Lucy on countdown ! Snow but still school !

Lucy is now on countdown to her pups arriving. She is just over 8 weeks pregnant & could come anytime now so is on 24 hour watch. This is her first litter & it would be a shame to lose a pup just because Mum was not sure what to do when the first one popped out as some times a bitch can be a little stunned when the first pup comes out & look at it wondering what it is & that is when you step in & help by breaking the bag that the pup is born in so it can take its first breaths as if left to long the pup would suffocate as once the pup is out & the placenta has detached the pup has no oxygen supply so needs to take its first breaths soon after being born. Sometimes it is the opposite & the bitch is over vigourous & you must keep a watchful eye that they do not chew at the umbilical & actually start to eat the pup or make the umbilical bleed to much. But in both cases most bitches by the time they have given birth to two or more pups tend to get the hang of it. Helping a bitch give birth is striking a healthy balance between helping & interfereing. Keeping everything quiet & even if you are stressed not showing it will help the bitch relax & get on with the birth, that is why a majority of bitches give birth at night as that is when in most homes everything goes quiet.
Lucy has been behaving a little different today & has actually decided that she wants to rest in the whelping box rather than lie out on the floor as usual. So on watch tonight which means I will be sleeping on the sofa next to Lucy.
We had a bit of snow this morning & much to the dismay of my children their school was still open. We have had no more today but it is exceptionally cold outside at the moment with a really chilly wind. The dogs though seem to love this weather & I must admit that it is lovely to see them frolicking around in the little snow we have had & they stay very clean so no trails of doggy footprints through the house at the moment. I have decided one thing though I need a better camera for taking action photos as my camera has such a slow shutter speed it is nearly impossible to take good photos of the dogs out & about, so Father Christmas if your reading thats one for my wish list.
Click on photos below to see full size.