EAGLE - Char Quinn of the Eagle County Humane Society has her hands full these days. She's got seven newborn puppies to tend to.

The puppies, ranging in color from a warm, golden brown to dark brown with black markings, are just 22 days old today. The wriggling, whimpering balls of fur are the survivors of a litter of 10 puppies that were picked up from Garfield County last week. They have to be bottle-fed several times a day, washed, and kept warm.

The litter was found in Garfield County, struggling to survive a streak of cold weather that included sub-zero temperatures.

The mother, a stray dog, had a bullet wound in her leg, and was too frightened and distraught to take care of her puppies. Animal control officers collected the puppies a week ago, but it took them several more days to catch the mother. The older dog was operated on this week, and is doing well.

The Garfield County Animal Shelter was already filled to capacity with dogs and puppies, so they contacted Quinn, who volunteered to foster the pile of puppies.

The Eagle County Animal Shelter doesn't get many batches of puppies, Quinn says. She attributes that fact to the agency's subsidized spay-and-neuter program, which, Quinn says, treats 300 pets annually.

She's got plenty of help tending the pups from the staff at Castle Peak Veterinary Clinic, where a playpen was set up for the dogs in the reception room. Veterinarian Renee Rumrill is tending to the puppies' health.

"Seven is a lot," says Quinn, who has handled her share of abandoned animals. Humane Society members Vickie Calhoun and Laura Simonek have been helping to bottle-feed the puppies four or five times a day with a special milk formula. The dogs doubled in size in a week.

"By the time they are weaned, they will be drinking full 8-ounce bottles," says Quinn.

The volunteers take the puppies into their houses for feeding and cleaning - a function the mother dog would normally handle. The pups are either wiped clean with baby wipes, or are washed with puppy shampoo and rinsed off with warm water from a faucet, then tucked into a warm place to dry.

Quinn has even named the brood of three males and four females: Billy, Alia, Mia, Lill, Chloe, Shanon, and Trey. Even though their eyes have not yet opened, they can move a considerable distance in their playpen. The animals are always seeking each other's warmth.

The breed? All the experts know is that the mom is a golden-brown mutt and the puppies should grow about 30 to 40 pounds, Quinn says.

"The puppies are going to be medium-sized mutts," she predicts.

Up for adoption The newborn dogs will be mature enough for adoption on March 3. If interested, call the Humane Society at 328-5444 or Castle Peak Veterinary at 328-PETS.

Vail, Colorado