(no subject)
It didn't go the way Ianto had thought it would, which is to say 'smoothly'. They'd done everything the books said to do, so no matter how much Banon disliked having a thermometer shoved up her rump every night, they knew when her temperature dropped that they were in for it. All the supplies had been gathered, and the whelping box in the corner of the study was cozy and ready for some new inhabitants. Everything had been taken care of on the human side of things, so nature was free to take its course. Or so Ianto had assumed, wrongly.
Nature took its course alright, but Banon didn't help it. One would think that after two months of waddling, she'd be happy to let nature do the work. But instead, after laying there looking miserable for an hour, she'd taken to her paws and paced in tight circles at the front of the box, which Ianto was content to let her do. Until they noticed a pup half out of her and ready to fall. She refused to lay down, which River said was her choice, but Ianto wasn't of a mind to think that centrifugal force would help the situation. Still, one puppy appeared, wet and mewling, and then after some time, another. Banon didn't seem all that interested in cleaning up her offspring -- just sniffed at them with curiosity -- so Ianto and River took a pup each in a fresh towel while Charlie cooed at her until she was content to lay down again. Two puppies seemed about right, until Banon started breathing hard and straining again just when they thought it was safe to relax. It took a full ten minutes of work and was clearly no easy task for the little dog, but finally another puppy was born. The runt of the litter, it was significantly smaller than its siblings and needed a little extra help to get its first meal.
So by the end of the night (it was safe to say it was past midnight now), the final count in the Jones house was three humans, two dogs, three puppies and a pot-bellied pig. Not exactly business as usual, but Ianto was just pleased they were all still in one piece.
Nature took its course alright, but Banon didn't help it. One would think that after two months of waddling, she'd be happy to let nature do the work. But instead, after laying there looking miserable for an hour, she'd taken to her paws and paced in tight circles at the front of the box, which Ianto was content to let her do. Until they noticed a pup half out of her and ready to fall. She refused to lay down, which River said was her choice, but Ianto wasn't of a mind to think that centrifugal force would help the situation. Still, one puppy appeared, wet and mewling, and then after some time, another. Banon didn't seem all that interested in cleaning up her offspring -- just sniffed at them with curiosity -- so Ianto and River took a pup each in a fresh towel while Charlie cooed at her until she was content to lay down again. Two puppies seemed about right, until Banon started breathing hard and straining again just when they thought it was safe to relax. It took a full ten minutes of work and was clearly no easy task for the little dog, but finally another puppy was born. The runt of the litter, it was significantly smaller than its siblings and needed a little extra help to get its first meal.
So by the end of the night (it was safe to say it was past midnight now), the final count in the Jones house was three humans, two dogs, three puppies and a pot-bellied pig. Not exactly business as usual, but Ianto was just pleased they were all still in one piece.