Our Puppies Are Growing

OUR Puppies ARE GROWING

When I put my arms around our dog, she feels fatter than she used to. Shehas puppies growing inside her—morethan one puppy, more than two, maybethree or four, maybe more.

I hold my ear against her belly, hoping to hear the puppies inside. Ifeel something bump and move, as ifa puppy is turning over.

In the beginning, I couldn't believe there were puppies inside our dog. My brother says they start out small, too small to see, smallerthan dust. He shows me a picture in his book of little things that look likegrains of rice. They are unborn puppies, only a few weeks old. Inthe next picture, a few weeks later, the things look like tiny fish. As days go by and weeks go past, those fishy thingsgrow and change until finally they look morelike puppies. After nine weeks growinginside, puppies are big enough tobe born. I think I can't wait. But I have to.

When the first puppy is born at last, itlooks like he's in a plastic bag. Our dogtears open the bag with her teeth. She licksthe puppy over and over. She cleans thepuppy with her tongue and nudges himsoftly with her nose. The puppy moves. He starts to breathe.

And he's already hungry. Soonhe is drinking his mother's milk. By my bedtime, we haveseven puppies—three girlsand four boys.