PUPPY!

We did it, we took the plunge and got a dog. She's a 5 year old Shih Tzu. She was a kennel dog, kept for breeding. I think she spent most of her time in a confined space... and without a lot of human interaction. They kept her up to date on her shots and she seems well fed, but she is extremely under socialized.

It was so sad when we went to meet all the pups, I was completely unprepared. I don't know that I'd ever met dogs that under-socialized before. They were *terrified* of us. All of them.

So this particular dog, she was scared too... but she was also creeping as close as she would dare, attempting to smell us. And her tail was down, but it was wagging. Most of them had their tails up and under them, touching their bellies.



So really, we took a huge gamble. I just thought, even with a puppy you're taking a huge gamble about what type of dog you were going to get. Still, I felt sick to my stomach all day on Thursday wondering if i had made a terrible mistake.

The girls have all been AMAZING with her. She has a real, real, real calm disposition and it has a calming effect on them. They are so gentle and so patient. She really seems to be making a lot of progress. Our biggest problem is crying at night. Now that she has us, she doesn't want us out of her touch- much less sight. She is glued to my heals if she isn't cuddling one of the girls on the sofa.

We got her Thursday afternoon and on Friday night she picked up a toy, and I praised her for getting it and then wiggled it around and she got it again and I praised her again. I wasn't sure if she would learn to play- but it sure seems like she might! Sasha will be so tickled if she learns to fetch!

She lets us all pet her and pick her up, but if we move towards her she backs up and cowers. Even with her wagging tail, she is afraid of our initial approach. Once we're touching her though, she turns to mush. Her first night here she even rolled over and let Eliana rub her belly while we were reading at bedtime. She has never even shown any irritation with the girls, just uncertainty upon first approach.



I really think she is adjusting quickly and I love her disposition and gentle nature. I've been taking her to soccer with us trying to help her get used to seeing humans right from the start and the girl doesn't even need a leash. I put her on one because of her skittish nature, afraid a dog might spook her, but she walks right beside me and lays by my feet and doesn't move the whole game. Just watches everyone like a very good girl.

We're still thinking of names. Top choices right now are Inca and Pixie... but we haven't found a "perfect for her" name yet.