The Circle of Life..... It can really suck sometimes!

The past few days have been very eventful around our farm.
Sara (our Great Dane) had her puppies yesterday.

When I got up I went out and found her with 6 beautiful black puppies.
Did she utilize the wonderful labor/birth/recovery/nursery room that I set up for her in the shed?
Noooo of course not.. she had her pups in the middle of the yard in her pen.
As the morning progressed, she gave birth to 4 more.
All looked good except for the runt.... he sounded like he had a little more fluid in his lungs than I liked.
I was worried that the evil fire ants would find the puppies, so Worker #2 and I moved momma and her pups into the shed and set up a fan (can you believe it was 96 here yesterday?? with a heat index of 102??? ahhhh... summer is here!) the new family settled in nicely.
A few hours later Worker #1 went to check on them and found out that the little runt didn't make it. So we were down to 9 beautiful puppies and one healthy momma.

Earlier in the week, I promised worker #1 and his girlfriend that we would make the long drive to the mall so they could walk around for a few hours before his uncle picked him up to take him to do the paperwork for his summer internship at the Big City University. We were gone for 6 hours! (speaking of hanging out in the mall..... How did we do it when we were kids? How exactly did I manage and actually enjoy spending hours just walking around the mall??? I went in and did a little shopping (bath and Body Works is having their big once a year sale!) Then was ready to get out of there! There is no way I could happily spend hours in the mall now.... yuck!)
When we came home I went to check on the pups and turn on their light. One more of the smaller pups had died. (the circle of life thing) and I checked every body else.... she had 10 puppies nursing! The math didn't add up! we should have been down to 8 puppies! that sneaky momma went and had 2 more while we were gone!! thats 12 puppies! wow no wonder she looked so miserable the past few weeks ! There were two that were pretty darn small. We lost one of them last-night. So the count this morning is 9... 9 pretty puppies and one healthy Momma. ... whew!

When I was walking out to Sara's pen last-night, I heard something under the porch. It sounded like one of the cats.... it did not sound good, It sounded like a moan. I shined the flashlight all over and saw nothing. and it did not make any more noise.

When I went to check on the puppies this morning I found what was making the noise.
Worker #2's cat "Boy" was under the front steps. It's too early in the morning to go into all the gory details, but he had obviously gotten into Sara's pen and didn't quite make it out fast enough, or something large had gotten his back-side. He was still alive, but barely. I felt awful! he had been laying there suffering all night long! I don't know how I didn't see him when I looked the night before?!?!

I woke up Worker #2 and he did what needed to be done. Worker #2 is the tough-guy. He is the football player. He is the one that is usually too big for his britches, But he has such a tender soft side. He is the most loving big brother to the Little-Foreman-in-Pink, and altho he seldom lets you see it, inside, he is a ball of mush (just like his dad!)
He gently scooped his pet up and took him to the woods with his shot-gun and a shovel... Then returned alone. What a way to wake up! Gee thanks Circle of Life!

It's a harsh reality... You live on a farm or with livestock... the Circle of Life is going to bite you in the butt at some point! It's not a fun part of this life.... But The joys outweigh the sorrows 10-fold.
I am so proud of Worker #2 for handling this like the real man that he is growing up to be.
And I am giggling at the excitement of the little boy still inside him who is on the back porch inspecting all of the kittens trying to decide which one will now be his.