Tag: Smudge and Fuega

When Our Tiny Whippet Became a Mom: Fuega’s Surprise Litter

At about 15 months old, Fuega had a surprise for us. Actually, she had several surprises—four of them, to be exact. And if you think a tiny tornado is impressive, wait until you see a tiny tornado who’s also a new mom.

The Surprise We Didn’t See Coming

We’ll be honest—we weren’t planning on puppies. Fuega was still so small, still our baby in many ways, and we’d been focused on getting her to a stable weight before considering spaying. At barely 17.5 inches tall and fluctuating in that 17-20 pound range, the idea of her becoming a mama seemed like something for the distant future, if at all.

Smudge, our other whippet, had different ideas entirely.

The pregnancy itself was as dramatic as everything else Fuega does. Remember how she approaches life with maximum enthusiasm and minimum planning? Motherhood was no exception. One day she was our tiny tornado, the next day she was our tiny tornado who was clearly expecting and had very definite opinions about how this whole thing should go.

The Smallest Mama with the Biggest Heart

Watching Fuega navigate pregnancy was like watching someone try to carry six suitcases while riding a unicycle. Physically, it should have been impossible. This little girl who struggled to maintain 20 pounds was suddenly responsible for growing four puppies while still being, essentially, a puppy herself.

But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Fuega, it’s that she doesn’t let physics or logic interfere with her plans. She approached pregnancy the same way she approached everything else—with complete confidence and the assumption that she could figure it out as she went along.

Her appetite finally stabilized (pregnancy will do that), and for the first time since we’d brought her home, we stopped worrying about her weight dropping below 17 pounds. She had work to do, and Fuega has always been excellent at focusing on the task at hand.

Four Little Tornadoes

When the puppies arrived, it was like watching magic happen. Here was our tiny girl, who just months before had been the baby of the family, suddenly transformed into the most attentive, protective mama you could imagine. The strategic limping disappeared entirely—she had real responsibilities now.

Six perfect little whippet puppies, each one a tiny miracle and each one clearly inheriting their mama’s (and daddy’s) personality from day one. They were active from the start, already showing signs of the “run first, think later” approach to life that makes Fuega who she is.

For several months, our workshop took on a whole different energy. Instead of one tiny tornado, we had five. Instead of Rex having one devoted shadow, he had a whole parade following him around. The puppies learned the sounds of the shop, the rhythm of the workday, and the art of strategic positioning for maximum treat potential.

March Departures and Mixed Emotions

From mid-February through March the puppies left for their forever homes. Each one had found their perfect family, just like Fuega had found us that day in Missouri. It was bittersweet in the way these things always are—pride in knowing they were ready for their own adventures, sadness in seeing our extended pack get smaller.

Fuega handled the transition with typical grace, which is to say she threw herself back into being our devoted shop dog with renewed energy. If she missed her babies, she channeled that into being even more attentive to Rex, even more present in the workshop, even more committed to her role as the heart of Sarkanys Rising.

Back to Being Our Tiny Tornado

Today, as I write this, Fuega is getting ready to turn two on September 24th. She’s back to her familiar weight fluctuations (17 to 20 pounds, depending on whether running or eating won the day), back to her strategic limping when treats are involved, and back to sleeping on Rex’s side of the bed with her blanket arranged just so.

Motherhood changed her in subtle ways. She’s a little more confident, a little more settled in her role as shop dog extraordinaire. But she’s still the same girl who chose Rex that day in Missouri, still the same tiny tornado who approaches life with maximum enthusiasm and minimum caution.

The one thing that hasn’t changed? Her intelligence. That strategic limp is back in full force, deployed with even more precision than before. We’re onto her game, though. In fact, we’re hoping that if she ever decides to give up the act entirely, we might just take her coursing—let her use those sighthound instincts for what they were bred to do.

Imagine Fuega, all 17.5 inches of her, chasing a lure across an open field at full speed. No doggie doors to navigate, no furniture to avoid, just pure whippet joy in motion. Of course, first we’d need her to admit that both legs work perfectly fine, which might be the biggest challenge yet.

Still Choosing Us Every Day

Looking at Fuega now—seasoned shop dog, former mama, eternal tiny tornado—it’s clear that some things never change. She still chooses Rex every morning when she wakes up. She still treats the workshop as her kingdom. She still believes that enthusiasm can overcome physics, and honestly, she’s usually right.

She’ll always be the little girl who walked straight to Rex and decided he belonged to her. Motherhood was just one more adventure in a life that’s been full of them from the very beginning. And knowing Fuega, there are plenty more adventures ahead.

That’s our Fuega—tiny in stature, enormous in personality, and proof that sometimes the smallest tornadoes leave the biggest impact on your heart. Thanks for following her story with us.

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Whether you found us through the woodworking or stayed for the whippet tales, we’re grateful you’re part of the Sarkanys Rising family. Every piece we create and every story we share is better because you’re here to experience it with us.