Finally Home!!

Evening of March 10, 2012

We finally arrived home!  What would I do with my new dog?  The car trip home had told me she was just as gentle as the foster family had said; but the experience at the store told me she could get her way when she wanted it!

"Home?  Now what do we do, huh? Huh? HUH?!"  

Having learned from the experience in the parking lot (see prior posting "ESCAPE"), I let Miss Dog out of the car and into my home before attempting to remove the crate from the car.  Once everything was inside, Miss Dog (panting) followed me everywhere, frequently looking at the door and crying.  Between the panting, pacing, and crying, she seemed completely distraught.  Because of her crying, I must have taken her outside to "go" about ten times in the first hour or two!  Each time we'd come back without her having "gone", and she'd look at the door and cry some more.  It slowly occurred to me, she didn't have to "go" at all, she just, wanted... something... something I didn't understand.  So, I knelt down near her and told her everything was alright, stroking her fur gently.  She seemed to like that, but it didn't stop her from panting and looking lost.  Overall, she was very friendly and obedient (while indoors) with me.

I had to get some things done.  Much to my peace of mind, Miss Dog settled down and lay on the floor under the kitchen table while I did dishes.  At one point, some drops of water fell to the floor near her... she jumped up!  "What was that!?"  She looked at me, tongue hanging low, tummy sucking in and out heavily as her panting continued.  "Good girl, it's okay."  I patted her head several times and she laid back down.

Miss Dog - Lying on the floor while I did the dishes.

She seemed to like me, and I was relieved.  I started to think maybe this was going to work out after all.  But... I still had two weeks to decide for sure.

Later that night, I set up an old blanket on the floor with a teddy bear I had bought her.  She went STRAIGHT to it and laid down!  How did she know it was her spot?!  

Miss Dog - Settling into Her New Home

Going to bed that evening, I moved her "spot" to the floor next to my bed.  She curled up immediately for a restless night of sleep.  I lay awake most of the night, aware of her presence on the floor.  The next day was Sunday, and I had taken off on Monday... I was so tired... but I couldn't stop wondering if I had done the right thing in bringing this incredibly sweet, but completely dependent creature into my home.