What have we gotten ourselves into?
Yesterday Coco came for another visit, to play outside and to get to know us better. They asked if we would like to have her stay for a couple of hours just on our own. I thought that would be a good idea since we needed to see how it would be with just me, the dog, and the kids. I was a little nervous about it but if we were going to go through with the adoption, I needed to know that I could handle all of them at once. So, the lady left me with the children and the dog and told me she would be back around 6:30 to pick her up.
The visit went really well, she ran around the backyard with Lily and then came in the house and hung out while I made dinner. She didn't seem to mind my crazy kids and really warmed up to me as the evening went on. By the time the lady returned to get her, she was already our dog. However, Tom and I wanted at least one more night to get ready. We hadn't purchased a dog crate yet, and we just wanted just a bit more time. This lady was not on the same page. She indicated quite strongly that if we really wanted the dog that we could just keep her from now on. (I think she didn't really want to go back to the prison). So, we agreed to the adoption and Coco hasn't left our house until this morning.
This morning after we dropped Lily off at school, I decided to take Drew, Julianna and Coco for a short walk around the neighborhood. Ha. We were doing pretty well until Coco managed to slip out of her collar. She was gone after that! First she pooped in someone's yard, then she was off on the trail of a bunny or a bird...and I didn't see her after that. I called Tom and he raced home from work to help me with the search. After a short time we spotted her, running after any wildlife she saw...and I managed to get her to follow a command and sit down until I got to her. I held on for dear life after that!!
I don't think Coco and I will be taking a walk with the children again anytime soon. I think I'm going to practice having her on the leash in the backyard for awhile, and then take her out in the neighborhood again without children. It was a traumatic morning!!
Other than the first walk being a disaster, things have really been going well otherwise. She is calm and did great last night. As I mentioned, we didn't have a crate, so she just slept on a blanket on the floor by our bed. She really did well all night...until Lily came in at 5 AM and woke us all up...but that's another story entirely.
1 comment:
Martingale, no-slip collar. They're not much more expensive than a regular collar, and they don't choke. But if they are fitted properly the two rings won't touch (this will make sense when you see it). I have a bunch if you want me to drop one in the mail, but you should be able to find one anywhere.
Then, I can send you a handout on how to teach a reliable recall. :)
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