I think I'll just change the name of this blog to "Neverending Pictures of Loki's Puppies"

It was too cold to bring the Cane Corso pups outside for their photos so instead I brought some lights to Toronto Animal Services South, set up a little studio, and shot them inside. I was going to do all twelve of Loki's pups but it turned out that four had been returned to TAS West, where they originally came from, for TAS West to adopt out. That's okay. The remaining eight pups kept me busy enough. Thankfully, I managed to talk a friend into helping out (thanks Rachel!) so we got through them all pretty quickly without me having to worry about pups falling off furniture or getting tangled in cables.

Pup 1

The personalities of the pups were just starting to come out and already we could tell the shy ones, the explorers, the laid back, the rambunctious. One trait they all shared, though, was that as soon as they were separated from the group, all except the most fearless, immediately lost any bravado they may have had and looked for comfort in our hands.

Pup 2

That was, of course, adorable but I have to say they were quite stinky. They've got a whole room to themselves at TAS South but puppies being puppies basically eat, drink, poop, piss and then run around in it gleefully. The staff don't have the time to pick up after the pups 24/7 and Mom tries to clean up but, well, that too is kind of gross and a seemingly impossible task.

Pup 3

I was using flash for the photo shoot and wasn't sure how the pups would react to the light but there was no need to worry. They were fairly oblivious to it. The only thing they did seem nervous about, other than being away from their mom and siblings, was the height of the stand they were on. They would peer down from the edge and look at the floor, which was about a foot away and become distressed. I read somewhere once that one of the innate fears we are born with, along with cold and hunger (and a few others), is height. I guess it's the same with dogs.

Pup 4

Rachel managed to keep them mostly corralled in the box. Only one managed to slip off the edge and then when it realized it wasn't such a big deal getting to the floor, it's sole purpose in life at that moment became to escape. That's Pup 6, the fearless one. You can tell just by looking at her that she's going to be a rascal.

Pup 5

These eight pups were brought to the Adopt-a-thon at Petsmart over the weekend. I hear that people were fighting over them. Six were adopted out on Saturday and I understand that two were held back for the Sunday crowd. I hope the adoptions are good ones. Sometimes, it's harder for the pups because people's emotions get the better of them and cuteness trumps reason and practicality.

Pup 6

These little tykes are going to grow up to be big, strong dogs. Their mum is a resource guarder when it comes to high value items (although I had no problems with her when I was hand feeding her doggie cookies) and she's already passed that on somewhat to some of the pups. That kind of bad behaviour maybe isn't difficult to overcome, especially in a pup, but the owners have to be aware of the behaviour and know how to nip it in the bud and hopefully in a positive way.

Pup 7

But never mind all that for now. For now, let's just celebrate the good fortune of these pups to have found their way into a shelter that has cared enough to give them a warm place to grow, kept them healthy, speutered them, and finally found them homes.

I'm really hoping that at least some of the owners will send in update photos as the pups get bigger. I'm hoping they will all become splendid creatures.

Pup 8

Boxed Sets:








Update on one of the pups here.

For adoption information on these (well, these guys might all be gone) and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.