Lenore Severni, our Lab breeder, sent me this photo this morning, I think this is our Zinnia calmly using her brother or sister as a pillow. This dog seems to know how to take it easy, a great quality of a good Labrador Retriever.

She doesn’t quite have her eyes open yet, most puppies begin to open their eyes at about two weeks’ age, but even when their eyes open, it will take several more weeks before the eyes mature and their eyesight is normal.

Puppies are born with their eyes closed and are effectively deaf because their ear canals are also closed.

This silence is important for developing ears because sounds involve changes in pressure. If the puppy’s ears are forced to respond to sound too early it can damage the auditory canal.

But the time we get to meet Zinnia – about three weeks – her eyes will be wide open and her hearing will begin to fully develop. Even though the puppies are blind and deaf at first, this is where good mothering comes in. Garnett, their mother, keeps a close eye on them.

By the time we meet Zinnia, she and her siblings will be busy exploring their world.

It is time now for Maria and me to sit down and figure out just what this puppy will need to live safely and comfortably in our house.

We’ll make a vet appointment, of course, so they get to meet her and plan for a shot protocol.

She will sleep in a crate for months, as Lenore was at first, probably downstairs. Fate sleep down there at night, she can keep her company. There will be a day or two of yowling and whining, then she’ll get used to the crate. That is one of those fights you cannot lose.

We’ll order some special puppy food. Get her a new crate and some safe and proven Lab chewables – Labs really need their own stuff to chew, or they will feast on our stuff.

My idea with Labs is to blanket the house with toys for them to chew on and play with. Get them to love their stuff and know the difference between my socks and their toys.

I’ll start training her very mildly right away – mostly working on name recognition and eye contact. Obedience can come later. We also have to acclimate her wisely and safely to Bud and Fate. That takes some patience and skill.

Later.