Tons of animals.

Thursday the 4th our 1 year old Siberian husky Ayla (eye-la) had 6 pups and we found 3 new-born kittens in the church organ (no joke). Our other dog Frau Roiter (black Labrador) is pregnant from the same stray father of Ayla’s pups. I will spare you my thoughts about the Catholic Church’s stance on contraceptives (for now) and refrain from making some off color comment about the repercussions of having sex on monastic grounds but the fact that I bring it up should let you know that our conversations have not been lacking in emotion or frankness. I did not expect it at this age but I have become a father…to the pups. It is amazing to see what introducing children into the world will do to animals of all species (I mean Ayla and myself). I have observed a huge change in Ayla’s demeanor since the pups have been born; before she was very submissive and now she is obviously the dominant dog on the compound. She is very protective of her pups to the other dogs and only lets a select few humans pick them up and take them from her. I somehow got blessed to be one of those she is comfortable with and was delegated as the one to feed her and make sure all six pups are accounted for throughout the day. I say blessed because she scares me when she is angry.