But please ignore the dust bunnies and muddy paw prints ;-)
River was an owner-surrender at the shelter. The day they were going to euthanize her, one of the foster moms took her. She's 4 years old, but still seems like a gangly puppy. She's got a great personality, and thanks to her foster mom, she has excellent manners. She is housebroken (though we won't be surprised if there are accidents; it's a new home, after all) and knows most of the basic commands, including S-P-E-A-K. I'm afraid to even write it because she unfortunately doesn't know "shut-up" yet. We've got a ways to go on leash skills and re-crate training, but she seems super smart. She was in a crate in foster care, but this a slightly different size and different bedding, home, etc. She has a lot to get used to!
The cats are still under the beds, though River is wholly uninterested in them. And Simon is in love. He's always liked dogs more than people; people make him anxious, but dogs usually know how to communicate. We all woke up to roaring thunderstorms at 4 am. This morning, Simon was upset for a while, but after a little time with River, who is totally unaffected by the noise, and a valium, he calmed down more than I've seen him do in ages. It was great to see.
Did I mention she has the longest tongue in the world? And beautiful brown eyes that a camera flash simply doesn't do justice to.
9 comments:
she is adorable! (i know i've already mentioned as much). i want to see her in real life!! also, she and simon make a lovely couple :-)
They're total opposites! She's black, short haired, young and female; he's white, long-haired, old and male.
They are certainly quite the pair!
What a beautiful dog! It's great the two get along so well!
What a beautiful pup! We were thinking of getting a friend for our Joey. I keep hemming and hawing, but I'm sure I should just do it :)
Thanks Debbie! Simon's always been good with other dogs; we used to come home to find neighborhood dogs had climbed INTO our fence to play!
Jenn, we hemmed and hawed, too. Simon is in many ways a special needs guy; he's got a handful of anxiety and fear problems and combined with losing his sight and hearing, he can be a bit of a basket case with strangers. I was a little hesitant to do something that might upend his world too much (he's 14 years old, after all). But the neighbor's Pomeranian kept making his way into our yard to play and they had such fun that we decided to take the plunge. We found her on PetFinder and I cannot say enough wonderful things about her foster mom! As soon as we met River, we were hooked.
What a beautiful dog. Sounds like just what Simon needed. Some dogs do better in a "pack!" Glad you could give her a new home, too.
What a sweet looking dog! I think older dogs often do well with younger pups; helps keep them young, too.
She IS sweet; but apparently gets a little cranky when she's worn out ;-) She and Simon had their first tiff when she was DONE with him licking her face last night. In many ways, I think she will be setting boundaries for him (rather than the other way round) and is probably really the dominant one, though she is respectful of his place in the house as the elder dog. We still have a lot of settling in to do-- the reality of being in a new place is starting to overwhelm the excitement for her, it appears.
What a lovely dog. She has found a perfect forever home.
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