Take two days of rain, add in one old dog and three young ones, mix in some outdoor play time and what do you get? If you answered mud puppies, you are correct. Other answers that would be considered acceptable would include: dirty floors, happy dogs and an owner wishing for a maid and/or personal assistant.
The red pup with no name (yet…I’m working on it) is still here with all the other pooches. I have to stop and remind myself that he has only been here for nine days and that it can take considerable time for a foster to find a new home. It’s not that I don’t like the boy (because I do), it’s just that I feel like he is growing up too fast and he is bonding fiercely to me and my critters. If he finds a permanent home, I think I will feel a bit guilty taking him away from his buddies.
He has become Grimm’s little minion. They will wrestle and play for a good bit but eventually Grimm gets exhausted. At this point, I usually find the pup imitating a land shark by hanging off of Grimm’s rear legs by his puppy teeth. Grimm, who is now too tired to care, just drags him around and eventually just sits on him. The pup never gives up trying to get his big, black foster brother to re-engage in puppy battle. I never thought I’d see the day, folks, but Grimm seems a bit worn out by crazy puppy antics.
Grimm and the pup race ’round and ’round the tree. If the pup catches up to him, Grimm’s legs become chew sticks.
Zella has set fairly strict boundaries with the new arrival. When he starts acting the fool around her, she quickly lets him know he is not being amusing. The pup calmly accepts his rebuttal and goes to find Grimm. Usually by this point Grimm is already worn out and looks at me for help. This is when the red pup gets to practice crate training and gets to munch on a tasty kong toy filled with peanut butter and other fun edibles.
Zella attempts to hypnotize the pup into submission. If you look closely, you will see that she already succeeded in subduing a ladybug.
Charley pretty much just does the same thing he always does: sleep, eat, referee when he feels it’s needed, and sleep some more. The pup definitely respects his much older elder. He only tried to jump on Charley once and all Charley did was look at him, as if saying, “Really? I am too old and tired to mess with the likes of you, boy.” The pup seemed to understand and hasn’t tried it since. He is always on his best puppy behavior when old Charley is awake and around. Charley is like the godfather in the woofers world. No one messes with him.
The pup can feel Charley watching him and knows not to try any shenanigans when the old patriarch is around.
Each of my dogs has a slightly different relationship with the new arrival and he is learning much from all of them. Grimm instructs him on the joys of friendship, Zella teaches him the importance of boundaries and self-control and Charley shows him how to show proper respect. They say it takes a village to raise a child. I guess it takes a pack to raise a pup.
Great post. Dog behavior is always interesting. Good luck with the new kid on the block, but you don’t need it. It sounds like everything’s going as well as can be expected. Have fun with your pack.
Thanks for the vote of confidence! We’re definitely having fun (well, except for the cleaning of the muddy footprints part). If things continue to go as smoothly as they have, I may be too tempted to keep the little bugger. I think that is why I haven’t settled on a name for him yet…I guess I feel that if I name him, he becomes mine. I know this isn’t the case, but I still am having a hard time pinning a name on him.
Such a handsome old man!
Thank you–I think so!
I’ve walked in your pawprints many times… How do you think I ended up with a Boxer in a houseful of Bostons?? You know you’re keeping him, right? I can tell by the way you write about him & photograph him; you’ve already given him your heart. Ack. Perhaps you just haven’t realized it, yet… I’ll tiptoe away quietly.
The little bugger has definitely stolen my heart. If I can’t find him an awesome home then I will keep him. He’s just so easy for a puppy and is learning so well.
I definitely know you understand…and you may be right. I may just be fooling myself.
Your pictures do an amazing job of conveying emotion; particularly the love one feels from a furry friend.
I appreciate your thoughts and the compliment! The canines are interesting and fun to photograph–they don’t ever feel the need to fake a pose or an emotion…believe me, I’ve tried to get them to smile on cue! What you see is what you get.
I like people who are like that too :>)
What incredible photographs you got there. I love them. I can see why you would feel somewhat guilty if you found the new little critter a home, although I do wish you all the success with that.
Thanks for the well wishes. I am in very real danger of talking myself into keeping the little guy. Hopefully the perfect home for him can be found (and I’m not meaning mine) before that happens.
“un-named” is looking so much better. Clearly TLC and doggie bonding has done wonders.
Yes, he is healing and fattening up nicely. The crusty old skin he had on his ears is now starting to slough off, so he has some hair loss going on. The skin underneath is perfectly healthy now, though, so hopefully new hair will grow in. If it doesn’t start to regrow, I will need to scrape him for mites. Otherwise, his lungs are healed and his limp improves daily. Thanks for checking in on him!
I think it’s just awesome how pups learn from the older dogs around them… that’s how we trained Dottie to use the doggie door… Boomer did it!
Yeah, it really is amazing to watch. Having gone through all of this with Grimm not that long ago, it is interesting to see Zella and Charley change their approach a bit to tailor to the needs of the new pup.
Seeing Grimm take on most of the responsibility of entertaining the newbie has really shown me how far he has come in his maturation. Because he is so much bigger than the little one (more than double his size), he really handicaps himself when they are playing so the pup can gain some confidence. The dogs are so good at teaching him the multitudes of things that I can’t.
The dog watching is always hilarious when you put a new one into the mix. I had the same thing with my cats. When we brought the kitten home, the older two were seriously offended, all three wanted to defend me against the other ones, and the kitten got the snot beat out of him a couple of times before he learned to get along. And then they became best friends.
http://livingtheseasons.com/2011/10/10/companionship-provides-warmth/
Nancy
Love the picture of your cats all folded up together. Adding a new critter to the mix can definitely be stressful, but as long as everyone works it out to their satisfaction, then some initial chaos is to be expected. So far, everyone seems to be doing okay at my house and will hopefully continue to do so. Maybe they’ll even end up like your critters–best buds.
George and I really enjoyed the latest episode in Red Dog`s life with you. He`s looking well and obviously benefiting from the training from the others.
Thanks, guys! Yes, the pup is learning fast and doing very well. I still can’t believe that only a little under two weeks ago he was run over. He is one resilient boy!
Just had a thought – why not call him `Red` – he`s got to have a name. Yes, he has made a remarkable recovery hasn`t he – thanks to loving care and canine companionship – nothing like fun for healing – dear old Grimm.
I have finally given the pup a name–and, although I didn’t name him “Red”, you are on the right track! My next post will reveal his new one. The suspense, right?
Goosey and I are taking it in turns to hold our breath for your next post …