[sashajade]

as this happened when someone came to the door i would say the pups were killed due to that, when someone knocks on the door and the dogs are alerted maybe growling, one dog can take it the wrong way and think the pups are causeing the problem, ie when i had scampi and the door bell went quite often a fight would brake out between the dogs as all would be barking and growling and on full alert and then as one looked at the other they would think that dog was having a go at them so would attack each other, dogs let off a smell also when alert or fearful, so maybe the knock at the door caused the dogs to get confussed and attack the pups, the other dog could of senced the mothers fear and mistaken it and attacked the pups which she thought was pretecting the mother, or the mother could of killed the pups by mistaking the fear from the other dog or even both could of done it. its seems very strange that it happened after someone knocked on the door and not at any other time.