All Puppies Go to Heaven

Last few days have been pretty grey for me and Bernard ( my other half ). See, on 8th of March, 2008, the long awaited birth of 8 beautiful German Shepard Puppies finally arrived. Lassie, the mommy looked exhausted,dirty but proud, and darn well she better be since she popped 8 little angels out of her area. =) She chose a sandy area underneath the Veranda to home the 8 little angels. We could hear them squeaking under the wooden planks, some louder than the others but all just as adorable as the other.
Every single one of them was special. When German Shepards are born, they are fully black and tinier than you would expect them to be, despite the ferocious size they grow into as adults. This batch of angels however, were very different, Some were bigger in size, some has white markings on their chest, One was actually grey in color ( very rare and beautiful ), and some looked a little brownish, some yowled and cried every time Lassie nuzzled them, some squeaked like mice, and some cried like human babies! It was a joy to see the whole bundle of angels.
However joy was short lived, I went to Bernard's house on Sunday, (2ND day) and from the corner of my eye i realised one was stiff. =( We dug a little grave for the angel, she looked so angelic even tho she must have been gone for a few hours already. I touched her tiny little paw and i started to weep... I knew that it is normal for one or two to not make it especially in a big litter but you know, It was sad it had to be this one.. Sigh! After we buried her, Bernard was especially subdued, He totally didn't anticipate this. But we thought, Oh well, there's 7 more. :)
Next evening: Bernard calls me and i can hear his voice stifled a little, He tells me 2 more didn't make it. :( The grey one didn't make it... I felt so torn, to either be strong or cry again.
Later at Night: He tells me one more gone... That's 4 already! WTF... We couldn't understand why.. I am a bad consoler.. i don't know what to say, what to do, how to react, We just spent lots of time on the phone, in silence, because no words could translate the remorse we felt.
This morning: He told me Ms Lil White patch on her chest did not make it too.... Feeling a bit numb, we just let the topic go and talked about the remaining dogs and how they always make our day even on days where our tempers flare like tornadoes.
Well, we're trying to be positive because we do not know if the other three will survive. It seems thatthe only possible prognostic is that "Canine Herpes" is the reason why the puppies were fading off one by one. Yes peeps, Dogs can get canine Herpes too and it causes their pups to die in 2-7 days. Here's an Article i found on http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/ .
"canine herpes virus infects whelping bitches and the pups die within 2-7 days of birth as they pick up the virus from the vaginal tract when the dam gives birth to them. It is sometimes confused with puppy fading syndrome. It is said that the virus is resistant to cold temperatures and very sensitive to temperatures above 37 deg C. It is recommended that the puppies are kept in a room where the temperature is 37deg so that they survive. "
Nonetheless, we hope they knew we loved them all. Each and every 32 paws. They may have lived for barely a week, but we loved them ( that we lost ) because our hearts was bent on loving them even before they were born. We miss the puppy yelps and the squeaks and all the little shoving and pushing to get past the obstacles to suck on mommy's nipple. They weren't just puppies, they were pure as angels could be. They were bernard's family.
But we know they did not suffer, and that they are safe now, from bugs, mosquitoes, and any pain they could have experienced if they were to live. Because they're in a special place. And how do i know that? Because All Puppies Go to Heaven.