Zàijiàn to Pippin & Her Puppies

In the last episode of our exciting puppy adventure, Pippin had just given birth to four beautiful puppies. I left you wondering how many of the puppies were boys and how many were girls. But since our home now had SIX dogs to care for, it should not have been a surprise that I suddenly didn’t have quite as much time for writing posts. The weeks have flown by without me posting again about these fluff nuggets.

So, here’s the update: all four of the puppies are BOYS! Four boys! Poor Pippin.

I seem to remember a Korean friend saying that giving birth to four or more sons means you become a queen in your own home according to Korean culture. Long live Queen Pippin! 万岁!

It’s funny – each of our four family members ended up having a different puppy as their favorite. That worked out nicely, huh? Here are the fluffy boys and a bit about each one, including the temporary names my kids gave them.

老大  Butterball – my daughter’s favorite

Butterball has these cute little patches around his eyes and always looks just a bit sad. He is a real sweetheart and I’m guessing he will end up being a mega-cuddler with his new owner. Although he is the oldest, he is not bossy, and is content to follow along with what everyone else is doing. Way to be a team player, Butterball! I’m not sure if Butterball is definitely my daughter’s favorite, but she did decide to make him the protagonist for the story she’s writing for NaNoWriMo.

老二   Dud, aka Dudley, aka Milk Dud – my husband’s favorite

Dud’s fur is a really unique and beautiful color. Kind of light brown? Or maybe he is a “pooopie” that is “light tan”? (He probably enjoys play volleyball and serving the Lord. You gotta be kidding me! Dud, everything you said is MY favorite thing to do every day!) Moving back to reality: Dud is the most timid of the bunch, and is a bit of an introvert. We would find him playing contentedly by himself while the other three brothers were tumbling around in another room.

老三   Merry – my favorite

Our kids’ friend proposed “Merry” as a name for one of the puppies since Pippin is the mom. So, it’s Merry as in Meriadoc Brandybuck, not Merry as in Christmas. It’s appropriate that he was named after a Hobbit who goes off on a grand adventure because our little Merry is the bravest and most adventurous of the litter. He was the first to try solid food, the first to walk, and the first to break down the cardboard wall we constructed in an attempt to expand the puppy’s play area. Take that, Sauron!

One of my friends said he looks just like the Cottonelle puppy (Andrex in the U.K.)

I think she’s right! Despite bearing so much resemblance to a Lab puppy, Merry will probably only end up about half the size of a full grown Labrador Retriever.

弟弟   Biscuit – my son’s favorite

To me, Biscuit looks like he was designed by the makers of Hello Kitty. He’s got the ultra-adorbs eyes and head shape of an anime pooch. We are theorizing that Biscuit had a different dad than his other three brothers because he looks so different. He is about half their height and twice their width! His fur is super soft and silky, and I think he’ll end up looking a lot like the vague Tibetan spaniel-ish dogs that seem to be everywhere in China. Biscuit is hilarious to watch because he looks like a poofy cotton ball romping around on stubby legs.

Aren’t they all so very cute? Okay, maybe you are not feeling the high-wattage cuteness from just seeing their pictures. I’m sure if you had a chance to hold them, pet them, and watch them run around our living room, you’d be in love.

And now the time has come for these little guys to leave our nest. We are very happy that each and every one of them has a new home to go to, including Pippin! As of tonight, they have been safely delivered to their new homes.

It’s definitely a bittersweet good-bye for us. I certainly won’t miss cleaning up after the whirlwind that is four puppies (plus let’s not forget the two adult dogs in the house!) but I think all of us have grown attached to these cuties during the short time they’ve been in our home.

Thankfully, it’s not a forever good-bye but a zàijiàn “see you again.” We have already enjoyed some videos of the puppies that their owners posted on WeChat and we just might see some of them in person again as they grow.

Zàijiàn, Pippin, and zàijiàn, puppies!

Meet Pippin! (And Her Unexpected Guests)

Pippin’s Real-Life Puppy Surprise

10 Lessons I’ve Learned from Raising TCKs