Week One, Eight Paws

Week One is in the books for the rescue pups. And, what a week it was.

If you don't like dogs or don't want to read about dogs, well then you are going to have to suffer along or go watch some vlogger (who is so right now and is making lots of money). 

Dogs really do subscribe to "love the one you're with." Bandido and Rosita settled in quickly, nary missing a beat. The first 72 hours were a bit rough, with Rosita refusing to pee more than twice in 24 hours, but besides that it has been smooth sailing. They never missed a meal since getting here, they listen quite well (um, let's forget the "The end table fiasco of 2017"), they go to bed without issue and they definitely are very loving. I'm pleased to report they are not skittish at all when hanging around us. Love the one your with, I'm telling you.

Don't tell the foster mom--they love canned food.

During the first week, they made it through their first vet appointment and their first grooming adventure. They were finally able to go for a walk around the block, adapted to wearing leashes/harnesses and even figured out that the neighbor dogs are a lot of fun, not something of which to fear. Rosita now pees three times a day without issue (it was all about the way we were going about it). And, we confirmed that Rosita really is a poodle--the grooming result brought forth the poodle face and body shape--and, her "barking" (of which she only does when playing) has been very poodle-esque: it's more of a honk or a yip than a bark.

Oh, how they love canned food. Thank goodness because there was no way I was going to keep making them gourmet, organic food. I gotta say--that was probably the easiest transition of the whole adventure. The peeing and the collars were a whole lot tougher than the food change.

Go back and take a closer look at Bandido's photo at the beginning of this post. If you zoom in, you'll notice a framed chalk drawing on the wall. And, if you zoom in closer, you'll notice who is in that piece of art.

It's Freckles.

I daresay Freckles is looking down upon Bandido and keeping an eye on this new mutt. It was a very happy accident in the photography department.

These dogs are very different than Freckles and Lucy, which we truly appreciate, for many reasons. But, in some ways they are very much the same as our previous party pups. Bandido is definitely in charge, just like the ol' FWP...and, she knows how to crawl! That was my favorite trick Freckles could do. What a delightful surprise to see Bandido crawl in true Freckles' fashion. The wife and I have accidentally calling Rosita "Lucy" several times. We have no idea why. Perhaps she is the reincarnation of Lucy; after all, they both acted like they were going to die when we first put collars on them. Neither of them wanted to wear a leash. And, both Rosita and Lucy love to sit on the back of the couch.

Perhaps it's just a work in progress, a new name to be learned.

I wish they were more like Freckles and Lucy in the "go outside and not care about the weather" department. I thought the Tex-Mex pups were going to drop dead when they went outside to pee yesterday morning. The grass was very dew-covered and the temperature was 47 degrees. Bandido put one paw on the law and kept the other three on the driveway, using this stance to pee. No way was she going on the cold grass. Rosita looked miserable and did the funky I-Hate-this grass prance.


Pups, I hate to tell you but it's gonna get a LOT colder as time goes on. Wet grass and 47 degrees is nothing.

This week we are going to introduce them to new people, convince them the car is for going good places (not just to the vet or groomer) and work on learning new tricks. Bandido is way ahead of Rosita in this department, but I have faith. I'll get Rosita Louisa to "sit" on command by the end of the week. We'll have another round of hanging out with the neighbor dogs. We'll go on a walk every evening. We'll also see what they think of rain, as it is on its way. From what we've heard, there hasn't been a lot of rain in south Texas. I have a feeling they are not going to be entertained by precipitation of any kind. Ah well, they are Yankees now so they are going to have to deal with the elements.

Did I mention they loved canned food? 
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