Friday I was keeping my eye on the clock... counting down until I could leave work to go get my dog... I was very excited and nervous... this is, after all, a big decision...
The ride to NH to get her seemed to take longer than it had the day I went to meet her... and I hoped she was as adorable as she was when I met her before. She was!
I got to her foster home and when I went in she greeted me as she had last time, front paws up calmly and leaned into me... I talked with her foster mom for a bit and got the final paperwork... and she became my girl!
Her foster mom told me she is sweet but I will have to be stern with her, be her pack leader because she has a bit of a stubborn streak at times... (As we would say in my family... that's her Smith side coming out!)
She put this to the test quickly... we walked out to the truck and when it came time to get in the UPS truck was pulling in... her foster mom said she would be distracted because she knows the UPS truck brings food/treats. So.. I ended up having to lift her but into the truck... I hooked her into the seat belt leash and I'm not sure if either of us knew what to think. She stood for a while and leaned her head into me from the back seat, but eventually she laid down... I kept reaching back and petting her...
We got home and went for a nice walk before coming into the house. . I wanted her to be a bit tired before meeting the cats. We walked about 1.75 miles and it seemed to work. We came home and, as I have done with the fosters, I kept her on leash. She was very curious about the house and the smells here... eventually we settled down and relaxed in the living room. I sat on the floor with her because she seemed a bit more relaxed that way.
She chewed on a bone for a while... on her new bed... (Sorry Stella, it really is for Gladys!)
After feeding her, using the Take it or Leave it approach I saw on this video
She learned quickly... and after a bit was happy to just leave it and not eat any more.
After that she laid down and I brushed her... and brushed her... and brushed her... I got a TON of fur off her... this is going to be one of the challenges with her. I am going to have to keep up with brushing and keep up with cleaning up the fur!
She loved it...
She kept rotating to I could brush all of her... so sweet... I also used that time to touch her feet, wiggle her toes, play with her ears, touch her mouth, etc., so that she is used to me toughing them so it would be easier to cut her nails when needed.
Eventually she crashed...
Much to my surprise, Stella, who I anticipated would be the second of the two cats to try to socialize with her, seems very curious about the dog...and while Gladys was sleeping snuck onto her bed... Gladys did so well, she was making these little noises because she was so excited, but didn't want to scare Stella.... but she couldn't help herself... kept inching closer and eventually Stella swatted her... and she appropriately retreated. Gladys seems to really want to be friends with the cats... they need more time... but... she is not aggressive like that yorkie was... she wants to play!
I wasn't too sure how we would make it through the night... Gladys needs some training with the crate so I didn't think it was the best approach.. but her leash easily attached to the foot of my bed... and she settled down pretty well...She chose sleeping right beneath me vs on the bed that was nearby... I think she slept more than I did. I kept waking up listening to see if she was ok... I think I will sleep better tonight!
Today... I want her to get used to the space she will have when I am at work... so I gated off the hall and let her off elash... the gate is just high enough for the cats to get under, but she cannot quite fit... but don't, for a minute, think she hasn't tried! Stella keeps getting close...and at one point when Gladys was relaxing on the floor Stella walked by her like she wasn't there and it startled Gladys a bit and she jumped to her feet and Stella hissed! they then played a game of hide and be seen...Stella hid under the chairs beneath the center of the dining room table... and she was just out of Gladys' reach... progress!
We went for a nice walk this morning... about the same as last night's walk... and I fell... after picking up some poop I slipped on some ice... I am sure for anyone who saw it, it was funny... my thought was oh dog don't let me land on you... fortunately I didn't let go of the leash and didn't hurt myself... Gladys seemed to wonder what I was doing and we continued on our way.
Gladys had a vet appointment at 2:00. Although the organization from which I adopted her had taken her to a vet for a health check I felt it was important to get her checked out and meet her vet...
At one point we were stopped and I rolled down the window to see what she would do... she stood up and seemed to like the fresh air... and I was grateful for the safety belt leash!
Her vet loved her! She said Gladys (whose name she loved!) is part pyranese and perhaps some irish setter, Australian shepherd... She and the vet tech couldn't get over her... couldn't believe how pretty she is. The vet said she used to have two great pyranese and that Gladys reminded her of them... though she is much smaller... she is 44 pounds. It was cute.. between different parts of the visit Gladys would come over to me and sit down, almost checking in... when the vet checked her ears, Gladys did not like that and she came over to me and leaned into me... the vet smiled and said.. it seems like she has already made you her person! I think we do pretty well together...
After the vet we went to the beach.. and walked for another mile and a half or so... This walk was hard.. she wanted to pull a lot.. there were so many smells and so many other dogs, plus a pair of horses. There were several unleashed dogs at the beach... which made me nervous... she got VERY excited when other dogs came towards her and would stand up on her hind legs... I didn't want other dog owners to be intimidated, but at the same time... keep your dogs on a leash... as it worked out... the other owners encouraged the interactions... and oooooed and ahhhhed over Gladys and loved her name. They couldn't believe she was a rescue dog, that anyone would give her up...
The walk was good, but was a challenge for us both... she wanted to pull and I am trying to train her not to... so lots of stopping and waiting and redirecting... one of the cutest things she did on the beach was try to chase the bubbles that get left on the sand when the waves go back out... she was so funny, jumping around to try to get them.
Then... in the truck... she fell asleep almost immediately... I feel ya sister! I could have fallen asleep too if I didn't have to drive!
We are now home relaxing, waiting for our first house guests, hoping she does well having guests... then we will probably relax a bit more and go to bed early!
Oh... I also learned that I have to be careful when using tug of war toys with her.. she LOVES it... but she gets so excited... she bit me today, not super hard, but hard enough that it hurt...but she was going for the toy... so I need to work on that a bit...
It's a process... so far so good!
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