The Pinkster

Once upon a time, there was a litter being birthed at Surry. The humans stayed up for many hours assisting Annabelle deliver her babies. There were lots of babies and one of the little ones birthed was very small. She weighed so much less than the others. She was kept snuggled in a heating pad next to her mom.

The humans worked hard on the little one. Elizabeth stayed up most of the night and was beginning to think that the little one wasn't going to make it. She kept getting pushed off the teats by the bigger pups. So, something had to be done to save this wee baby. Elizabeth opened a can of formula, mixed in some water, and gradually got the baby to latch on to the nipple. The baby didn't want to eat at first but after giving a dose of dextrose, the baby became ravenous. She latched on and nursed! After that she had supplemental feedings every couple of hours. It was a tiring process but Elizabeth didn't give up. Between supplemental feedings, the Pinkster, as she was now known, began to feed from her mother's teats.

Gradually, as the days passed, the Pinkster gained weight and began to be a strong baby. She still enjoyed being nursed with the bottle and would work her little paws when she nursed from it.

At several weeks of age, some nice people came to visit and they fell in love with this tiny puppy who had quite the heart. Pinkster was chosen to be their companion for her life. She grew to be a fat healthy baby who could run and jump with all the other babies.

Her new parents, Ann and Paul Key, dote on this girl who is now called Neilley. Neilley goes with them everywhere and is the model for their great line of Scottish doggy clothes and accessories. Neilley still sends cards and emails to us. She will always be the wee one in our eyes.