We got an update from the breeder today. A few of the people above us in the list have canceled leaving three or so females in the litter that haven’t got a home yet. That means we’ll get some choice over our pup, which is good news. Even better news though is that the update contained a few images:

That’s the full litter of 10 at around four and half weeks old. Unfortunately one of the males isn’t doing too well, and may have to be put down if he doesn’t improve. One of the pups at the center of the photo looks quite a bit smaller than the rest – maybe that’s him. Let’s hope the little fella pulls through.

And here are a couple individual shots from the litter:

Prior to getting the breeder’s email, we went on a major shopping expedition for our new arrival. Maybe it’s a bit early given that we won’t actually be getting our Beagle for another 6 weeks or so, but we didn’t want to buy later and run the risk of hitting Christmas / New Year shortages. Actually the “shortages” idea is probably bogus but it’s the justification I chose to use for this latest retail therapy session.

Among our purchases were a sturdy and roomy crate, a ridiculously extravagant paw-shaped cushion(!) and a “puppy soother” – a pad that heats up in the microwave to ease the pup’s separation from the puppy pile. It’ll be great to see our little youngster on the cushion, though in all likelihood she’ll end up peeing on it. Speaking of which, I found it interesting that nearly all the products for house training puppies had a picture of a beagle on the front. Are they trying to tell us something…?