Guess How Many Puppies - Topaz edition

Okay folks, time to gear up for the Topaz edition round of our "Guess how many puppies" contest!! (You still have time to submit guesses for Galena, too – see our March 20 post for Galena’s details.)

This will be Topaz’s second litter.

In her first litter she gave birth to 6 puppies (though one was stillborn; only five survived.)

Topaz came into heat on March 10. She was in LH surge on March 19, ovulated on March 21 and was bred on March 22 by natural breeding.

Counting from March 21, day 63 would be May 23, so whelping should occur any time between May 20 and May 26. With her first litter Topaz gave birth on day 61. That would make it about May 21 (my daughter’s birthday, and the birthday of Garnet’s first litter!). She also gave birth starting mid-afternoon. We don’t actually know exactly what time the first pup was born, because she had given birth to the first two before we even noticed it, but we estimate it was around 3:30 to 4:00pm. (When my kids got home from school there were no puppies; by 4:30 the first two had arrived.)

Contest parameters

You are invited to submit a guess to each of the Galena and Topaz editions of this spring’s contest.

Each guess must include:

- the name of the dam it is for (Galena or Topaz)

- number of puppies

- date of whelping (birth)

- time of birth of the first puppy

Deadlines

Topaz: 11:59pm on TBD

Topaz will have her ultrasound between April 22 and 28. I’ll announce the cut-off date for her contest once we have a firm date for the ultrasound. (Watch here for an announcement of the ultrasound date. The contest will close at midnight that evening.)

Galena: 11:59pm on Tuesday April 7

Prizes

The prize for the person who guesses the correct number of puppies and has the date and time of whelping closest to the actual date and time of the first puppy’s birth will win a $10 gift card to your choice of Tim Horton's, Starbucks or Chapters.

There will be one winner for each contest. (While members of my immediate family – me and my kids –  submit guesses, if one of us wins it’s the next closest who gets the prize.)

Send your guesses in now!