PUPPIES!!!!

So a dog having puppies is most definitely a much bigger deal than a rabbit having baby bunnies.
Today has been a whirlwind of emotions for me.
Tink had her puppies...the first one around 8:30am this morning....then we waited and waited and waited, but no more puppies were coming....so I called a couple vets, not good news we're hearing from them..."get her to an emergency hospital" they were saying....tried calling Bryan and the one day that no one could find him at work would, of course, be today....called another vet, who said to give it 45 more minutes....tried calling Bryan again...
Just when we were ready to pack up Tink and go to the vet....over 2 hours later... another puppy came :)  Tink looking like a very proud mother.  And we finally make contact with Bryan at work :)
Said a prayer...and waited for more puppies....another puppy was born about every 45 minutes...making a total of 5 puppies. 

Then nothing....except for more waiting....still no more puppies...1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours...we're still expecting 5-7 more puppies...but nothing :(  nothing but stress that is.
so now I'm freaking out, Bryan's still at work...but at least now I can talk to him on the phone 
We say another prayer.  Then we call another vet...who says it's an emergency, bring her in.
We feel the only choice is to bring her in...and we have to hurry...

So, the puppies go in a box, with a towel wrapped around them...Tink is freaking out....I'm freaking out.  But that was the easy part 'cause now we have to get Tink into the van, which by the way I never would have thought I would be doing, Tink in our van???  But Tink is refusing to leave her dog house...."Where are her puppies?" she's thinking, poor mother :(
We finally get the doggy treats out and coax Tink over to the van...she hops up in one door, only to hop right out through the other door. Someone should have been video taping...I'm sure we were quite a sight to see.
After lots of running back to her dog house and us coaxing her back to the van...back and forth, back and forth...Finally we get Tink into the van (thanks to Sam and doggy treats)....and we show Tink her puppies. 

Kelsi is holding puppies, Jacob and Sam are trying to keep Tink in the back seat by them.  Karissa is dizzy and asking to stay home, but I needed her, she had to come.  And we're all sweating because I don't dare turn on the AC because they said the puppies need to stay warm.
I'm literally holding back tears wondering what in the world I'm doing as Tink paces back and forth in our van and I hear 5 yelping puppies, which Kelsi is striving to comfort.

But, nonetheless, we make it to the Vet, praying the whole way there. 
The Vet checks Tink...
The Vet says he doesn't feel anymore puppies, her temperature is fine...she looks healthy and fine....we just have 5 puppies instead of 12 puppies, and we really thought there were more puppies coming, and if there had been more puppies, Tink would have been having a C-section. So I'm very grateful we didn't have to do that.

So, all is well, We pay the vet, or sort of pay the vet because I lost my credit card yesterday and left my other credit card in my swimming pants this morning and all I have with me is checks, which they don't take, so we leave a check for them, which we will trade for payment with my credit card on Friday when we bring the puppies back to get "du-clawed"

And so now we take Tink and 5 really yelping, really hungry puppies home.  Tink is happy to be home, which I'm thinking all the while she did so so good, Tink was actually quite amazing.  We put Tink in her house with her puppies and I sit there and watch her for a while 'cause I feel so bad for putting her through all that, but also so glad everything was OK.  She just smiles at me, like a proud mother; taking care of her puppies like a good mother; happy like the loyal, loving dog that she is.