For several years now, we have been a family of three--Abbie, my husband and me. To say that we love one another would be an understatement. We three are three of the most blessed creatures on earth, and we try very, very hard to never forget that fact. We have everything we need and more. For several months, though, Dad and I have been talking about adding to the family. Our sweet, precious Abbie is love and gentleness incarnate. She protects us from sadness and heartbreak. She guards against loneliness and self-pity. As scarey as those things are, however, Abbie is a fraidy cat with regard to physical dangers. We had been talking for a while about adding a member of the family who might be more inclined to protect against more physical dangers, and when we recently moved further out in solitude into our new home, that talk became more frequent and more earnest. So Dad started his research with more fervor this time and decided that a German Shepherd Dog would seem to suit our family best--next to decide between a pup and a trained adult. While we liked the idea of an adult dog who would already know her role, we decided to get a puppy who would come up in our home and hopefully be a little easier to integrate with Abbie. The process of finding the right sister would present its own challenge, however. Both Abbie and her big sister, Chelsea, were rescues, brought into our home not only for our good but for theirs. The idea of buying our new family member who might already be going to a good situation rather than providing a home for a precious pup that might otherwise be less fortunate was a difficult one for us to justify. As with almost everything else in our lives, however, when the time was right, everything fell into place just as it was supposed to have.
Ever the thorough researcher, Dad found a breeder not too far from home who had recently weaned puppies and decided to give her a ring. After he told her our needs and mentioned our history with rescues, she had an answer to her own dilemma. Linda from J-Lyn Kennels had been wondering what she should do about her little "Miss White." Miss White was her 9 1/2-week-old who has a dermoid (a group of wayward cells that grow hair from them) on her left inner eyelid. While not causing any permanent damage, the dermoid would cause irritation and problems with time and would need to be removed when Miss White was big enough to tolerate anaesthesia in about 4 weeks. She had actually already been sold to a family down south, but when they found out she wouldn't be able to come home for 6 more weeks because of the dermoid on her left inner eyelid, they decided they didn't want her. They didn't want to wait another 6 weeks to bring her home; they wanted to bring home a young puppy, and they didn't want to go to the trouble to have the dermoid cared for themselves. So Linda had to decide whether to try to place little miss with a family she felt she could trust to have the surgery done, thus allowing her to bond at an appropriate time in her development, or risk slower bonding later but be assured that her eye was well-cared-for. Linda told me she knew when she heard our history that we were the answer to her worries.
Marc first talked to Linda on Tuesday, January 26th. She sent him these pictures, and we had hoped to go together on Wednesday to meet Miss White. Life got in the way, though, and I had to go on my own.
The sire is "Leo" CH. Avion Chief of Staff OFA
The dam is "Cheyenne" Lady Cheyenne the First of Kensington OFA
Wednesday before work that night I headed to town to get puppy supplies "just in case." Crate, Iams puppy food, toys, itty-bitty collar, lead and treats in hand, I headed to Middleburg. Linda introduced me to "Mom" and "Dad" first, and they were both beautiful, affectionate dogs. Their pens were clean. They were clean, and they were happy. Next in line was my introduction to Miss White who was in a pen with her sister and their half siblings, a litter that had been born 2 weeks later. She wasn't the most aggressive in the pen, but she held her own, and when we brought her out, she was comfortable being held, satisfied on the ground. Once we put her down, she roamed curiously, checking out the adults and sniffing out the interesting plants, but she didn't go too far. She was calm but light-hearted, and I could find no reason not to love her, no reason not to take her home. Linda and I completed the paperwork, and Miss White and I were on our way home. She lay calmly in my lap the whole hour-plus trip, sitting up now and then to see what was whizzing by the window.
As you can see, she had no worries upon her introduction to her big sister, her dad, or her new home. Big sister, however, was not particularly happy about the new addition. She is always kind and patient, though, and doesn't offer even a warning growl to the wee one.
This pic was taken within about 20 minutes of our arrival.
Putting together the "den." By now "Miss White" is "Luna."
We are now at the end of our third Lunar day, and I have worked all three of those nights. Abbie continues to boycott the situation, avoiding the puppy when she can, giving everyone the stink eye when she can't. Her pervasive sadness worries us, but we are optimistic that with time she will realize that we do not love her any less and that she will continue to be queen of the roost. Luna doesn't even realize I am an integral part of the pack. I have been gone too much, and this hurts me. I am worried that she will always see me as an "other, " a competitor for her dad's attention. Dad is doing a great job with the potty training, and Luna is learning and having fewer accidents each day. For some reason, pooping seems to be a bigger issue than teedling. Perfection will come with time, though. My first day off since Luna's arrival is tomorrow (Saturday, the 30th). I'm hoping to give Dad a break from constantly being on the lookout and do some bonding myself.
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