Remembering Wiggles

When Bé's litter arrived, puppy no. 4 (snuggling in between two siblings, above) weighed in at only 175 grams (6 oz.), less than half the average weight of his littermates. Most dog books will tell you that low birthweight in a puppy can often be a sign of other potentially serious health problems, and that the chance of a puppy as small as no. 4 even surviving the first few days are often very low. Puppy no. 4 apparently hadn't bothered reading the books, though, and right from the start was as energetic, as mobile, and as determined to live and grow as any of his bigger brothers and sisters.

After some initial difficulties eating, he was putting on the all-important weight at a healthy pace, and we were hopeful that he was going to turn out to be the exception to the rule that claims many small puppies before their time. Day and night, puppy no. 4 showed us that he was a fighter, but on April 1, he started having trouble breathing. Complicated by his still-small size and his body not having the reserves of strength that another couple of weeks of growing might have given him, in the end there was nothing that we or the vet could do to help him hold on.

Puppy no. 4 was named Wiggles posthumously by our daughters, and though he was only with us for those three short weeks, he and his incredible determination to live are very greatly missed.