So, I did a thing. This morning, our new puppy Rose was acting all hyper and she wanted to play with Ginger, but my old gal was just not in the mood. She continued to stress about it and finally she started barking and snapping at the puppy to the point that I could tell she wasn't a happy camper. It's not that Ginger hates Rose, but the pup can be a little extra most of the time and Ginger isn't necessarily into playing...much. She played with Hugo, and I think maybe she over did it then. She's not been all that active since he has been gone.
I did a thing. I went on Craigslist and put in the words "free to a good home" because that usually means you'll find a good dog or two. I found 12 of course, and some of them were pitty mixes which we can't consider at the complex where I live, and I can't consider it with the dogs and cats that I already have. Hugo was a bit aggressive, and he had to go - - there's no way I will allow a dog to become aggressive toward my other animals or to the people I live near. We have boundaries.
Craigslist had a dog whose owners were advertising but without photos. That always makes me wonder if they just don't know how to upload a photo or if they want you to fall for their scam - - you say yes, show up and they kill you! You know, something like that. Well, I answered the ad and asked if they had photos and if they could tell me about the dog...well, the puppy. She's only about five months old.
They answered me very quickly, saying she was five months, about 10 pounds and they didn't think she would get any bigger. She was a Jack Russell type but a mixed breed, not a full breed. They sent a picture and I laughed. I laughed to myself, not to them. I've been around dogs for a little over sixty-two years of my sixty-two years of life, and this was not a Jack. She was at least fifteen pounds and with those long legs and haunch, she was going to be a bigger dog. They had no idea what they had.
I always ask the backstory if someone knows it, so I sort of have an idea of what the dog has gone through. Kiah was abandoned as a very small puppy with her siblings in a box at the local Walmart in Chandler, OK where a soldier took them home and gave three or four of them away. He kept Kiah, but he called her "Puppy" (how original). When he was deployed in May he gave the pup to his brother and his wife, but their dog simply did not want her near the family, and the new pup was forced to stay outside. She found a good home with me. She'll be inside, with others, and they already love her.
I agreed to meet them halfway, as they live about forty miles from where I live, and I gave them $20 for gas. They were pretty happy about it since they needed to come into the city anyway to do a bit of shopping. They packed her up and brought her to me; we met at the mall. When he pulled her out of the truck she was long, coarse-haired, and gangly, all legs and tail, her little head was buried in his chest. She's shy and she's a little awkward, but what puppy isn't?
Immediately, I began thinking about the alternative breeds she could be. I laughed again inside my head and asked myself if I had just picked up a Scottish Deerhound. Would she grow to be the size of a Great Dane soon? Would I be out of a couple of big bags of food each month? I hoped not, but then again, I really wouldn't be all that upset about it if it were true. She'll be perfect for Rose to play with, and she'll bring a big fat smile to my face in the process.
Ginger, my little gal, isn't all that thrilled with Kiah, but she's learning to put up with the fact that her mom brings dogs, cats, hamsters, lizards, snakes, and other things home from time to time. She knows she's alpha, I don't have to convince her. She's already let the new dog know this fact. Kiah (pronounced Ki-ah) is more than likely a Border Collie, Schnauzer, and other breeds. If you go look up the cross between Border Collies and Schnauzers you'll see a dog that strongly resembles Kiah.
I'm going to give her Valentine's Day as a birthday. She's a sweetheart and deserves it. She's already begun to romp and run through the place with Rose, and she's already learned that Frodo has claws and isn't afraid to use them. Bilbo has only watched from the safety of the countertops. Though he realizes also that mom brings home whatever she pleases, he's never really been that excited about any of them - - he's that way.
We're moving soon, and the backyard will be full - - that's the reason I got Kiah. I don't want any unwanted guests thinking they can just go into or through the backyard - - the people who lived there before were OK with it -- I am not. I also want Rose to have a running buddy - - someone she can bark and run with. I achieved my goal. Kiah will be a good investment - - well, she was free, but I did give them gas money!! (She'll be spayed in 2 months. We take her to get her shots next week.)
Photo Credit: Me.
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