So, Info on my mom's new dog
So, as of this year, my parents adopted a new dog. An Italian Greyhound/Jack Russell Terrier Mix from a little dog rescue. I have to say, when you first meet her, she can be shy and a little scared at first. It literally took the first 3 or 4 visits before she appeared to no longer be afraid of me. I think giving her some dog treats and toys really helps.
January 2nd, 2019
I called prior to coming over. My mom said she was very shy and it might take some time for her to warm up to me. And that when I first meet her, she might not want anything to do with me. So prior to my stopping over, I stopped at Pick N Save, and bought her a new dog toy and some dog treats to give her. And then, when I came over, I made sure I approached the living room where my parents were hanging out with this new little girl slowly and quietly. I did sit on the couch, and when I did this, she did make me feel a little nervous when she growled at me. But she was probably just nervous too.Luckily, I did talk to her and tell her, that I had something very special for her. First I brought her the new dog toy that I bough her along with a dog treat.She didn't take it right away. But when she finally took it, she took it and ate it from behind the chair. I guess she was scared of someone taking it away from her. Then shortly after that, she did get up on the couch, and when she did this, I thought she was going to do what my aunt Jane's dog, Poppy would usually do if I tried to pet her, which was bite me. But she didn't. Thank God. I will admit, when I first brought her a new toy, I did start thinking about what our old dog, Libby would do if she was still around. How she would walk up to it, pick it up in her mouth and wag her tail, as if to say, "Look what I've got!" And it really made me wish she was still around. All I can say is, I'm glad I watched shows on Animal Planet like, Pitbulls and Parolees and watch how the people on the show handle some of the dogs they pick up who might be scared or shy, how they talk to them and throw them dog treats to gain their trust and they start seeing how lovable some of the dogs they've picked up end up being. Well, most of them, anyway. As for how I approached Billie the first day I met her, that's what I did. And I learned that, from watching them.And as much as thinking of Libby made me miss her being there, I figured that maybe spending some time with this new puppy would get better and a lot easier. And it really has. On the first day I met her, she already did something I thought was cute and funny. Whenever my mom would feed her, she would stand on her hind legs. I haven't seen any of our previous dogs ever try to walk on their hind legs. At least not a lot.
And periodically I would come back and pet her. Especially if my mom was holding her, and she'd start licking me. When I finally came home that night, I cried because I really thought I was over us having to send Libby over the rainbow bridge. I wasn't over it.I cried on and off, for 3 days straight. I didn't go over the next day, because I had to work, and was just feeling depressed wishing that Libby was still there, if Billie never warmed up to me. On the first day, I also went to say hi to one of the cats because I figured at least he would be happy to see me.Anyways, after I got done with work, I came home and changed into some street close. I figured maybe I should go back to the gym and swim. I figured maybe if I did that, it would also help me to feel better. I came back though on January 4th. That went much better. But I'm glad that in the last year I did place in that order to have a stuffed dog made to look like Libby, in case I needed help getting through the grieving process. But that day did go better. Although I needed to have a good cry before coming over, I came over there and at first she did bark at me, so I threw her a dog treat. This time, she didn't feel as much like she needed to eat it behind anything. I also noticed that she'd seem scared of me or shy if I stood over her, but if I sat down on the floor, she seemed less intimidated by me. Then I figured maybe she just feels intimidated by me when I stand over her, but would feel more comfortable if I was down at her level. I know on the first day I had to give her space. But it certainly went a lot better than the first day. I got to help my mom take her to the dog park, and I got to see her run. She also looked like she could run through an Agility course. I hope we can take her some place where she can do that, or we build her one. I'd love to video tape her doing that.When we went to and from the dog park, she got in the front seat with me and started licking my face.
On January 5th, my mom wanted me to babysit while her and my dad went to see his sister. That day, I made a mistake of locking us out of the house, accidentally and they had no spare key in the garage where I could just grab and let myself in. So with that being said, my mom asked if I had my apartment key, and said I should take Billie over to my apartment. It's a good thing I had my keys and that where I'm living now is dog and cat friendly. But I had to hide my cat, and his cat dishes and litter box and toys in one of the other rooms. Poor Boo. But before we did that, I made sure I stopped at the grocery store on the way. I didn't really want her playing with any of Boo's toys, so I stopped at the store and bought her some new toys so she'd have something to play with in my apartment. Here's just a picture of her I took before we accidentally got locked out of the house:
When you look at her face and the color of her body, you can really see the Jack Russell Terrier in her that she is. She's an Italian Greyhound Jack Russell Terrier mix Cute, huh? When you get past her being shy, she can be playful and sweet and funny, and silly. My new nick name for her is, "Silly Billie".
Anyways, I'm glad I got to take her over to my apartment and she got to see where I lived. So we had our own little adventure. She got to play with some toys, we got to walk to the Field Park, which is just a few blocks away. Maybe if she comes over again in the future when it's warmer, she can hang out on our balcony, and we can walk her to the Field Park. I hope by then she learns how to just be gentler and friendlier with cats. Especially mine. I know after this time, my cat is afraid of her, now.
It wasn't until dark that I finally got to taker her home.She was sure happy to see my mom, even though she seemed to enjoy herself in my place.
I called prior to coming over. My mom said she was very shy and it might take some time for her to warm up to me. And that when I first meet her, she might not want anything to do with me. So prior to my stopping over, I stopped at Pick N Save, and bought her a new dog toy and some dog treats to give her. And then, when I came over, I made sure I approached the living room where my parents were hanging out with this new little girl slowly and quietly. I did sit on the couch, and when I did this, she did make me feel a little nervous when she growled at me. But she was probably just nervous too.Luckily, I did talk to her and tell her, that I had something very special for her. First I brought her the new dog toy that I bough her along with a dog treat.She didn't take it right away. But when she finally took it, she took it and ate it from behind the chair. I guess she was scared of someone taking it away from her. Then shortly after that, she did get up on the couch, and when she did this, I thought she was going to do what my aunt Jane's dog, Poppy would usually do if I tried to pet her, which was bite me. But she didn't. Thank God. I will admit, when I first brought her a new toy, I did start thinking about what our old dog, Libby would do if she was still around. How she would walk up to it, pick it up in her mouth and wag her tail, as if to say, "Look what I've got!" And it really made me wish she was still around. All I can say is, I'm glad I watched shows on Animal Planet like, Pitbulls and Parolees and watch how the people on the show handle some of the dogs they pick up who might be scared or shy, how they talk to them and throw them dog treats to gain their trust and they start seeing how lovable some of the dogs they've picked up end up being. Well, most of them, anyway. As for how I approached Billie the first day I met her, that's what I did. And I learned that, from watching them.And as much as thinking of Libby made me miss her being there, I figured that maybe spending some time with this new puppy would get better and a lot easier. And it really has. On the first day I met her, she already did something I thought was cute and funny. Whenever my mom would feed her, she would stand on her hind legs. I haven't seen any of our previous dogs ever try to walk on their hind legs. At least not a lot.
On January 5th, my mom wanted me to babysit while her and my dad went to see his sister. That day, I made a mistake of locking us out of the house, accidentally and they had no spare key in the garage where I could just grab and let myself in. So with that being said, my mom asked if I had my apartment key, and said I should take Billie over to my apartment. It's a good thing I had my keys and that where I'm living now is dog and cat friendly. But I had to hide my cat, and his cat dishes and litter box and toys in one of the other rooms. Poor Boo. But before we did that, I made sure I stopped at the grocery store on the way. I didn't really want her playing with any of Boo's toys, so I stopped at the store and bought her some new toys so she'd have something to play with in my apartment. Here's just a picture of her I took before we accidentally got locked out of the house:
Anyways, I'm glad I got to take her over to my apartment and she got to see where I lived. So we had our own little adventure. She got to play with some toys, we got to walk to the Field Park, which is just a few blocks away. Maybe if she comes over again in the future when it's warmer, she can hang out on our balcony, and we can walk her to the Field Park. I hope by then she learns how to just be gentler and friendlier with cats. Especially mine. I know after this time, my cat is afraid of her, now.
It wasn't until dark that I finally got to taker her home.She was sure happy to see my mom, even though she seemed to enjoy herself in my place.
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