Whereupon Susan adds a canine to the mix

I was returning a crate to a Waverly resident when she pointed out a little dog tied up in an adjacent back yard. The family, she told me, was expecting another child and wished to find another home for the pup. The dog was digging under the fence and would come over for attention. Therefore they'd resorted to tying her when she was outside to keep her from wandering.

I've been thinking about getting a dog at some point, but I had in mind an older shelter dog. I'm not opposed to getting a dog via re-homing...after all, that's what we tell "responsible" people to do--to rehome a dog they don't wish to keep, rather than dumping it on a shelter. I made this mistake of mentioning that I was thinking of getting a small dog that could travel with me.

Later last week I got an email from the Waverly resident. Apparently the dog owners had seen us looking and had come over to talk to her. She told them of my interest in the dog, and they said they'd be around this weekend. So after I hauled trash to the Barton transfer station Saturday a.m., I went over to visit.

It was sort of a done deal. We took Molly over to Dian's apartment to check her out. She's higher energy than I was looking for, but she had no problem having her ears and feet handled. She's totally untrained as as commands go, but it was clear she was intelligent. She was a bit mouthy. I took her for a drive around the block in my truck, and although it seemed she was not used to vehicles, she was fine with it. So I went over to tell the owners I would take her. It was just a matter of them handing me her records and swapping email addresses. That was so odd to me, given that I'm so paranoid about to whom my kittens go to, but Dian said she had told them I would give a good home.

The records indicated they'd taken the pup to the vet a couple of times, as a good owner ought, and the owner related how they'd adopted their other dog from the local shelter and then nursed her through parvo (!!!!! - not so many new puppy owners succeed at that), complete with a $700 vet bill, so I was reassured.

As soon as I got home with Molly I noticed the phone message telling me there was a nest of kittens at the stables, so she was thrown right back into the passenger seat for her first field trip.

Given that the little dog has been pulled from her home, and stuffed in a household full of cats with a woman who quietly insists on her sitting before getting a treat or going out the door, won't let her jump on the bed, crates her at night (she's pretty good!), and doesn't let her leap up and lick her face, she's doing fairly well. My dog experience is pretty limited. I didn't want to overwhelm her with rules before she was bonded to me, but on the other hand, I don't want her to think it's OK to do certain things and then try to tell her later that it's not.

The cats are NOT happy. Thank goodness for great big Bear, who does not run away, and gave the pup a good smack when she got too enthusiastic. Bear also runs after Molly when Molly runs after the other cats, and indeed gave her another trouncing when she made Owlie squawl in distress after being cornered. The cat chasing is a bit of a concern. You can hardly blame the pup for chasing a creature that insists on running away. Owlie may have to go out to the cat facility, as the other cats stand their ground and I don't want Molly thinking it's fun to chase cats. Owlie on the other hand insists on coming downstairs, staring at Molly with great big eyes and an arched back, and then running like the wind when Molly steps toward her. Not good! I'd chase him too!

Luckily Molly also doesn't mind being clipped out on the porch. I'm introducing crating and clipping slowly. I don't want her to see these as punishment, but I also don't want the cats feeling they are prisoners in their own house. I'm sure they'll be very happy when Molly and I leave on errands today. The weather is cool, so I can leave her in the truck when I go in stores.

I introduced her to the neighbor's big lab, and she was a bit stupid. The lab was pushy, and Molly started being pushy back---not so smart when you only weigh 10 pounds! But they shortly became used to one another.

I picked up an extend-a-leash, and discovered that her energy means a longer and faster walk for me in the morning. Sadly, I'm certain I'll never be able to let her off-leash. I'm sure once she saw a rabbit break, she'd be in the next county. I'll work a lot on "come" with treats on the extend-a-leash and in the fenced garden. Maybe once she slows down with age I may be able to let her off up on the hill. We'll see.

I think she and I will be the perfect match...in about two years!

I guess I'd better sit down and read my Adopted Dog Bible.

PostNote: I've read her vet records and her name was actually "Mallie." Well, she's Molly now. I've got enough of a central NY accent that Mallie sounds quite hick coming out of my mouth!