traits and habits that are apparent this early.

The Puppies

Vitra unbelievably gave birth to nine puppies! Boy, it has been an amazing six weeks. It is our first time to have a pet give birth and we relish every single day from the time she conceived until now that we're weaning the pups away. Vitra displayed a side of her that we never knew: she became a totally different animal in the first couple of days after giving birth. Frequently we were baffled, at times a bit flustered. She herself looked frustrated a lot too. There were too many new things going on that we had to develop a totally new language to communicate with her. It was through this experience that I feel our relationship as my pet and her master has come full circle.

We chose that she gives birth in Manila so we would be on hand, a vet would be nearby, and a pick-up is always available. But now after six weeks, the pups are beginning to be restless and it is time we bring them to the farm. Space is a problem in the city and moreover, Vitra is also experiencing tremendous discomfort breastfeeding her large litter by now. A lot of times, I remind the staff that it is paramount we take care of Vitra too as she gets sidelined more often than not by the adorable pups.

And I can't blame them if they occasionally get distracted from our dear pet, myself included! Her nine-strong litter are all beginning to display distinctions from each other, not just physically but also in terms of traits, their habits and the different sounds they make.

Half of them display Vitra's physical marks: some have tan-colored "socks" while some have streaks of white fur on their chests. This one above looks like her at the time when we got her two years ago!


And they have the most gorgeous blue eyes! The

vet says this will still change; meantime we are enjoying this and photographing it for posterity. Actually we will have to start parting with some of them in the next weeks, and all the more we should relish every remaining moment we have with each of them.