Summary of Monks of New Skete's The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition)

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 On the fifty-ninth day of Anka's pregnancy, the sun shines down on the normally dark woods surrounding the monastery.

The wind blows through the trees, gently ushering Anka along the trail.

She is as restless as the woods are.#2 Anka, the wolfhound, was always friendly and playful on ordinary walks.

But on the walk to the pond, she was extremely quiet and seemed lost in herself.

She lacked any of the playfulness she normally had.#3 The final stages of gestation and birth are evoked by Anka's digging.

She is preparing a natural den, a sort of cave, which she will use to give birth to her pups.

She is just responding to a deep instinctual knowing.#4 Returning from the walk, Anka drinks more water and then climbs into the whelping nest and relaxes atop several layers of newspaper.

She has never been known to spurn a meal, even early in pregnancy when this would have been expected.