Hannah Settling in at Home

            OnWednesday, when I wrote here about our new dog’s homecoming, I didn’t want tomention that at that point I was ready to send her back.

 Oh, she’s adorable all right and happyaround us, even does well on the leash. But as happens with most rescues, shehas got a history which I was just starting to figure out.

 The most annoying is that I think shewas trained to do her business on a piddle pad, as her previous owners were,perhaps, too lazy to take her out. It’s been an uphill battle, as we don’t wantto scold her for going on the piddle pads, if that’s what she’s been taught.So, it’s just been lots and lots of trips outside. Also, I bet from the stressof her trip here, she has been peeing a lot more than most dogs do. At least,she didn’t get diarrhea, which the rescue warned us happens in 90% of the dogsgoing to a new home.

 She has slowly been figuring it out,though. Yesterday, she actually started going to the door and waiting for us toget her outside, instead of just piddling willy nilly.

 The other thing is that she’s noteating. They told us what dry dog food she’d been getting (a cheap and horriblebrand full of grains and little protein). I bought it anyway, to use while graduallyswitching to something better. But she won’t eat either one. I got a freesample of another brand from our feed store and my son brought a baggie full ofwhat his dog’s been eating. She won’t touch those either.

 And she won’t eat any of the treats we’vebought her either. Another set back to the potty training – how do you reward afood-motivated breed, if she won’t eat anything you give her.  

 I’ve started feeding her a decent brandof canned food, but even that is hit or miss. She has been drinking a lot ofwater, though, so I’ve been mixing some water in the canned to make it nice andsoupy, and that seems to work.

 I keep telling myself, “She’ll eatwhen she’s hungry enough”. And she could stand to lose a few pounds. Also, sheis still urinating a fair amount and pooping twice a day.

 I have a few thoughts on this food situation.To be sure, she is a beggar at the supper table. She also has bad breath andsome gunky back teeth. I’m sure her previous owners gave her people food; maybethat’s all they gave her.

 And with the bad teeth, hard, dry foodis probably painful for her. Thing is, she doesn’t even try the treats we giveher, just sniffs them and refuses to take them.

 We’ll figure it out. She sees our vetnext week, so I’m sure she will have ideas.

 On a positive note, she gets along greatwith Emma. They aren’t buddies, yet, but every time they pass each other, theylook at each other with almost a longing in their eyes. As if they are thinking,“I want to be your BFF.”

 Our son was over Tuesday night withhis dog, Goose, and they did fine together too. Now she just has to meet ourdaughter’s pack of three dogs. I’m already trying to figure out the Christmas picturewith five of them under the tree!

 And one last thing. I told you lasttime that we put Dino down on January 4, 2023?

 Saturday night, after I got home with ournew little nugget, and she was resting, I read through her paperwork. Her birthdateis January 9, 2023, five days after Dino crossed the rainbow bridge. 

Even though we’ve had our struggles withHannah this week, she was born to come home to us.