Well, I am plum exhausted. First, we spent the early part of the day doing Ana-prep work ... cleaning up cat litter, scrubbing Mona's old crate and all that jazz. Then we hit the road -- oh my god, does Route 22 go on forever or what -- up to the outskirts of Clymer, PA. I had forgotten to tell Ledcat that Ana's foster mom had this really cool outdoor pen for her macaws so that was a big startling for her as we drove into the lane ... she thought peacocks were about to attack the car.
Ana had her big foster-brother with her during out meet and greet which seemed to go really well. She slept for a bit on both of our laps and allowed us to pet her as much as liked. We stayed for quite awhile and then headed home. I felt sad for foster mom, but she was very cool about it and very low key and I give her a lot of credit for making the transition smooth for Ana. Very cool. Plus, macaws.
So off we drive into the sunset. I'm in the backseat with Ana who, surprisingly, doesn't fit into the $40 carrier we bought at Target (20 lbs my ass). She shivered for awhile, but had just nestled down when ... bam ... we hit a deer. Ledcat swore, I screamed and Ana got scared again. Thankfully, no damage to car or passengers. Not so good an outcome for the deer. Ledcat was very shaken because she saw the poor thing's face right before the smash. We pulled over to catch our breath. The first person who stopped to see if were okay turned out to be the game warden's sister so she assured us she would have him come down to remove the deer from the road. The next guy who stopped (we had a lot City angst to work through) actually pulled the deer out of the road and then checked on us and our car.
People are really nice in Indiana County.
The drive home was a little tense. Ana was fine, even when we stopped for gas. We bought candy bars to make ourselves feel a little better. We were a bit worried b/c our friend Julie who runs a beagle rescue had offered to come over and help us with introductions. As the wind blew and the skies darkened, we worried.
Not to fear, Julie showed up at 9:00 and stayed until 11:00 to help us out. Ana trotted confidentally into the yard and the kitchen. The cats were very intrigued. She made Natasha and Boris look like giants. Simon was like "eh, another dog, whatever." No problems at all.
We took Deus out into the yard and brought her out, both leashed of course. Deus took one look at a play companion and was all about inviting her to play. Forgetting, of course, that he weighs 110 lbs more than she does. He bowed and stretched and did everything possible to engage her, including barking his play bark which echos really loudly in the rowhouses. At 10 PM. He got a few sniffs, she yelped at him and overall, it went pretty well. She was not afraid or cowering or anything. We all suspect that a few more rounds of introductions will take car eof that relationship.
Then came Xander. He was afraid, but curious. He sniffed her butt a few times and she ignored him. He barked, but didn't growl or anything. He's going to take more getting used to for her. He was very attentive to my responses to his behavior. We are working in tandem so he doesn't perceive me as Ana's person.
Ana really likes Ledcat. She is fine with me, but she does not like when Ledcat leaves the room.
Oh my god is she cute. Deus and Xander have investigated her toys. Okay, they chewed on them. But we have a lot of toys. And plenty of Kongs to keep her busy.
The challenge for the next few days will be keeping them separated until we can devote some time to togetherness. Deus is incredibly strong so Julie showed me some shelter tips to maintain better control. The good weather should help. The poor door knob on the second bedroom does not help. Thank god she's crate trained.
All in all, it went well for a first day. No biting or growling on the part of the boys. Minimal growling on the part of the little one. She's not afraid of them, but she's not interested in having her ass sniffed either. Would you?
She does like Xander's former wing chair that was banished to the second bedroom which is her new space. It might be a bonding resource.
I thought about Mona a lot to day. Ana isn't really like her in terms of personality. She is a bit more withdrawn and certainly quieter (who isn't ?). However, Ana doesn't really obey so much as deign to comply. That is definitely a treat she has in common with Mona, god rest her soul.
I wonder if Debby thinks we have what it takes to get her to obey. The cute factor is very hard to resist. Very hard.
I think we are going to fail. However, our challenge is to socialize Ana and take her to obedience classes. So that's what we are going to do. Probably Ledcat will take her.
I was thinking it would be cute to get a panier for Xander to carry Ana around the block. Instead of a dog stroller. What do you think?
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