Well, I've taken in another dog. I wanted to stay at 3, but I just can't say no when there are lives at stake. So I now have Miss Chateau.
Chateau is a gorgeous Schnauzer, and they gave her a Schnauzer cut when she was groomed, so she really looks the part. I picked her up at noon on Saturday, and within a couple of hours she was already warmed up to me. She is very quiet, very calm, and very sweet. Here's a video of her meeting Rocky, Ollie, and Hardy for the first time:
She's still getting used the the new home and everything. We have only had one accident so far, but that's not bad for 2 days in a new home. She also got sick the first night, my guess is just nerves because she didn't eat anything. But that seems to have gone away. Her mood is much more cheerful too. She's started playing with Rocky & Ollie. She's the biggest of the 3 of them, so I think the boys are a little gentle around her. When Rocky is trying to win a play fight, he puts his paws on her shoulders like he's giving her a hug. It's the cutest thing. I wish I had had my camera handy, and I knew if I got up to get it they'd follow and the moment would be gone. Maybe next time I'll be more lucky. It's too soon to say if she's housebroken yet. She has only had the 1 accident inside, and she did stand near the back door last night and went out when I opened it for her...so I'd say there's some positive indications. Another thing I need to explore further is if she can do any tricks. Julie came over yesterday to get some photos, and at one point told her to 'sit,' and she did! Maybe just a fluke, or maybe she's actually trained! Yet another area needing further exploration is crate training. Her petfinder description indicates her previous home thinks she is crate trained. But I have had a hard time getting her in the crate. Once she's in there she's fine...but getting her in is a struggle. Perhaps it's just the crate. And now the worst news...the poor girl is heartworm positive. So we have 3 vet appts set up in the next couple weeks for blood tests and shots. And then I need to keep her calm so the heartworms can dissolve. I've never had a heartworm positive dog before (in my whole life!), so I'm very nervous. Mostly because I'm afraid she'll want to play after she gets the shots, and I'll have to be the bad guy that makes her just lay down. Luckily for the other dogs, heartworm isn't contagious, so I have no concerns about them getting sick. I just don't want Chateau to feel sad and lonely. But I know in the long run this will be the best for her. And in a month she'll be up and playing again. Or maybe she'll find her forever home and will get to leave with them once her month of bedrest is over! She's so cute, I know a lot of people will want her. The hard part for them will be waiting until she's healthy enough to leave!
Ollie is still my rambunctious little guy. Because of the weather taking a cold turn, I've had a few flies make their way inside. Ollie has taken it upon himself to chase them. Last night he finally got one! He was so proud of himself too. He happened to be sitting on my lap when it flew by, and when he knocked it out of the sky his ears perked up and his tail went up and wagged. He was so happy. It was adorable. Ollie is also getting better at night crating. I've moved the crates into my bedroom, so I think he's more comfortable now that he can see me when he's in there. So there's only a few minutes of whining before he settles in for the night. And he's not even barking me awake at 5am anymore! Housebreaking is still not perfect, but it is improving again. I made him wear the diaper again last week, and I think that helped. We still have had a few accidents, but it's definitely getting better. Almost back to where we were. So I'll keep working with him on that, and hopefully will have good news soon!
And then there's my tag-a-long, Rochester. He still follows me everywhere. He doesn't get under my feet, so I don't mind. Last Friday happened to be my birthday, and I had a few girlfriends over on Saturday to celebrate. After a short introductory period where Rocky barked at them, all was calm and he even got close enough to each of them to sniff them and let them pet him. From where he was when I first got him, that is a HUGE step. Even better, by the end of the night he was napping on my friend Jaime's lap! Still housebroken, still crate trained. No complaints with this little guy!
Chateau! So photogenic!
My friend Angie wasn't feeling well on Saturday, so Ollie laid with her. (There was a picture of him curled up in Angie's arms, but she'd kill me if she ever found out I posted that picture!)
My couch last night. All I wanted to do was lay down and watch some TV. :-(
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