Once upon a time there were nine little red standard poodle puppies who lived in the forests of Mansfield, Texas with their mama Ellie and daddy Xavier. Of course their mama and papa could tell them apart but nobody else in the forest could, so Ellie knitted different colored bonnets for them. One chilly morning they set off to play in the woods and Ellie was sure to put their bonnets on before they left so Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit and Steve the Squirrel and their other forest friends would know who was who. That's what it's like in the forest, everyone looks out for one another. 

The puppies had a grand time running on the paths and chasing one another until they became so tired they could barely go on. Just then they came upon the softest looking bed they'd ever seen and decided to take a nap. The puppies were always told to stick together, and there was only one bed, so everyone waited while one by one, the puppies rested so they would have the energy to make it back home. Well, as you can image, it takes a LONG time for nine puppies to nap one at a time and before they knew it, it was dinner time and Rosemary, the last to nap, would not wake up! Mama Ellie and daddy Xavier were frantic with worry and went out in the forest to look for them.  Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit told them where they'd last seen the puppies and Steve said he'd help look for them from atop the trees.

Off into the forest they ran looking for their puppies. Steve the squirrel was scurrying ahead of them in the treetops shouting directions; "Go left here, now right". Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit stayed behind at the den just in case the puppies came home while Ellie and Xavier were out looking for them. All of a sudden Steve yelled out "I see them! I see the puppies!, Follow me!" and he turned toward a small clearing where Cypress, Sage, Patchouli, Valerian, Balsam, Cedarwood, Ginger and Juniper were all waiting for Rosemary to WAKE UP!  They were so happy to see mama and papa that they barked and yelped with joy, which finally woke up Rosemary who couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about! 

Even though they worried about their puppies, Ellie and Xavier couldn't be mad at them. They were just happy that they were safe and their bonnets kept them warm. Once they woke up Rosemary, they started the long walk back home. It was getting dark but Steve led the way. Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit were so happy to see that the puppies were back home safely. Ellie and Xavier were happy to have such good friends in the forest that they invited everyone inside for dinner, they kept acorns and carrots on hand for just such occasions. 

The moral of the story is; dress uniquely, never turn down an opportunity to nap and sometimes the unlikeliest of friends are the best ones to have. A big thank you to Independence Standard Poodles for the mutual indulgence in doing crazy (but safe) things for their newborn puppy pictures. We did not go into the forest for these images, we photographed the litter three feet from the whelping box with Mama Ellie close by. 

You may have guessed it by now, the theme of this week's Pet Photography 52 Week Project is "Fairy Tale". 

(hover over the images to meet the puppies, click on any one to view full screen)