The first week has been busy and delightful for us but not nearly as interesting to the rest of the world, so I'll tell you about it now, get it out of my system and then move on. (Promises, promises.)
Kelly went with me to the airport Saturday night to pick up the puppy. Fortunately, there was no stormy weather, so the pup's flight from Spokane to Seattle to Dallas went without a hitch. We had to wait about 45 minutes for the plane to be offloaded and the pup brought to the cargo hangar.
Interesting place - a cargo hangar on a Saturday night. I listened to the stories of the manager - talking about the little Yorkie delivered at Christmas time. The family let him out on the patch of grass outside the building before heading home. After four hours, the family and airline employees gave up the search. That must have been heartbreaking. Another story about a pallet of about fifty animals being transferred from plane to hangar - the pallet falls and broken crates and loose animals are everywhere. More stories like this - all interesting, but not very comforting as I waited for my pet to arrive.
But then the crate was handed over. Opening the door, the little one eagerly came out. We passed on the bathroom break in the grass and headed home. He was a live wire, the metronome tail tick-tocking at about 200 beats per minute, curious about everything, showing no fear. Our other dog couldn't wait to check him out, so after about an hour I let them in the same room.
After three hours, I passed the puppy torch to the boys, home from Wiley's soccer tournament. Five pounds of puppy love can wear you out!
This whole week has been awesome, and I've spent my time enjoying and burning memories into my brain. Chances are, we won't have another puppy, and the first one had a steep learning curve, with the parvo and the accidents, so this is a time to relax and enjoy. It reminds me of how careful and serious we were with our first baby compared to the "let it be" attitude we had by our last baby.
So what were the highlights of the week? My husband named him Winston on the second day - a tough, sturdy, solid, conservative name. He slept through the first night in our room. The second night he fussed until we moved him to the kitchen, where he's slept through the night ever since. Krista taught him to respect his elders when dog treats are involved. Winston can walk under Krista. He likes to grab her leash and pull her around. Winston can squeeze through 2 inch wide bars to get out of the kitchen, so we have boxes stacked in front of the gate until he gets a little bigger. The two shibas play at every opportunity - nipping and herding and wrestling, punctuated with games of tag and tug-of-war. It's just a joy to watch. The little one squeals when the disadvantage is too great and runs for our feet, only to immediately return to battle. Behind my back, Winston lept into the swimming pool and swam to the edge. That was shocking, since our other shiba avoids the swimming pool like it's a snake. Winston seems to love water.
The best part is Winston's exuberance. He is so wiggly and excited to start each morning, we can hardly grab him to take outside, even as he's trying to jump into our arms. The tail doesn't slow down - at least until he finally collapses for nap time here and there. And why shouldn't he be exuberant? Why shouldn't we be exuberant? (Perhaps if it would ever quit raining and being unnaturally cold here in north Texas it would help!)
We're smiling a lot these days. The exuberance is growing.
So here are some videos from Winston's first few days in our family.
A dog and his pet boy.......
Another video from Mother's Day, playing with my daughter Lindsay..........
Also from Mother's Day....... the dogs got into a series of shouting matches. In this one the shouting is short, so you can safely watch it without ear plugs.
And finally, I told you Winston likes to play in the water (much to Krista's consternation).......
Shiba inus - they're like potato chips - you can't have just one!
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