If you had asked me six months ago if I would get another dog the answer would have been no. It took me a good long while to work things out with Hank, I had always been a cat and bird person, dogs were much more demanding! Then we went through a series of events. Before we got the new house and we lived with Grandma and Papa G I had it all set up to find Hank a new home. He was outside and he was miserable and it made me so sad. I got a new home all arranged and I just couldn't go through with it. We love him and I couldn't stand the thought of him not being part of our little family. That was the first step in my becoming a dog person. Then we lost Blu and Mingo in quick succession and that really stung. I started coming around more to him and trying to spend more and more time with him. We got Tido and we managed to keep spending more time with Hank. Then I went through a crazy emotional growth period. I have started figuring out more and more that other people's opinions and rules do not need to dictate my life and that I don't need to bend myself to make them comfortable. This might seem totally unrelated but it actually changed how I treated Hank, we started modifying the rules to what makes US comfortable instead of what makes house guests comfortable. Due to this we've all settled in much better than ever before, not that Hank was ever out of place or unloved.
So it seems that a lot of people I know have gotten puppies, whenever I heard that I just smiled and nodded and thought "That's a lot of work". Then I started thinking about WHY they had gotten puppies. Every single one of them got another dog to give their current dog a playmate (of course they also got the dog because they enjoy their company). Their dogs were laying around too much or seemed lonely while kids were gone to school. I got to thinking, and watching Hank. Even with the kids home he seems bored a lot. I mentioned it to Daddy and we started talking, Hank is a total love, he sees a dog and his tail starts wagging and he is whining to get close to meet them. He and Blu had issues at my parents house but I think those were unusual circumstances. He's had Jake stay with us before with no issues and he's never had a problem with any other dog. So we watched and thought and I started poking around online. I'm a firm believer in adopting from shelters so that's where I looked. Lo and behold Yakima Valley Pet Rescue had MANY puppies, of several different breeds. So I filled out an application and, as soon as they contacted us, scheduled a time to go see the pups. Once we got there two stood out. One was Leela ( a 10 week old Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Border Collie mix), the other was a 7 week old Australian Shepherd mix. We had a terrible time deciding but in the end Leela's willingness to sit happily in our arms for a good 30+ minutes while we talked with the foster (Bev) sold us. Hank came along but between the heat and being somewhere new he was not inclined to help us decide! It was 5 hours of driving yesterday but totally worth it. She snuggled in Kayda and I's laps the entire way back, sleeping most of the way!
Carson is enamored with her. He does not want to leave her alone for a moment. I am constantly pulling him away from her while she tries to nap. He thinks she should be awake and ready to play with him all the time!
Hank is getting a lot of extra love. Since we spend so much time working with Leela (potty training, crate training, sleep training, and starting the basics) we are also trying to give him equal time, don't forget the bird! It makes for a very busy day. So far she is doing great, she'll wander in and out of her crate and has only had one accident, in the middle of the night, when it was Daddy's turn to watch her...
This is her FAVORITE place to lay down. The tile is nice and cool. We're going to have to be careful come winter to teach her it may be hot!
Wherever Hank goes she follows. She is learning very quickly to come when she's called. Partly because of a little leash work and also because Hank comes when I call. He reminds me of the bunny we had when we were little. We'd call the cat and the bunny would come. Same thing here, we call Leela (usually to make sure she isn't getting into anything) and Hank comes running with her hot on his heels!
Bev was very careful to explain to us what to expect between the two dogs. We are to expect Hank to assert his dominance at some point, if only to get Leela to back off a little. He did that for the first time over Leela's toy. He was playing with it, she came in to play WITH him and he gave a little growl. Boy that got her attention she perked right up!
Leela is asleep. Between the footrest and the wall. Carson laid down next to her to watch tv.
Next thing I know both boys are down there with a sleeping puppy! We have a busy time ahead of us but she already feels like a part of the family. Hank still seems confused but he'll figure it out soon enough!
