i came home to lb after lunchtime to seven puppies sucking the life out of their mama dog. still can't get the number off my mind - seven?!? already, my folks could tell which pup is the dominant one and which pup is the designated runt of the litter.

four males and three females. now, in the world of 'how to dispose (read: give away) puppies,' the battle is half-won. i better send the word for interested would-be dog owners.

meantime, china, the other dog, is really indecipherable. tatay guesses that kaya had an early delivery because she was stressed out from her last two fights with china. if china were a person, she would be one of those frail old ladies who own a twittering bird or something. no, nothing like the owner of tweety bird, now that lady is very feisty. china shakes dreadfully when a construction truck zooms through the road. she'd rather hang herself to near death to escape a leash. the general consensus is china has a major medical problem. there was already talk of having her put to sleep but the folks wanted to get my opinion on the matter. the word 'euthanasia' just doesn't sink in my thoughts.

death and birth in one soup bowl.