Savannah's First 'Waldorf Wednesday'

Every Wednesday afternoon is tea party time with the ladies in our little bubble of the hills here.... we all bring a plate of something sweet or savory to add to the dining room table....... and we sit and talk and just catch up with each other. Before I started the tea party days, most of us saw one another only occasionally.

Savannah was on her best behavior today (but that's been the case every day, actually)... she was hesitant and cautious, however, but that seems to be her way with strangers. I have a feeling that once she gets to know all of our friends, she's going to be the most social of dogs.

I have called and eMailed the mother and daughter who previously owned Savannah, but haven't heard anything back from them yet. Both in my phone message and in my eMail to them, I told them that I'd named the puppy Savannah and she was just the very best dog.... but I did want to ask them a question or two about her history. Mainly--- did she have contact with men? Or just women?  (She seems extra hesitant with men, and just a tiny bit more trusting of women.)  I'm just trying to figure out why she's so shy with everyone she meets.... but then, she was shy with me at first, but she isn't that way any longer. I think her trust level with me has gone up every day since she's been here...... she knows my voice and responds to it, and that's an accomplishment for a puppy who was kept in an outdoor kennel for all of her five months.

I've read in pet books that we expect too much of our pets... without taking into account their past history and relationships with their litter mates and previous owners. As in Savannah's case, she was born into a litter of puppies in a small Hill Country town and stayed there for her first two months, then taken with one of her brothers to a slightly larger town outside of Houston... then along came my husband and I, who adopted her and brought her to our home, without her brother.  Is she missing her brother?  Does she miss being outside all day in that kennel with the blue plastic kiddie-pool filled with cool water? We have no idea.... but my husband is sure that she prefers an air-conditioned home to a fenced-in outdoor kennel.

Savannah has been adjusting just fine here... her basket of toys is nearly overflowing, with today's additions of a pink bunny ('Peep'-shaped), a blue fish, and a brown monkey. She seems to prefer blue toys, and the monkeys and the bunny are her current favorites.  In less than a week, Savannah has become a very spoiled little (big, actually) puppy. And, in less than a week, it seems as if we've always had this very special little dog. Sometimes, things are just meant to be, and Savannah was just meant to be here.

I think the spirit of our dog Gracie would approve....