What is a whelping pen?

Prior to yesterday's surprise my answer would have been "What?!?!?" However through the enlightening experience of an unexpected canine pregnancy and subsequent dog birth seven times over I can now speak with some authority on the matter. A whelping pen is a place for the mother dog to raise her pups in safety. A proper whelping pen should keep the puppies from leaving but should allow the mother to come and go as she pleases. With this knowledge, a 10x12 ft tarp and a whole lot of pvc pipe and zip ties I set about crafting just such a place. The following pictures illustrate my mastery of the subject. Special thanks goes out to my good friend Dean who as you can see was very helpful in the process. You will also see what a "help" Katherine was during the whole process.