The two Tex-Mex party pups have arrived, without nary a hitch.
First I'd like to confirm that once home, they ate like champs, went outside (as opposed to inside) to excrete urine from urethrae, and slept in their kitchen-located beds as directed, with only two whining episodes (from the ever-vocal Rosita... Bandido has yet to make a peep). We learned that they do not understand the concept of leashes or collars or going for a walk. They obviously have been fed from the table--Rosita is a begging machine. We figured out quickly that Bandido does not understand the concept of toys. We got the idea quickly that they do not know how to navigate stairs (or what stairs might even be). And, we learned that Bandido likes to pee on top of Rosita's poop--the ultimate marking of the territory, I assume.
The poor wife got about three minutes of sleep last night. Too much caffeine, too much excitement, too much listening for peeps, too much worrying. I slept just fine, althought I got up twice to remind Rosita that midnight and 3 AM were for sleeping, not for peeping. I think everyone will be taking a nap this afternoon.
As I type, both dogs are sleeping. But, I know the minute I stand up or open a wrapper on some food product, I'll have two sets of eyes starting at me. They know the sound of food and definitely don't want to miss any fun.
(Note to Grandma: you won't have any trouble finding friends when you toast those waffles.)
Yesterday was "Gotcha Day." I could go on for days about this, but suffice it to say it is very exciting, overwhelming, busy, entertaining and downright exhausting for all involved, including the dogs. (It's an experience--you'd have to be there or watch the live feed to get an idea of what transpires.) The head of the pack (Scott, the man in charge of this delightful endeavor and Tracy's top dog, so to speak) tells everyone not to look the dogs in the eyes as they are handed you--no kissing or squeezing, either. He made some very good points about the reasons these things should not be done.
Guess what? I sure saw a lot of hugging and kissing and eye-gazing. It's hard not to give a squeeze and a kiss when meeting the dog for whom you've been waiting.
For the record, the dogs were the ones not making eye contact. Looking at the photos from the event confirm this--most dogs are turned away from their newbie adopters. I can't blame them. That's a whole lot of hugging, kissing and squeezing after a 2.5 day road trip. And, there's the crowd of people. I'm sure all the dogs want to do is get out of that crowd.
Prior to the arrival of the truck and unveiling of the dogs, the adopters had opportunity to visit with each other, made all the more fun as we "knew" each other's dogs from the organization's videos and photos. It was like a family event--only weird, seeing that we were a bunch of strangers who weren't really strangers. I found that to be one of the exciting parts of the day. I also found myself taking photos of said adopters. After all, it's good to know who got which dog.
The most surprising part? How much littler most of the dogs were in person. I guess the camera really does add weight. I remember thinking this about many of the dogs. Our dogs were the size I envisioned, but others were tiny in comparison to their photos. (I still can't get over how small Princess and Charles were. Not that you know who they are.)
The ride home was rather uneventful... well, besides Rosita wanting to look out the window (she obviously has had car-riding experience in a previous life) and subsequently falling off the car seat. Bandido didn't look very impressed by any of it and surrendered to the car ride without issue.
Today, we will hang around the house and try to ignore them so they get the picture. A friend or two will stop by to help test socialization. We'll go in and out the door to get them used to that, too. I'll put them in the car for a short ride so they think rides are fun (not just for going to the vet, of which they have to do tomorrow). I'll try to teach them a few basic commands, as they don't seem to know anything in particular.
And, we'll take a lot of pictures.
A final note: I'm glad these Tex-Mex senoritas are really nothing like our beloved Freckles and Lucy. They don't look the same, they don't eat the same, they don't walk the same, they don't poop the same. I would never want Freckles or Lucy to think we were replacing them, as that is completely impossible. Instead, we are complimenting them. After all, if they hadn't been so fabulous, I would never have had a chance at getting any other dogs.
So, thanks FWP and LBP for paving the way. Or, should I say, "Gracias, cachorros. Gracias por allanar el camino."
Let the dog training begin.
*******************************************8
No comments:
Post a Comment