DOG!

I HAVE A DOG! SERIOUSLY!! I would have blogged some pre-dog shenanigans, but there really weren't any. I found out about her one day, went to see her the next day, and then went back later that day and brought her home with me! Her name is Eleanor, but we've been calling her Ellie. She's the best thing ever. She has a squishy face, and makes snarfy sounds, and loves everyone! Our cats are still a little upset about her, but I think it will work out.
I found her on craigslist, (thanks craigslist!) which I regularly peruse, but I really wasn't actively looking for a dog, or expecting to get one soon. I just stumbled upon an ad that said they had a boston terrier who was unable to have puppies, so they didn't want her, but wanted her to live in a good home environment where people would love her. A little light turned on in my heart. A little dog light. I emailed them, and said that, for some reason, I was terribly interested, and wanted to meet their dog. I included a description of myself and my home, and my lifestyle. They thought it was a good match, and called me the next morning, inviting me over for an interview/dog meeting. I loved her IMMEDIATELY!

So, for a little more of her story, she was previously owned by a breeder. They did genetic testing on her, and she is negative for eye, spine, and patella problems that are common for the breed, and she won 1st place in a confirmation contest. For those reasons, they decided they were going to breed her. She has lived most of her life in a kennel, and was gonna spend the rest of her life in a kennel having puppies, and then having more puppies, etc. But, lucky for her, she's infertile! Yay! No one knows why she can't get preggo, but I don't care. The breeder didn't want her anymore. Long story short, now she's mine.

We're trying to keep her in her kennel at night, and on a regular schedule throughout the day until she's used to our home, because she's not terribly well potty trained. She knows not to go potty in her kennel, and she knows she's supposed to go when we take her out, but she isn't quite sure about the kitchen, she thinks it might be ok to potty there. It's not, so until she knows, we're doing a kennel-potty-play-kennel-potty-play rotation. She's also about 3 pounds too thin, they say it's because they put her on hormones to try to help her get pregnant. I'm not sure why, with a dog that only weighs 13 pounds, they would keep her on the hormones so long she'd loose 3 of her pounds. That's a lot, when you're already small. But anyway, I switched her food from Costco brand to Bill Jac. It's first 6 ingredients or so are all animal meat/fat/protein, so it will help her bulk up, and is easier to digest. I also have been giving her a raw egg each morning, to help with her fat, and also her coat, because she's got a little dandruff. We still need to get her fixed, which I will update on when it happens. She's a little bit of a project dog, but all in all, I think she's going to be great. And she REALLY likes being out and playing with people. She's friendly to other dogs, but a little protective of her food, which we'll have to work on. She wants to learn. She learned to sit in about half an hour. Liver treats are the trick. She'll do anything to have one.

The cats don't really like her yet, but I hope they all end up getting along. The real problem is when the cats start running from her, because then she wants to chase them, and then the cats panic and run MORE, and she chases them even harder. I think Ham stands the best chance of liking her, because her existance promises a future of rawhide chews, which she thoroughly enjoys. Her mouth doesn't even fit around them. It's a little bit strange to watch her eat em, but whatever makes her happy is fine with me.