Day Four, Morning - In which I learn that beagle puppies are infinitely more resourceful than I. The alarm goes off, but I've already been jarred awake by what sounds like a fight to the death coming from my kitchen. It takes a split second to register, but then I'm bolt upright, (being mindful of Buster, who's been snoring in my ear all night) and out of bed. I stagger down the hallway and around the corner. Lori is standing on the top of the crate, poised to jump to freedom. I scoop her up, move the baby gate, plop her down and step over the barricade, right into a pile of goo. Squish. Eww. (Note to self - LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP). The pups retreat. No nibbling on THESE toes. Hmmm. No, too disgusting. Of course, I am not the only one to have stepped in goo. So, I make my way over the sink. No running water. But, there are Clorox wipes. Not my first choice, but these will do. I clean my foot, and carefully make my way back to the barricade, retrieve Lori from the top of the crate, slide the baby gate back into place, and begin herding the pups into their crates. I'm LOVING the drop cloth idea. I just roll the whole mess up, and throw it away. I replace the drop cloth, spread clean newspapers, and this time, I put the water and food down BEFORE I release the hungry hoard. The Hoovers go into action, and I pick up the empties. I go outside to turn on the water, taking the resident beagles with me. They immediately head for the fence, and I hope there's no turtle on the other side. I come back inside, and Pam is holding Sullivan, the cuddle monster. She tells me that Warren has been "very bossy". I pick up Garrison, and see that he's the one who's been traipsing through the goo. I get a washcloth and clean his feet. We put the pups back, Pam starts to get ready for work. It occurs to me that once, before I had the puppies, I had a semi-normal life, and didn't have to rush around quite this much in the morning but, I wouldn't trade this for anything.

I get clean towels for the crates. I look at the clock. I realize I didn't put the baby gate back. I retrieve Lori from under the dining room table, and Garrison and Sullivan from on top of the crate. Heath and Warren are fighting over a rope toy. I rearrange the crates so that if they do get on top, they can't go anywhere else. The residents bark to come back inside. I use TWO sideways baby gates, a piece of pegboard (no rungs) and two chairs to block the pups escape plans. I worry that it's not enough. I take a shower, throw on some clothes, go out turn off the water, and come back to get dressed for work. So far, no escapes. Pam goes to work, noting that she will come home when she hears from the plumber. I shudder at the prospect of yet another day without water, and curse the faulty faucet. I feed the resident beagles, and Daisy actually eats her medicine. I know I haven't fooled her, she's just decided not to a dd to the drama of the morning. I rinse her gums. The puppies watch with rapt attention. She glares at me. I tell her that she's lucky I don't have time to give her her allergy shots this morning. She sighs. I herd the resident beagles outside, and make sure I haven't forgotten anything before I head off to work. It's just now 8:15AM. I need a NAP.

Day Four, Evening - In which I come home to a still broken shower (the plumber never showed - different plumber coming tomorrow). Pam is frazzled, having taken the pups outside so she could do some overdue yardwork. In the tall grass that must seem jungle like to the pups, I see white tipped tails wagging and hear a chorus of baby beagle 'Aroo's. They are exploring every inch of the yard, closely supervised by the resident four - Buster takes every available opportunity to correct the pups with a few sharp barks. He then runs to his favorite corner of the yard with the pups in hot pursuit. I think Buster is enjoying himself immensely, but he'd never admit it. Buddy and Potsy are playing tag with Warren and Garrison. Lori is sitting near Daisy, but not too close! Sullivan and Heath are trying to keep up with Buster. I am glad there are no neighbors outside to see this Beagle Camp recreation break.

Realizing that I have the chance to clean up the pups indoor quarters without their help, I head inside. I can only imagine what kind of chaos created the mess I see before me. I roll up the drop cloth and throw it away. This is SO much easier!!! I put the new drop cloth and newspapers down. I'm ready for the pups, who have discovered the storage can of dog food for the residents. They attack the can with the single-minded purpose of getting the lid off so they can eat the contents. They succeed.

Note to self. Never underestimate the will of a beagle, when food is involved.

I replace the lid, and feed the little vultures, and they settle down, for all of three minutes. Pam and I take turns snuggling the pups as we watch TV. Warren is the bossy one, but boy, can he snuggle. Sullivan LOVES to be held. Lori is shy at first, but will snuggle up really close. Heath just wants his head rubbed, and Garrison is ready for a lap to nap in. Sadly, I realize that two of the pups are going to their forever home on Thursday night, and a third will probably be heading for his new home over the weekend. In spite of everything, I'm going to miss these puppies. I barricade the pups in for the night - the system of baby gates and chairs worked! No escapes! The pups begin winding down - fighting, singing, wrestling, slowly this subsides as they start to fall asleep. Then the rustling starts as they settle into the crate, - one huge pile of legs noses and ears! It amazes me that puppies can sleep in piles like that. Of course, a tired puppy can sleep anywhere, in just about any position. Unlike their foster mom, who doesn't bend as easily as she used to.