Growing up in a home where breeding dogs is basically second nature, I had no worries when it came to my own dogs. I did however have no intentions on breeding them in the first place, but when you don’t spay or neuter your pets, things do happen. I write this now at my computer which used to have more leg room, but now is currently occupied by Willow’s whelping bed, packed full with six squeaking pups. My eyes are itchy from the lack of sleep, but the sweet smell of puppy breath makes up for it all.

Despite what Caesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer says, my dogs are indeed my children, so when, despite the fact that we have no breeding males present in our household, Willow turned out to be pregnant, I felt like a concerned parent who didn’t know her daughter had been sneaking around behind her back. “Who was he?” I felt like asking her. Now we’re well aware that a rebuild of the fence is in order, and the mutt next door should be entered in the next Olympics as a hurdle jumper.

If you’re going to breed your dog, (or if she sneaks away with the mutt next door) there are a few things you should prepare yourself for when the big day (or middle of the night) comes:

- Have on hand a whelping box. This can be created by using an old baby play pen, a large dog crate, or in our cases, a large cardboard box (that will soon be replaced with a large dog crate.) Inside use clean cloths for when the mother gives birth. I use old towels, and then when the pups are all born I replace with fleece that I get on sale and cut it into half yard pieces.

- A heating pad that you will place beneath the towels to keep the pups warm.

- A rubber infant suction bulb to use to get fluid from the pups nose and mouth when they are born.

- Plain dental floss to tie the umbilical cords before cutting them. Many mothers will chew the cords loose on their own, but some short nosed breeds (like pugs) seem to have a harder time breaking open the sac and cutting the cords.

- Iodine to soak the cords in after they are cut to help prevent infection and stop excess bleeding.

- Canned condensed milk. Labor can take hours and after a lot of pushing, the mother can get extremely tired and her blood sugar can drop. This little item can really make a difference!

- Other important things include paper and pen to write down birth times, weight (if you have a scale) and special markings so you know which pup is which. Some people use nail polish on the paw or colored yarn loosely tied around the pup to identify, but I prefer just paying extra special attention.

- The most important thing to keep on hand is your vet’s phone number. If a pup gets stuck on it’s way out, there is little you can do to really help and those few moments really count. Keep in close contact with your vet during the pregnancy. Depending on the breed, they may have other items that can come in very handy. If the mother is bearing down for more than an hour or it’s been 4 hours between pups (and there are still some left in there) call the vet.

Some mothers allow you to assist, and some don’t. My dog prefers to give birth facing away from me, but as soon as the pup comes out, she’ll turn as if to say, “Here, now YOU deal with it.” But I’ve also seen some mothers who growl if you get too close. Once all the pups are out, make sure that the mother is feeding them every two hours. Check their weight everyday to see that they are growing and enjoy the next eight or so weeks of your life!

Untypically Jia is happily married to her high school sweetheart and spends her day taking care of her small family (which includes several pups). She runs a spiritual community site called Modern Molly Mormon and can be found at her personal blog Color Me Untypical.