My husband and I went shopping in one of those huge pet stores yesterday, looking for treats and toys for Savannah. Clearly, this puppy likes to chew, and being that her puppy teeth have been falling out and her adult teeth are coming in, she may still be teething.
I've bought rawhide bones and pig's ears, and jerky-sticks made out of everything from chicken and beef to sweet potatoes. Because of the plethora of chew-treats, Savannah has not chewed on anything that she doesn't find in her toy box. (Extra good-puppy points to her for that accomplishment.)
I thought the mega pet-store would have more options than our local supermarket, and they surely did... along with eye-popping price tags that made Gary and I say out loud "Are they kidding?" On the shelves were elk and deer antlers, split down the middle and shrink-wrapped in plastic, hard as the proverbial rock and just as heavy... nearly $30 for a just one of those (That's when the "Are they kidding?" remark reverberated in the aisle.) Needless to say, we didn't buy the deer and elk things.
I did find pork rinds and chicken chews, pig's ears and beef-dipped rawhide, plus cookies and biscuits of all shapes and sizes. Into the shopping cart those went. Then I looked at the discounted plush-toys and found a brown gingerbread man and a hot-dog in a bun, both of which squeaked at an ear-splitting pitch. (I have not yet found one squeaky toy with a pleasant sound.)
The store also had a display of dog clothes, all of which were on sale for 40% off. I've already bought Savannah a pink sweatshirt with a hood, which is too big for her now but I'm sure she'll grow into it before she's a year old. With the XXL waiting in the wings, I found an XL sweatshirt yesterday that was pink with purple hearts on it, made of a fabric that is as soft as an infant's pajamas. I put that into the shopping cart as well.
I saw the look on my husband's face at that point.... and I knew he was remembering what he said when he paid $80 for the plush and super-soft dog bed that Savannah just loves: "The puppies are free... it's everything else under the sun that costs a fortune." Indeed.
Off to the checkout counter we went with our cart-full of goodies....... the treats and the chews and the toys and the impossibly cute sweater.... seventy dollars and change. How could that be? But it was... and the cashier gave us coupons to use the next time we come into the store. And there will always be a 'next time,' for as long as one has a dog.
When we got home, the first thing I did was try that pink sweater on Savannah... it fit, but much too snugly. They didn't have a larger size in that style and color, so I'll just return it for a refund. This morning, I went to the web-site where I bought the XXL pink sweater for Savannah and ordered her one in an XL size. I hope the XL fits her when it arrives... we've had some cool and damp mornings and I think she'd appreciate that soft fleece covering.
With our other dog Gracie, I never did buy a sweater or coat for her, but then I don't remember having such cold days during the winter months years ago. Either the 'winter' weather up here in the Hill Country is not as mild as it was near the Gulf Coast, or the weather patterns have changed dramatically over the years. Whatever the reason, I don't want Savannah to feel cold or uncomfortable when we're walking. (And this is why dog-clothing and accessories is a multi-billion-dollar business.)
Since our two trips to the Dog Park with Savannah last week, every time I take her down the driveway she will walk towards my husband's car. Clearly, she expects to get into that car and be driven to the park again... and we will do that but not on a daily basis. I still shake my head over Savannah's graceful flight from the driveway to the back seat of that car, without a second's hesitation. How quickly she learned that a car ride isn't necessarily a bad thing... it depends on the destination. The vet's office may not be her favorite place in the world, but the Dog Park seemed to be heaven on earth for Savannah.
And how quickly I have learned that having a dog in the house again is a wonderful thing. I realize that there are hours in the day that I could be reading, rather than walking up and down the road, or cleaning up the water on the kitchen floor after Savannah drinks from her bowl (she is still the messiest drinker) but not having every minute of every hour to myself doesn't seem necessary anymore. Not when there's another life in the house that's dependent on me.
Savannah has been sleeping through the night now, occasionally barking just once when she needs to know that we're still in the house. I call out to her from the bedroom, telling her "Go to sleep, Savannah," and she does... not needing to be reassured a second time. Those sleepless nights of hearing Savannah barking every couple of hours are history now.
The amount of trust that a dog gives is just overwhelming at times. Savannah opens her eyes when I walk into the kitchen in the morning and those beautiful eyes follow me as I fix the food for the cats. Savannah will stay in her bed until I've gone into the garage and taken care of the cat food and the litter boxes. But when she sees me come back inside and hears the sound of me getting her collar and leash, she gets up and stretches and walks over to me with her tail wagging. (Gone are those early days when I had to chase her around the kitchen because she didn't like that leash.)
Trust. It's all about trust, which sometimes needs extra time to take hold, especially when you adopt a dog that's had a few months with another owner whose interactions with the dog may not have been ideal. I don't think Savannah had a bad life before we adopted her, but I think her living conditions were less 'soft' than the life we're giving her.
I was sitting on the floor of the TV room last night, brushing Savannah's fur... she is gleaming and clean and just as pretty as can be..... and all the while I was brushing and combing her she was sprawled over my legs, half of her in my lap and half of her hanging over me and on the carpet. And she just loved it... making tiny little sighs every few minutes, her eyes closed and her body just a big adorable mass of puppy. My husband looked at her and said "She's a Prima Donna for sure."
Indeed she is. And what puppy wouldn't want to be?
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