Welcome to the Family, Petal!

We got a new dog on Thursday!

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.

Thank you, Sighthound Underground, for matching us up with this wonderful dog.  She is everything that we hoped for ... and so much more!

Sunday Snapshot ... Letting Go

We have been a one-dog family for three-and-a-half months now, since our greyhound Daniel passed in May.  It has been a time of adjustment and acceptance for all of us ... and it's time now for some more adjusting.  Greyhounds and a lot of other large dogs appreciate a soft bed to sleep in, and we had multiple dog beds in almost every room of the main level of our house.  Ruby prefers to sleep on the sofa or one of the leather chairs in the family room, and dog beds have mostly become a place for cats to nap sometimes.

A few weeks ago, I decided that most of the dogs beds needed to go.  They are in good condition, so I thought and thought about what to do with them ... then it hit me.  Kim at Golden Pines fosters and adopts senior Golden Retrievers, and I knew she could use my old beds  for her ever-changing crew of Goldies. 

Loaded up in the back of my Jeep, ready to go to their new home.

I had never met Kim in person until Friday.  She only lives about an hour from here.  We read each other's blogs, and we email back and forth about various things, and I could just tell that she's the type of person that I would really like to get to know better. 

We met at Ekster Antiques' barn sale, near where she lives.  We squealed and hugged and we spent the morning talking mostly about our dogs and sharing details of ourselves while we wandered through the wonders from Europe that Ekster brings together for their sales.  Neither of us bought anything ... we don't need stuff, and it's a bit pricey, but it's so much fun to look at things and gather inspiration.

I knew right away that my dog beds had found a great new home with a family that I can't wait to get to know even better.  If there was any doubt, take a look at this photo that Kim shared on her blog yesterday.

This is CarrieAnn giving her 'paw' of approval for the new beds.

In a way, it was sad to see these dog beds go ... I still get a little bit misty thinking about it.  I had to do it, though, it's time to move on, and letting go is part of this process.  I don't need these anymore.  It helps so much to know that they went to a good home and will be used by such sweet dogs. 

When the time comes for us to get another dog, whenever that will be, I will buy new dog beds just for him/her.  In the meantime, my old ones are finding new life with a great new family ... I did keep two of my favorites for the cats, though.

If you don't read Kim's blog, you are missing out on something special.  I am fortunate to have her close enough to meet her in person, and I fully intend to take advantage of this in the future.  (I took the next step when I got home ... now we're FB friends, too!)

Happy Sunday, Everyone.  I hope it's a great one for you!!