This post is about saying yes. During the COVID pandemic we found ourselves at home more, like just about everyone. The kids have always asked for a pet but we are travelers, and when we go we are sometimes gone for months or years so a long-term pet isn’t in the cards. We decided to register to foster for the Kingston Humane Society, something we had tried to do before. This time, however, it turns out are application landed about the same time the pandemic forced the KHS into a foster model of shelter care. They were needing fosters and we were needing a distraction.

We had one dog for about 6 months, an unusually long foster period, as he went through some medical treatment (all paid for by the KHS). When Kinneo went to his forever home we were going to take a break but felt the lack of a dog almost immediately. I was going back to work after a leave so we thought we would ask for something short-term. They offered us Molly. A “quick in and out” affair – she was scheduled to be spayed in a week and should be adopted quickly after that. Molly didn’t get spayed however, she got an x-ray instead and at that time the vet techs counted “at least 10” heads. Puppies. She had come into care pregnant and was likely starting her 3rd and final month of pregnancy. We could have said no, but nobody in the family felt that “no, I do not want to care for 10 puppies” was a phrase we wanted to get behind. Who says “no” to puppies??

So we said YES.

And then we kept saying YES. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

The biggest litter the KHS has ever had. We win! 🙂

Molly went into labour 2 days before I was to go back to work. We were nervous but also relieved that we would get going before I was back at school. Molly’s water broke around 6:00 pm and we did the math. At 30 min a pup average we should be out of the woods by midnight at the latest. The next day at 8:00 pm the last puppy arrived. In total, 14 puppies: 2 still-born and 12 live, crying and kicking puppies. Twice we thought we would have to get them all packed up and go to the vet, when there were more than 3 hours between deliveries. Both times we got Molly up on her feet to get in the car and another puppy came out. Twice we thought we were finished and emailed the humane society to let them know the “new” total. And both times another puppy arrived after several hours.

Gradually over the next 8 weeks the puppies took over our living room, then most of the downstairs. They took over our time, our attention and filled our hearts. We fed, played, re-positioned and counted, on a cycle of 3 hours or so. We slept intermittently, played and laughed constantly, and cleaned up a lot of pee and poo. There will be some floor refinishing in our future, but it needed to be done anyway, and could have been avoided. We learned lots of lessons and probably would do it again, believe it or not, more confident and better prepared. I would have been terrified if we had been fully responsible – but with the total support of the KHS it felt doable, and totally joy filled.

I’m not sure that whelping 12 husky puppies is something you are supposed to do in a small war-time house, but we made it work – and no regrets. One day, 15 years from now we’ll look back on this video over Thanksgiving turkey and remember that time when we had 13 dogs. Remember when we said yes.

Say yes to adventures, to experiences. You just never know. You might get some of these: