Really wanted to let Ginger have some time to settle in, so gave her a few hours and then Holly and Kim came over to soak up puppy adorableness. First, Lovey (and I have only one pic of her because she was really squirmy. She’s the littler of the two and more vocal:
Thurston, on the other hand, is quite the little tank:
Too cute.
princess leia
So cute it hurts.
Dave C
Ok, I confess that I haven’t been paying attention. Whence did these puppies come? Are they to be permanent residents at Casa Cole?
Olivia
Love, love, love!!! More please.
jl
Thanks for pet pics. They are cute.
Steeplejack (tablet)
@Dave C:
He’s fostering the pups and their mother “temporarily.” Details in the Friday night thread.
gogol's wife
They look like Rottweilers!
kc
Adorable!
Violet
Ooooohhhhhh! So adorable it makes my teeth hurt. That puppy yawn! And look at those tiny paws. Too cute.
PurpleGirl
Only one proper reaction… SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, they are cute.
JC: You really need to get a pet playpen and you put Ginger and the babies in it and Ginger can take of her babies and they can sleep safely. The rest of the Cole animals can just look at them until they are old enough to interact. (Use dog pads for Ginger, a number of the cat fosterers use them for problem kittens/cats.)
Corner Stone
This is fine and all. But not putting up either NFL thread today is a fucking disgrace, Cole.
geg6
OMG PUPPEHS!
It’s all over, Cole. The cuteness is deadly. You will be assimilated.
22over7
Oh, puppies. Next we need a pic of Ginger settling in. And Lilly.
Alison
So stinking cute. I needed a puppy fix, thanks JC :)
jayboat
If he does indeed become a tank, you could call him Mr T for short.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
G: “Are you going to make me look at every picture Cole posts of these puppies?”
Me: “Uh, yeah! Duh.”
Violet
@22over7: I think that’s Ginger in the background of some of them. Sure looks like her fur.
jnfr
@Steeplejack (tablet):
Yeah, yeah. That’s what will happen. I look forward to years of updates on all three.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
They are very cute. Be mindful of Rosie, however. Without even a hint of malice, she may mistake them for rodents and, well, JRTs have have been designed to control rodent populations. Did I mention that they are very cute?
Manyakitty
Squee! Those teeny tiny toes are killing me!!
JPL
Cute overload….
CaseyL
Total adorableness, and I can just smell the puppy breath…
What did the vet say? How healthy are they – esp. Ginger, who had a terrible life before now?
raven
grabbers
PurpleGirl
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): This is another reason a pet playpen (or portable cloth/mesh kennel) would be good. It can be large enough to hold Ginger and the two babies. I’ve seen them used with momcats and kittens and they are very good.
ETA: I do not have stock in any company that makes the playpens. I’ve just seen them used with kittens and think they are better than hard, box kennels for keeping the tiny animal babies in the house.
Joy in FL
Ok, now I can go to bed.
Hoping for Ginger, Lily, Rosie & Steve pics tomorrow…. Not in the same photo, of course. And more Lovey and Thurston.
Anne Laurie
Sample puppy playpens, for the uninitiated. You want one with a lid, John, because eventually Steve will come to check out the puppies, and it will be embarrassing all ’round if he leaps into the pen & either Ginger or the little guys take exception to his forwardness!
(Not saying Steve’d try to harm them, or Ginger Steve, but it’s best for long-term relations if everybody has those first few conversation/stare-downs on either side of a barrier, just so that nobody feels impelled to prove anything.)
rikyrah
they are too cute.
I stand by what I said..
they’re not going anywhere.
they are already HOME!
Pogonip
Are Thurston’s eyes open yet?
Pogonip
@Dave C: Most likely. We’re taking bets on whether he’ll keep both pups or only one. The mother is pretty much a given.
Karen in GA
Aaaaaaawww!
seaboogie
I’ll bet Ginger is so relieved after her vet visit and bath….in a home that is warm and soft and cozy, full of loving humans and fellow critters to welcome her and her pups…she must be thinking “thank fucking Dog – Finally!”
Ginger’s nail situation makes me very empathetic on one hand, and angry on her behalf on the other. There was a local sort of homeless fellow in my little hamlet with a small dog with way over-long nails, and I gave him some money and secured his promise that he would have his dog’s nails trimmed at the neighboring vet clinic. Then, not sure that he would do it, I went home and grabbed my (former) dog’s nail trimmers and drove back down to do the job myself and then gave him the trimmers after I showed him how to do it.
Dogs are really the best, most honest and loving people that you will ever meet and know. My motivation to get my act together is so that I can have the cash-flow and schedule necessary to make a home for and to enjoy another canine companion.
TaMara (BHF)
Now the fun begins. Adorable.
JPL
@Anne Laurie: I could certainly donate to buy one, if John wants. It would make his life easier. I do think that Cole likes chaos, though.
Woodrowfan
I think we have our subjects for the cover of the 2016 “Pets of Balloon Juice” calendar.
John Cole +0
I’m not buying a playpen because I don’t need one, and I need to save my money because it looks like Ginger is going to have some big vet bills removing the baseball sized goiter on her abdomen.
I have them in the bathroom in my bedroom. I put their crate (which is ample for lily, rosie and ginger to fit in) in my shower, which is floor level so they do not need to jump up to get in and out. The whole bathroom is tiled and clean, there is a heating vent so the room is very warm, and I have the doggie door up so no one can get in or out. It’s ideal.
Plus, if Ginger needs to go potty or if something is wrong, it’s right there in my bedroom.
debit
@John Cole +0: Cole, where can we send donations to help with this? Seriously, you should know by now.
MomSense
Soooooo adorable!!
We had a major hellion phase today. Everyone is exhausted. Now the puppy is sleeping like an angel and we are wondering what on earth will happen tomorrow.
JPL
@John Cole +0: If Ginger needs health care, I’d be willing to chip in. I hate pay pal though…
Violet
@John Cole +0: That sounds great, John! I hope Ginger’s abdominal situation is benign and it all goes very well. Let us know if you need contributions.
Anne Laurie
@Pogonip: Pups will not be at all hard to place, in a month or two. And they deserve to be .the heart & soul of someone’s household, the way Lily is in John’s house.
Ginger may be a harder sell, especially if she lives in the Cole menagerie while being treated for a tumor, after the puppies are weaned. But although I’m sure she’s happier now, she might still want to retire to a permanent home less active than one shared with Rosie, Steve, and a floating squadron of Cole’s visiting frat brothers.
seaboogie
May we have a pic of Ginger too? She seems to have kind of a Tina Turner “do” in the background there….and then as I observed that, it reminded me of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyU7BbQSm98
I know that you will be good to her John, she deserves it at long last.
MomSense
@John Cole +0:
Sounds like you have a really good set up for them. Makes me really happy that they are warm and safe and together. I can’t believe Ginger was so neglected. Makes me sad and angry for her. My wish for her is that whatever time she has left be safe and happy for her.
Anne Laurie
@John Cole +0: Sound good! Watch out for Steve, though — he’s a Maine Coon, he’ll burgle his way through your puny human defensive gates. And with the best will in the world, he’ll still make Ginger nervous for her babies.
Suzanne
Oh my God! PUPPIES!!! Squh-WEE!
They are dollies.
seaboogie
@John Cole +0: I posted my Tina Turner thing while you were posting this, and I hope you don’t think that I was ever doubting the size of your heart and it’s open-ness to the critters, I was just giving my version of Ginger’s voice, because up to this point in her life, she has known the exact opposite of John Cole. Love and fond pats and all blessings to you and your kith and kin and kritters.
Suzanne
Oh, and if you do decide to get a playpen, those are a super-common yard sale or Goodwill item. Or used-kid-stuff-store item. Like all baby stuff, they are absolutely necessary until they are not, and they last much longer than a kid needs one, so they often get donated or sold cheap.
muddy
The tummy! It’s too much. I suppose since they are in your bathroom we won’t get a webcam now.
Pogonip
Did Ginger come out of a puppy mill?
Gin & Tonic
@JPL: This. Do let us know when to chip in.
SWMBO
Maybe if AL posts her email addy again, we can email her for where/when to send a check if we don’t want to use paypal.
Or send it to Cole’s office maybe. Most of us are amateur stalkers and can find it.
PurpleGirl
@muddy: Shelly (Vancouver kitten foster meowmy) has had her kitten cam in a spare bathroom when that was where she kept the momcat and kittens. But if this is John’s main bathroom, it won’t as well to have a cam there.
mai naem
Very cute puppehs. To me, they don’t look like blue heelers not that I know crap. I would be willing to chip in for Ginger’s treatment..
John Cole +0
No need to send money yet. I don’t even know what need to be done if anything or how much it will cost. Don’t be silly with your loot!
Roger Moore
@jayboat:
Or he could rename him after his M1.
SWMBO
@John Cole +0: It’s our loot. You’re not the boss of us. We can be silly if we want to. And we want to.
Violet
@John Cole +0: What did the vet say when they got checked out yesterday? Or does Ginger need more tests or something?
khead
The pups are beautiful.
jayboat
@Roger Moore:
Pity the fool. Mr T ain’t got time for no M1.
Dave C
@Steeplejack (tablet):
Thanks!
opiejeanne
@Steeplejack (tablet): thanks. I was wondering the same thing.
Roger Moore
@jayboat:
Sure, but JC is a former tanker, so he does know a thing or three about the actual article.
Mary G
I keep thinking about getting a dog. HBM was quite put out when I said I would miss Leland more than him. An older dog like Ginger would be good. I said that once before here and someone contacted me about a little old lady she was fostering here in So. Cal, but I was too timid at the time to follow up.
JordanRules
@Mary G: Awww Mary G, I think it’s time and a Ginger type would be great. The perfect woozle situation will present itself to you.
Yep, ready to be silly with my little bit of loot Cole, just let us know.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@Mary G:
Contact your local animal shelter — a lot of them have special programs if you’re willing to adopt an older dog, with reduced adoption fees and sometimes other perks as well.
SiubhanDuinne
Those pups are just adorable.
seaboogie
@Mary G: How are you, and how is HBM? I haven’t been following closely for quite a while, but I have loved the story that you shared with us.
Tommy
I’ve been waiting for these pics and it was worth the wait. So happy Ginger and her pups found a loving, cozy, careing waystation on their way to what I am sure Cole and his sister will ensure is a long-term living arrangement where they get the care, love, and attention they so rightfully deserve!
Tommy
@Mary G: I’ve wanted a dog all my life. Been thinking about getting on for ages. I just worry how my cat would react. My little girl is just a rock star. She makes my bad days better. My good days totally awesome. Usually she is never more than a few feet from me. When people are at my house they are stunned when I get up to go to another room she follows right behind me. When I sit in the big comfy chair in my home office to watch TV, she is in my lap in seconds and won’t move for hours. She needs that “together” time.
But she is in a fact a cat, so demanding. When she wants something she is actually pretty vocal. At night when I guess I am asleep and not paying enough attention to her, she’ll wake up at the end of the bed where she always is if I am in bed, and paw my head until I wake up and do whatever she wants. Oh and she is picky. Only eats on kind of “wet” food. Tuna out of a can. And not just any tuna, just StarKist. None of those cheaper genric brands (I have tried). I swear she’ll walk up to anything not StarKist, smell it, look up at me like “you fucking cheap idiot” and walk away mad.
In a long winded way I don’t want to upset this dynamic I have with her.
Lurker
It’s now been 3 days that my lovely cat Tommy passed away. I’m grieving hard.
Thanks for the pics of the puppies, JC. It helps to look at them.
ThresherK
Squeeeeeee!
That is all even this cat person could possibly say.
geg6
Just had to pop in to see the PUPPEHS! to start the week on a good note. Too damn cute.
The Pittsburgh bald eagle cam is up and running again. All three of last year’s eaglets survived and have flown the coop. Mom and Dad are showing mating behavior again and we will, hopefully, have another brood to watch this spring. Love the eagle cam!
satby
@Lurker: Lurker, we said it earlier, but know we all feel for you. Condolences on your loss of Tommy cat. The first days are hard. But he knew you loved him, and that is heaven on earth for a pet. You gave him a life well loved.
kindness
What does Steve do with the puppies?
Raven
A 10 hr thread?
Lurker
@satby:
Thanks for your support.
Tommy
I am just so confused. I am now forcing myself to watch the HBO show Girls for the fourth year. I honestly don’t get the appeal of the show, “but all the cool kids (and even adults) rave about it.” Don’t get me wrong there have been times in individual shows and even entire shows that were just LOL funny. But generally speaking when I watch it am totally underwhealmed. What the heck am I missing? Have I gotten too old and I am just not hip enough anymore?
ThresherK
@Lurker: Condolences from our home to yours.
OzarkHillbilly
@Tommy:
Sleep? (might be a better way to use your limited time on this planet)
Tommy
@OzarkHillbilly: Oh I wish. I have terrible innomnia. I sleep about 2-3 hours a day max, on a good day. Only good thing is I still have a ton of energy. When I do wake up from my limited sleep I am wide awake. In a good mood. I don’t get little colds or headaches. And about every 7 days I have what I call my “coma” sleep. I sleep for 12-14 hours. Such a deep sleep the end of the world could happen and I’d sleep through it. When I wake up for like an hour I feel like I am sleep walking. Coffee or a hot/cold shower doesn’t help. It is a totally strange feeling.
I guess the only two positives are (1) I work for myself out of my house so I sleep when I can. Even if that is the middle of the day. (2) I can get a ton of stuff done.
OzarkHillbilly
@Tommy: I know the feeling, woke up at 1:30 am. That was it, I was done, finally got up at 2:30. But seriously, I refuse to watch/read something just because somebody else said it was good when the evidence of my own eyes says they couldn’t tell rib eye from chicken sh!t.
Drunken hausfrau
My heart is bursting….. Love.
Manyakitty
@Lurker: So very sorry. Peace and love.
Manyakitty
@Tommy: Instead of Girls, try watching the documentary about George Harrison. So very much good.
Percysowner
@Tommy: I totally understand not wanting to upset the dynamic with your cat. A dog could do that. OTOH, I have 2 cats and I adopted a dog a few months ago. Now, when I watch TV, I have a dog and two cats on my lap, instead of just two cats on my lap. When it’s cold it’s great. I’m sure come summer it will be less good. In any case, the right dog and cat can not only coexist, but hang out. And getting an adult or senior dog makes it more likely because, unlike a puppy, they won’t want to play with the kitty.
c u n d gulag
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!
Nothin’ to add to that…
Elie
They are just precious beyond words…. I can almost smell that warm puppy scent… sweet babies!
JR in WV
@Lurker: I’m sorry to hear about your loss. It can be hard to deal with the loss of a loved one under any circumstances. We all know that Tommy was important to you.
Hang in there, and when you are ready an opportunity to rescue someone will come up right when you need it most.
dance around in your bones
Hey, where’s my ‘good man is hard to find’ quote?
A good man wouldn’t scrub a dub (unless he had a loofah, hahaha!)