Her name is Petal ... really, it is.
Petal is four. In her former career, she ran 27 races in Florida as 'Kelsos Petal'. (link takes you to her pedigree page)
Petal is here on a foster-with-intent-to-adopt basis ... a trial arrangement to make sure that she will be a good fit in our family and get along with Ruby and the cats. It's all going very, very well so far.
Blurry photo, taken when we met her at her foster home, of Petal sniffing a cat that walked by.
Also in her foster home, we met Vinnie the resident pot-bellied pig ... OMG, he was so cute!!
It was a two-hour drive to bring Petal home. She and Ruby rode very nicely together, spending most of the ride looking around or sleeping.
When Petal got here, she went right to work getting comfortable in her new surroundings.
Emptying the toy basket ...
Testing the dog beds
She even investigated the inside of Ruby's crate, which was way too small for her.
Soon, she was sound asleep.
She has an old injury to her right front toes, from an accident while lure coursing after she retired from racing. Once I get her medical records from the adoption organization, we will see exactly what the injury was.
Petal's nails are WAY too long, especially on her bad foot, so I will work on them over the next couple of weeks to get them down to a comfortable length.
We have been looking to adopt another dog for a while. Ruby has been by herself since Winnie died in February. She's okay as an only dog, but she is happier when she has company.
Our first evening went pretty much as I expected it would. The cats took one horrified look at Petal and ran for cover. Before long, as we settled in, they ventured out to evaluate the newcomer.
WTF???
As of now, bright and early on the morning of Day Five with Petal, Alice is going about her normal routine. I expected this from her. She likes dogs. On Day Two, Petal walked over to Alice and poked her with her needle-nose ... Alice hissed and smacked Petal upside the head ... Petal realized that this was a lesson on boundaries, and we have been good ever since. Dorothy, after her initial exploration on Day One, has spent most of her time under our bed. Yesterday evening, she ventured out and spent time in my lap while I watched football and the dogs slept. It was significant progress.
Petal is sniffing Alice, while Alice sits in my lap.
Petal is learning about the ways of our household. Ruby is helping her.
When I make dog stew, Ruby rinses the dishes.
Petal can help now, too.
It hasn't been all rosy and perfect, but that's to be expected with any new dog. Petal is unsure of stairs, but she is learning. It took a whole day of multiple attempts with yummy treats, using Ruby as an example, and a lot of praise, and now Petal is using our front stairs like a champ. Soon, I hope to help her master the back stairs ... so she can go directly to the backyard instead of having to walk there on leash.
She loves toys!
Right now, on this cool, rainy Monday morning, both dogs are sleeping. Ruby is sacked out on the sofa, and Petal isn't interested in furniture and is on a dog bed. My heart is full.
