On meticulously scheduled days you just have to hope that there will be no surprises. And indeed, I do believe some pieces are falling into place. Potty breaks for Sadey, the new rescue, are getting to be more reliable. And there was no mess to come down to this morning.
She is still more difficult to photograph -- wont stand still! -- so here's just Henry on his morning walk:
The key here is that after a day of freedom (while Henry was at doggie daycare yesterday), Sadey's interest in staying behind a gate is very low. She has figured out how to push the gate open just enough to squeeze through. I'm actually installing a different gate later today, hoping it will work better, but I have no reason to think that she wont outsmart that one as well. And frankly, I dont think the two dogs are ready to get along just yet. It's the resource guarding thing. She will surely find something of his and it will set him off. I dont trust them to be agreeable on that front. I'm sensing an edge there still, as he takes his toys and chews them just by her gate, as if victoriously claiming ownership, and as she devours every chew as if this was a case of use it or lose it. If there are to be unpleasant surprises this week, I expect they will be on this front: she'll free herself and go straight for his stuff. (The training director had asked -- is she an Alpha Bitch? I have to say -- I don't know. She very well might be.)
We eat breakfast. And really, I fix it for five, because today I resume childcare and each of the two big kids gets his and her special fruit bowl. The dogs get... dog food. I'm into the store bought muesli.
I have quite the day today. Henry's daycare is about as far as you can get from where I live. I need to stop at the grocery store. I have to dump the compost bucket at the farmette. Ed needs a haircut and a beard trim. I have to give Sadey her dose of daily exercise. I absolutely must submit a house check to the management company and this one requires me taking photos of EVERYTHING, down to the last door knob. What a pain! I have a doc appointment. I have pickups of kid one, then kid two. I'm to bring them to Sally's House, where Sadey will have spent the day. Then back to their house in time for me to pick up Henry before they shut down doggie daycare for the day and leave him in the gutter (they wont really do that, but I surely dont want to leave him there until the very last minute!) Before and after and in between there are the potty walks. It's that kind of a day!
So, were there any surprises?
When I came home from the errand run and let Sadey loose (after a potty walk of course), she is happy, and she is wild! I had to smile at the rescue description where they said she'd passed the teenage crazies. She moved furniture with her exuberance! That girl can leap! Eventually she did settle down with Henry's toys, only underscoring the importance of toys to these dogs. What if they cannot share?
(Sadey was described to me as a "medium" dog. I would not say that she is a "medium" dog. Henry has longer legs and a longer back, but she fills the couch quite well too.)
Here are some more surprises: I pick up happy kids, first one, then the next...
And I tell them this afternoon will be a little different because Sadey is home but Henry is not. Sadey has been crated from 12:45 until 4:15 because of the doc visit and the two pick ups. So, 3.5 hours. When we come home, I quickly take her out and then let her loose in the house. She is exuberant! Like a torpedo!Thrilled to be out! And, quite honestly, more energetic than either Goose or Henry. She leaps onto the couch from a mile away, She crashes into one kid then the next. They love it, though Sparrow has to brace himself for her weight. She does calm a little after about a 15 minute zoomie spin and I do get in some reading, but I have to say, she is something else! Snowdrop said with a big chuckle -- we definitely have the easier dog!
("medium" dog my foot!)
The new gate arrived and I quickly put it together, but the screws were too stiff to twist in fully. Ed offers to come over later and tighten them. In the meantime, I am happy to put it up, loose screws and all, instead of the toddler fence that wobbled every time you blew on it.
However. After I dropped the kids at home and picked up Henry (and potty walked both dogs), Ed is here to tighten the latches (I swear, Henry has a total crush on this guy)...
... and I began to fix the three suppers, I hear a racket and I see Sadey walking proudly into the kitchen. So I stack up the chairs against this heavier gate. Fifteen minutes later she is out again. I put weights on the chairs and wedge them into the fence. She's out within ten. But the last escape rattled the stacked up chairs so much that Sadey got completely terrified. She stood in the kitchen shaking like a human facing a firing squad. She wouldn't move in any direction. I picked her up, all 60 pounds of dog, and carried her to the door. I managed to leash both dogs and we went out for an evening walk to calm everyone down. And (surprisingly!) it was a lovely walk. Both dogs walked shoulder to shoulder, relaxing with each step. They did their stuff, and by the end of it, Sadey's tail was back up. Still, I had to drag her into her room. I doubt that she will try to escape tonight again.
Oh, Sadey!
Oh, Henry! Oh, pooches everywhere!
with so much love...
