After our experience with Popcorn back in July, we decided to wait until Miss B and Mr. C were done with their puppy shots before adding any new puppies to the family. We had hoped to get puppies that were 7 or 8 weeks old once they were weened  and old enough to be away from their mother. Enter one of life's twists and turns. The two American Bulldog puppies seen here with Mr. C were only 4 weeks old when their mother decided that she had had enough of nursing eight puppies with sharp teeth. So these two came home with us.
We tried putting them into this old car carrier so that they would be away from the bigger puppies, but before we could close the door, Mr. C darted in and snuggled up to them. As it turns out, Mr. C is a good mother. We didn't even think he could fit in that carrier!
Miss B didn't want to be left out of the fun and started trying to squeeze in there too. To avoid having the tiny puppies trampled, we got out one of the pop up crates.

The two new puppies think Mr. C is their mother or at least a good brother. They tried to play with him and with Miss B, though they are still a little wobbly on their legs. They have healthy appetites and have been using the restroom quite often. They are still too young to really potty train, but we let them stay on newspaper until they have done their business before letting them explore under close supervision.
Miss B and Mr. C are both very concerned any time they make little noises and checked on them throughout the night.
By Saturday, they were starting to get a little steadier on their feet and were trying to play more. Miss S and Mr. M seem to like us quite a bit and stay really close when we take them outside, not trying to go more than a foot or two away.
In the house, Miss S gets cold really easily, so Mom made here a little jacket out of some fleece she had left over from one of her other projects. It keeps her nice and cozy. She made one for Mr. M too, but he doesn't seem to get cold as quickly and only wears it sometimes.

On Saturday, Mr. C reprised his mother role, and volunteered to babysit under Dad's watchful eye while Mom cooked lunch. Well meaning puppies still get a little rowdy when they get excited, and even though Miss B and Mr. C look big, they are only 5 months old. So rowdiness is definitely in their skill set.

So far Miss B and Mr. C really like the puppies, and we have been making sure that they get plenty of attention too so that they don't feel like we are replacing them. Miss B even got to sit with Dad on the bed for a little while when Mr. C was busy checking on the puppies- something that she doesn't normally get to do.

Sometimes you wonder how well your puppies are learning what you are trying to teach them. You work with them everyday, teaching them things like "sit" and "stay" and "go inside." But sometimes they get distracted. Sometimes, they want to get you to play with them and test you by running back into the yard and looking at you, hoping you will chase after them. This weekend, we had the first test of how well Miss B and Mr. C were learning what we were teaching them.
We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to celebrate Grandma's birthday. Miss B and Mr. C have been wanting to explore past the end of their yard into the driveway behind their townhouse for months. Until now though, they hadn't been able to because their puppy shots weren't finished. This time, we walked them down the driveway after they did their business in the yard. We didn't think much of it, but then later in the afternoon it happened. Grandpa was going outside for something, and as quick as a flash the puppies darted out the door. Without a leash. Or a person. By the way, puppies are as fast as lightning- even faster than little kids.
We went running outside after them. Visions of them running at top speed down the driveway and out into the street flashed through our heads. When Mom got past the yard, she saw them about halfway down the driveway casually smelling the neighbor's fence- no sense of urgency. She stopped running and just walked toward them slowly- so as not to make them think this was going to be a game of chase. Miss B looked up at Mom with a big pittie smile on her face. Mom, who almost never raises her voice with them, told them very loudly to go back inside now. They took off running toward the house. They ran right past Dad. They ran right past Grandma and Grandpa without even slowing down. They went straight to the back door and sat down until Mom got there to open it.
And that is why we train our dogs. Apparently, they are learning.
Pitbulls are not well received in shelters. In some areas, they are euthanized without even having any attempts made to find their owners. Training is not just to make your dogs do neat tricks. It isn't to be mean. Training them can save their lives. Training them keeps them safe from people and an environment that aren't always safe. For pitbulls, training is even more important. They aren't always given much of a chance, even if they are the most lovable dogs ever. Too often, they are judged by what they look like, not by how they really are.
We got very lucky this weekend. If we hadn't been working with them from the time we brought them home, it could have ended very differently.
We were very proud of how well they listened. They totally made us look good.
We don't have any pictures of them getting out- for the obvious reason that the camera was the last thing on our minds. So here are two pictures for a perspective on how much they've grown instead.
They grow so fast. The top pictures was taken the night that we brought them home. Notice how they both fit in the puppy bed together with room to spare. The picture below was taken a few days ago. We stopped using it as an actual bed a while back. They only just lounge on it when Mom is cooking now. I think it's time for a new bed.

After having Miss B and Mr. C for several months now, we have come to the conclusion that puppies actually save you money. Sure, you have to pay for things like dog food and puppy shots, but we have noticed several ways in which the puppies offset this expense. Here are the top ways they save you money:
1. You don't have to worry about being tempted by shiny things in all of the nice catalogs that come in the mail. As soon as the catalogs arrive, simply give them to your puppies, and temptation to buy things from them will be a thing of the past.

2. While they are in the middle of their puppy shots, they can't go anywhere
because you don't want them to be exposed to parvo or other diseases. This means
that you have an excuse to stay home and not go anywhere- thus saving you
money.

3. Once they are able to go out, you feel like taking them everywhere with you.
This means that you have to find dog friendly places. Most of the places that
charge entrance fees, don't allow dogs. This means that you have an excuse to
skip the expensive stuff and go to the fun places- like the beach.

4. You may not need cable once you have puppies- especially pitbull puppies.
Pitbull puppies are super active, very curious and get into everything. They do
some really funny things. Commercial free entertainment. As an added bonus, you
won't get annoying calls trying to get you to upgrade to a bundle package. You
can bundle your puppies for free- just use a blanket.

While waiting for the puppy shots to be finished, we had plenty of time to decide where to take Miss B and Mr. C. Where to take them first was a no brainer- the beach of course. So we discussed the best time to take them and how to introduce them to the water. We decided that the best time to take them would be on a day when the surf was super flat- as is often the case in the summer time along the Texas Gulf Coast. We decided that if we took them when it was calm, they wouldn't be as likely to get scared by the loud waves.
Ok, good. That was decided. The vet said to wait a week after their last shots to take them in public. Yesterday, the week was up. We went grocery shopping and stayed inside for the hot part of the day, and then in the evening we excitedly loaded the puppies into the car. We had gotten 20ft training leashes for each of them so that they could run on the beach a little more, and we thought we were all set.

We charted a direct course for the beach. As we were going over the bridge to the island, we realized that we hadn't checked the weather forcast at all to see what the surf conditions were. Here we had made all these plans to introduce them to the beach the right way, but when it came time, we were so excited, the plans went right out the window. Luckily, it turned out to be a relatively calm day.
Going in the evening is always a good idea. Most people head to the beach in the middle of the day, when it is hottest and when the sun is harshest. As we got there, the beach had already almost cleared out, and people were streaming back to their cars. We had the beach almost to ourselves, which gave the puppies a distraction free introduction to the water.
They loved it! As soon as we got to the sand, they started running and playing, their tails wagging as fast as they could wag.
We picked a spot and set out our folding chairs. Then we changed them to the 20ft leashes instead of their short leads, and we set out for the water's edge. Mr. C was a little hesitant at first about running through the tidal pool on the way to the surf. Miss B decided it was a good place to do #1.

Then they decided that the tidal pool was a good place to walk- not as scary as the waves.

The sun started sinking over the horizon, and just like that, our first trip to the beach was over. Miss B and Mr. C were so tired from all of the running, digging and playing, that they fell asleep in the back seat of the car and slept most of the way home.

A while back when we were first debating on whether or not to crate train Miss B and Mr. C, we found pop-up crates at Bed Bath and Beyond. We went to the store to look at them, but they didn't have them in stock. We ended up ordering two of them. When they arrived, we looked at them once and then put them aside thinking that they would not contain the puppies at all.
The last time we visited Grandma and Grandpa's house after a vet visit, we noticed that after a while, the puppies were really tired but having a hard time staying asleep for a nap because there weren't any little safe hiding spots. Most of the napping spots were in the middle of the floor in the living room, out in the open.
This time, we got smart and brought the pop-up crates. After we had been there a little while and when B&C started looking sleepy, we brought out the crates. They instantly recognized them as puppy caves and went right in. We set them up out of the way of everyone, in a slightly darker area of the room and left the door unzipped so that they could go in and out as they pleased. They both ran in before I could even put the blanket in. The puppies loved the crates and after playing with each other in one for a while, Mr. C plopped himself down on the blanket inside and went right to sleep for about an hour's worth of good, solid nap-time.
These pop-up crates are excellent. I don't think they would really contain a pitbull for any length of time if they wanted out, but what they do is they give your puppy a safe spot to rest when you are not at home. Even though it isn't solid, it makes them feel protected. We plan on using these when we take the puppies camping. They don't sleep in their crates at night when we are home, but our walls are solid and not made of tent material. In a tent where everything is louder and unfamiliar, I think that the pop-up crates will make them feel like they can relax enough to sleep.
So the answer to the question is... Friend. The pop-up crates are definitely your friend. So are the crates by the way. The crates give them a sfe place to go when they need one and also make separating them easier. The crates also help when they get a little too wound up before bedtime.  As an aside, Mr. C doesn't really like the crate when treats are involved because it keeps him from stealing Miss B's treat away from her. Miss B loves the crate when it is time for treats because then she gets to take her time and enjoy the whole treat in peace without worrying about Mr. C taking it. He definitely lives up to the nickname Lunchbox.