R and R and P!

On Friday morning I ran errands, picking up new dog toys, chewies, my favorite Belgian ale and 6 pack of chocolate stout, then we hit the road at about 1 p.m. Traffic was blessedly light except for one spot on Hwy. 101 just outside of San Jose. Poppy slept or gnawed on a rawhide bone, occasionally nudged my elbow as if to say, "Hey, remember me? When are we gonna stop?"

I keep forgetting that Pops is still a baby. At 15 weeks she is possessed of all the charm puppies have - a tail that wags her whole body, a tongue that keeps on licking, and a huge desire to be with her person (I'm so lucky to be that person) but she displays a grace at times that is reminiscent of an older dog's personality. Can dogs have old souls?

We made one pit-stop in Morgan Hill and Poppy dove into the lush lawn outside the filling station. Apparently there's nothing like a roll in slightly overgrown grass to cool off a hot pup. Then it was back into the car for the last leg of our trip.

We arrived at K and T's around 4 p.m., both ready to stretch our legs after being confined to the car for several hours. K and T thought her adorable and were impressed that she had been so well-behaved on the trip down.

Vacation Prep

Vacation!!!!!

I have been so looking forward to enjoying some down-time with my sister and her husband at their beautiful home in the Central Coast hills. They graciously agreed to host both me and Poppy - my brother-in-law built a gate for their front hallway so Pops can have a space of her own that will allow her to interact with the household but keep her apart from the K and T's new kittens, Tigger and Pepper. We all feel a little nervous about puppy / kitten interaction but have agreed to take it one day at a time.

I wonder what she was thinking...

This was to be my first road trip with Poppy. We have been practicing with short local jaunts to the pet food store and a couple of parks. She just curls up in the front seat with the seat belt run through her harness and goes to sleep until we reach our destination. A very mellow passenger.

Miss Pepper

Besides T and K, the other residents of their home are brother and sister kittens, Pepper and Tigger, and Chips, a green Amazon parrot. All the furred and feathered creatures are rescues and there are two feral kitties that are being fed outside, as well. My sis and her hubby have huge loving, compassionate hearts.

We weren't worried too much about how Pops would get along with Chips since his perch is quite high and he doesn't move fast enough to catch her attention. We all had major concerns about how she'd react to the kittens racing around like little... well... energetic kittens.

Tigger

My three year old cat, Oliver, was bigger than Poppy when she first came home with me and now they're about the same weight and height. Oliver is extraordinarily tolerant of being pounced on, licked and nibbled by  his exuberant new housemate and, as far as I can tell, he has yet to lay a claw on her. She's accustomed to greeting him enthusiastically when allowed to and is learning (with difficulty) to "leave it" if I think Oliver has had enough or she's being too rough with him. Oliver at 15 pounds can stand a little rough housing but the two four-month-old kittens wouldn't.

Mr. Chips

Trudy and I had several long discussions about how to negotiate the introduction of the kittens to Poppy. I hit the internet after each phone conversation looking for information on dog-cat introductions. Everything I read boiled down to "take it slowly and use a crate or gate" to provide a physical barrier between the critters. We looked at baby gates, dog gates, kennels and all kinds of options for containing my pup to limit her access to the kitties and thereby keeping all three of them safe. Wow! I never would have thought wire kennels could be so expensive. Gates were not so costly but we couldn't find one that would span the 60"+ hallway where we'd agreed Pops would spend some of her daytime hours. Agony! Did I have to leave her behind?

That's when my beloved brother-in-law exercised his creative genius. He built a gate within a gate constructed from 2x2s and wire fencing. It was 48" high and was tension-fitted into the hallway entrance. A perfect spot for Poppy that would keep all three furry critters safe. See what I mean about big hearts? I'm so lucky!

Friday is the big day. Can't wait. Maybe the butterflies will abandon my stomach by then.

Mind Adventures

The freak-out phase of owning a pit-mix puppy is abating. Next up is "Educate Thyself." Great. I crave more time on the computer... NOT!

Nap time=my computer time

About a year ago, a friend turned me on to Paco Collars, a Berkeley based company that makes sturdy, beautiful dog collars, and the owner, Ana Poe, works with rescued pits. Besides coming to admire the talent and determination with which she's building her business, I also admire Ana's work with rescue dogs. I've been reading Huckleberry's blog. (Huckleberry was a very handsome blue pit/pit mix that she fostered.) It seemed to me, from reading Huck's blog, that training a pit/mix takes an inordinate amount of time. (I don't have inordinate amounts of spare time!) And, in the end, despite the hard work, time, attention and effort, Ana still had to make the difficult and heart-rending decision to put Huck down. (How on earth am I, an utter novice, going to be able to distinguish a "red flag" and discern hidden aggression in dog's personality?) This was only one of the concerns behind my adamant refusal to consider JL's suggestion that we get a pit puppy after Joy died.