The alarm goes off at 6AM, and there's silence. No blood curdling barks coming from the kitchen. In fact, there's NO noise coming from the kitchen. And anyone who's ever had a puppy or a child can understand the panic I felt. I tiptoed out to the kitchen to find the girls fast asleep in their crate, in pretty much the same pile I left them in the night before. Even the newspaper is largely intact. I'm amazed. If the girls are going to sleep in, this might be a pretty easy Camp.

There's hardly any goo anywhere, so I step over the barricade, and start to ball up the soiled newspaper. I spread new sheets out over the floor. Julep decides that I need help with this, so she stands right where I want to spread the paper. Georgia walks through the water dish, then drags a towel out of the crate across the floor through the puddle she's created by upsetting the water bowl. Dixie and Daisy are staring at each other through the barricade. I pick Dixie up and try to introduce her to Daisy, who turns and walks, no, RUNS, the other way. I put Dixie down. Tara is settled in to the back of the crate, and reluctantly comes out. I need coffee. The pups are fully awake now, and HUNGRY. I get the bowls out and put their food down. They chew on my socks, and grab at my sweatpants, but then head over to the food.

So far, I've been lucky. Who knows what tonight will bring? I'm too tired to think about it right now.

Day Two, Tuesday Evening

I came home expecting to find a huge mess. I was happily disappointed (relatively speaking!). The mess was manageable, and easily cleaned up. These girls don't shred newspapers, at least not yet. And they managed to confine the goo to one corner of the room. I remove the top half of the barricade, which I may not need, as the girls don't appear to be climbers, either. I go get my supply of disposable gloves, and then I carefully check the "safe spots" and step into the puppies domain. Too late, I remember that I should have put on some shoes. My toes, feet and ankles become fair game for all those sharp little puppy teeth. I make a mental note to keep a pair of old loafers nearby. The girls are jumping up and trying to eat my shirt, pants, and hands. I herd them into their crates and begin cleaning up the mess. Rolling up the drop cloth and newspaper makes the job that much easier. And, the girls aren't barking and complaining to be let out of their crates. Hmm. Brains AND good looks! I put down a new drop cloth and spread clean newspaper over it. Then, I make my way over to the counter where their food and bowls are - I put down the water and food, and release the puppies - there is no mad dash to the food. They calmly walk over to the bowls, and Tare immediately stakes her claim to two of them. She can't possibly eat from both at the same time, but she won't let anyone near the one she's not eating from. I separate her from the rest of the puppies. Then, with some growling and yapping, dinner is eaten. This is about the time I realize what kind of mistake I've made. I now remember that the clean newspaper does not get spread out until AT LEAST 20 minutes after the puppies have eaten. I have to re-crate the girls and redo the drop-cloth and newspapers.

Sigh. I uncrate them, and they start playing. I head for the computer, which is down the hall. Suddenly, I hear the play turn to serious barking and growling. The girls are involved in what looks like a fight to the death. They've covered each other in scrapes and it's really hard to get them to let go once they've got a grip. I step into the middle of the scuffle, and someone, not sure who, mistakes my foot for her sister. I've been nipped! A few sharp slaps on the top of the crate gets their attention. They stop fighting and stare at me as though I've completely lost my sanity. I pick up Tara, who starts shaking immediately, no doubt in a ploy to gain sympathy. I take her to the bathroom and wash and dry her off, and do the same for Julep, Dixie and Georgia. I cuddle with each one in turn, and when I put them back in the kitchen, after some initial yaps, they all pile into one crate, start licking each other's scrapes, and settle down in one big pile to sleep. This is my first experience with baby girl beagles, and I'm at a loss to explain it. I cover the crate with a towel, turn off the kitchen light, and go take care of my foot.