It's been an interesting puppy day for Savannah and our cats... and I'm hoping it gets better for all of them as the days and weeks go by.
Our inside cat Sweet Pea is still very cautious of Savannah.... his domain has always been the TV room and the en suite bathroom in there. The TV room itself is where Sweet Pea sleeps and spends most of his time, so that's his 'safe room' and that's where he's been mostly all of today. He will come out very slowly from time to time and peek into the kitchen to see if Savannah is still there.... when Sweet Pea sees that yes, indeed, his new puppy-sister is in there, he retreats back into the TV room. Right now, Sweet Pea is watching football with my husband and probably trying to steal pistachio nuts.
The scratches on my neck and back aren't hurting this morning, which is a good thing. Totally my fault that was... picking up Sweet Pea last night and walking past Savannah's crate... and just at that moment, Savannah chose to give Sweet Pea a great big puppy-smile and it totally freaked out the cat... whose attempt to get back into the TV room sent him climbing up to my neck, over my shoulder, and down my back. (Sweet Pea has all of his claws, and the marks of such are very evident on me at the moment.)
Our outside cat Gatsby wants nothing at all to do with Savannah... he slept outside for most of the night, and I let him inside for a couple of hours when I came downstairs to check on Savannah because she was so very quiet all night long. Gatsby is watching the puppy from a distance (a great distance) and knowing Gatsby, he will not lower himself to become friendly with (pardon the expression) a dog. Gatsby, being Gatsby-esque, is probably thinking "Hey, Old Sport... did someone sell you a dog and tell you it was a large cat?!"
Our other outside cat Mickey grew up with our first dog Gracie, so he is very used to dogs and is friendly with all dogs and cats. He'll hiss and spit, just to prove he's a cat, but two seconds later, he's nose-to-nose and wanting to play. I think Mickey will be fine with Savannah by the end of the week. Mickey stays outside all day long, sleeps in the garage at night, but comes into the kitchen from time to time, especially when my husband is making noise with the lawn mower.
To Savannah's credit, she's being very quiet and friendly towards the cats... not chasing them or trying to establish boundaries... possibly she knows that she has come into their home and not the other way around.
I have quickly learned that Savannah is like Gracie was.... determined to get her way if she can find a way around the rules without being rude about it. Our kitchen has a big island in the middle that splits the kitchen area into two sections. Savannah discovered that she can walk around the island and not be put on her leash unless I can catch her before she gets tired of the game. So I fixed that problem the same way I did with Gracie when she was a puppy..... Savannah is now wearing her collar and leash, dragging the leash behind her as she walks...... already aware of the fact that all I have to do is put my foot down on the end of that leash and voila! I've got her in hand and she's ready to go outside.
Savannah has given me a lesson in puppy-crate linens.... she likes a pillow at one end of the crate, which she uses to rest her chin during naps, and also uses as a hiding place for her dog biscuits... she will literally lift up one side of the pillow with her nose, drop the dog biscuit underneath and then let the pillow fall back into place. When she's ready to eat the biscuit, her nose goes under that pillow and comes out with the biscuit between her teeth and then I hear the crunch-crunch-crunch of the 'Milk Bone.'
Our young friend Corey has already called me (right after the crack of dawn this morning) when she saw the pictures of Savannah that I eMailed to her late last night. Seconds after I said hello to her, Corey's voice rose about 37 octaves and all I heard was "You got a puuuuuuppppppppyyyyyyyyyyy!" Needless to say, she's excited beyond description and can't wait to drive up here to meet the newest family member. (Not having children of our own, Corey has always been a 'substitute child' for us, starting years ago as a friendship because I was her reading tutor when she was in the second and third grades....... and now she is 25. My, how time flies.)
I've taken Savannah for countless walks today, getting her used to wearing a collar and a leash, and getting her acquainted with her home, the road, the driveway.... everything that's up here in this part of the hills that she needs to know. This morning, she tried to catch two crickets in the driveway, and she stood mesmerized in the middle of the road as she saw the shadow of a hawk as it flew high above us.
So far, so good. Actually, so far, so great. The cats may not be pleased with our decision to get a dog, but we're happy, and Savannah seems quite pleased.
No comments:
Post a Comment