Fallen from cloud nine

I grew up loving Rottweilers. Maybe because I found them robust and powerful. But behind their fierce eyes and large bodies lies a reliable, alert and loving companion. Famous Rotts include Max from The Punisher comic book, Turtle’s dog from HBO’s Entourage, and Snot from the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Then, there is Triumph, the insult comic dog from Conan O’Brien’s show.  

Cheers to great news: my “Rott n’ roll” dog Sara gave birth to 10 puppies on Labor Day, which so happened to be her second birthday as well. The thing is, I was not there to witness the event. But my sister Tash and the maids did an amazing job in making sure that all the puppies were born without complications.

I realized that puppies are similar to us in many ways. They feel hunger, pain, thirst, discomfort and fear just like us. The tricky part is that we have to work to understand their wants, needs, and stop them from crying during the wee hours of the morning.

We all feel like grandparents since we all take turns and shifts in feeding the puppies when Sara needs a break. With a litter of 10, you can only hope that in the next couple of days and weeks, all of them will survive.

Sadly, one puppy did not make it. I named her Luningning because she shimmered with brilliance for a few days. Since she was the smallest and weakest of them all, it was really upsetting to see her die. I told my sister that we tried our best. I am glad she is in doggie heaven now.

Now, there are nine Rottie pups left with five girls and four boys. Since they came from a champion line of parents, there was definitely a good mix of genes. Most of them got characteristics from their father Wolfgang — like their clearly defined rust markings, heavy bones and big, round heads. Plus, the pups got Sara’s sweet, playful temperament and big appetite as well.

So, I gave the pups temporary names fit for their ever-changing personalities. Doc Shirley Coronel didn’t find them hard to handle at all.

Zeusifer is the biggest pup of them all. If he could drink milk from Sara the whole day, he definitely would. The funny thing about him is that when I get home, he is the one whining and howling like there is no tomorrow because he’s hungry.

With the latest Spider-Man craze, I could not help but name the snobby pup Venom. For some strange reason, he just knows he is a stud. When he drinks milk, he twists and turns his head, making it difficult for us to feed him like a royal highness, indeed.

Ferdinand, the loner, is named after Walt Disney’s classic story Ferdinand and the Bullies. He loves to be away from all his siblings and stay in a corner. No wonder he is long and lean — because he sleeps the longest.

Pharrell was the smallest boy who looks exactly like rapper Pharrell Williams a.k.a. “Skateboarder P.” A few days ago, he had a slight cold. So, we decided to concentrate on feeding him until he got better and grew bigger.

Like mother Sara, daughter Ursula Andress (from the James Bond movie Dr. No) is her exact carbon copy. She likes being around people and wants to play. Tash even noticed that she likes having her belly rubbed.

When she was just two weeks old, Bratz was the brattiest ever. She would whine a lot when she could not drink milk from Sara’s nipples. At least now, she is no longer part of the brat pack but looks like one of those Bratz dolls with big eyes and all.

My Melody is named after the Sanrio character. She is very curious but can be a little hasty sometimes. My Melody is the one who wakes up her siblings if she wants to play.

Jewel is different because she has a twinkle in her eyes. Since she was one of the smallest, I always put her with her mom and give her special attention.

The most care went to Periwinkle because she is the smallest so far. We are all so proud of this pup because she was the first to have opened her eyes. Just like Jewel, when the rest of the pups are sleeping, she is drinking milk from her mom.

 Ah, what a cute bunch! They sleep soundly while listening to Enya. In a perfect world, I would keep every single puppy that I have grown to love oh-so dearly. But in reality, I can only keep one or else I would be flat broke taking care of them.

I think the hardest part is letting go. I do hope that there will be a home for all these beautiful puppies to be nurtured and cared for. Someday, they will be great dogs that their owners can be proud of and love to death like a real family member.

Just like how Sara rocked and ruled our hearts.

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E-mail love-hate whatever things to becca_rodriguez@yahoo.com or visit www.myspace.com/beccacrodriguez.