two dogs
This is one of longest self-imposed breaks from lj I've ever taken but there's a reason. Tuesday night we did indeed adopt Maverick, now renamed Muddy after Muddy Waters. With his Southern heritage, big sad brown eyes and Bruce's love of the blues, it seems to fit. He's so calm and gentle, we figured if Megan couldn't get along with him, she'd never get along with anyone. Also, there's no time like the present as she's not likely to get less territorial in the weeks and months to come.
The first day was rough - she'd just as soon rip his head off as look at him but last night she slept curled up next to him in his pet bed so there's been tremendous progress already in just a few days. There are still some food and territory issues (mainly the couch) but we're working on that slowly but surely. He still seems so timid and depressed but I figure it's the stress of going from one family, to the shelter, to another with a little shit dog giving him grief all within a two-week time span. When he totally comes around to accepting this as his home, I think he'll be one of the most loyal and affectionate dogs ever.
Megan, on the other hand, frustrates the heck out of me sometimes though truthfully, she reminds me of myself when I was five and Suzanne was born. Payback is a bitch if you'll pardon the pun. If she had a theme song it would be Guster's "Center of Attention". However, her personality lights up the room just by virtue of being in it. My mom says if she were a person she'd be the one at the party dancing around with a lampshade on her head. The other morning upon dragging myself sleepily out of bed, she made an audible "eeeee!" and jumped three feet in the air from a standing position as if she hadn't seen me in ages. Though sometimes I wonder why, I really love that little dog.
Yesterday morning we took them both to the Humane Society's annual Cause for Paws fundraiser event. I was fully prepared to turn around and leave shortly upon arrival but they both behaved beautifully after some initial hesitation so we ended up staying almost five hours watching the demonstrations, participating in the activities and eating pancakes. I was especially proud of Megan for maintaining her composure around so many other dogs and rewarded her appropriately with lots of treats, praise and affection. It was a good dog day.
Bruce is volunteering at the HS now but we thought I should stay home with Megan and Muddy since we were out last night at the final Playing With Fire concert of the summer. Though it's added a new dimension of chaos and responsibility to my life, it feels good to have two dogs again.
The first day was rough - she'd just as soon rip his head off as look at him but last night she slept curled up next to him in his pet bed so there's been tremendous progress already in just a few days. There are still some food and territory issues (mainly the couch) but we're working on that slowly but surely. He still seems so timid and depressed but I figure it's the stress of going from one family, to the shelter, to another with a little shit dog giving him grief all within a two-week time span. When he totally comes around to accepting this as his home, I think he'll be one of the most loyal and affectionate dogs ever.
Megan, on the other hand, frustrates the heck out of me sometimes though truthfully, she reminds me of myself when I was five and Suzanne was born. Payback is a bitch if you'll pardon the pun. If she had a theme song it would be Guster's "Center of Attention". However, her personality lights up the room just by virtue of being in it. My mom says if she were a person she'd be the one at the party dancing around with a lampshade on her head. The other morning upon dragging myself sleepily out of bed, she made an audible "eeeee!" and jumped three feet in the air from a standing position as if she hadn't seen me in ages. Though sometimes I wonder why, I really love that little dog.
Yesterday morning we took them both to the Humane Society's annual Cause for Paws fundraiser event. I was fully prepared to turn around and leave shortly upon arrival but they both behaved beautifully after some initial hesitation so we ended up staying almost five hours watching the demonstrations, participating in the activities and eating pancakes. I was especially proud of Megan for maintaining her composure around so many other dogs and rewarded her appropriately with lots of treats, praise and affection. It was a good dog day.
Bruce is volunteering at the HS now but we thought I should stay home with Megan and Muddy since we were out last night at the final Playing With Fire concert of the summer. Though it's added a new dimension of chaos and responsibility to my life, it feels good to have two dogs again.