Adding Penny to our pack!! (updated 1/19)
So it looks like Mookie is getting a little sister! She is a black and tan Shiba but her head has already turned mostly red. She is around 7 months old and super cute! We are calling her Penny! Here is the story:
During our morning walk we decided to stop in to our vet's office to pick up some more Heartguard since we were out and the office is only 2 blocks from our apartment. Plus, luckily for us, Mookie loves the vet! Everyone at the office is so nice and when we first brought him in at 8 weeks, they suggested we stop in and weigh him or just say hi whenever we wanted so he could get used to them. Since we live so close, we followed their advice and now anytime we are on that block, he pulls us to go in :)
Now, back to the real story! Our vet knew we were looking to adopt a sister for Mookie in the near future. Well it turns out he was also looking to adopt a dog, so he stopped in the ASPCA last night and he met our little Penny. Good thing he wasn't looking for a Shiba!! She was surrendered by her owners who just moved from "the country". They use to have a big yard with a doggy door and didn't feel like walking her every time she needed to go out, especially in the cold. Poor girl :( They also said she was a bit nervous about all the noises that come along with living in Manhattan. As soon as he told us about her, we rushed up there to meet her. (The ASPCA is conveniently 10 blocks north of us)
They had a "behaviorist" meet with us and Mookie first to examine his temperament and he decided to introduce us to Penny. First, we took them outside and went on a walk together. Then we went back into her little "room" where they did SOO well together. Penny was a little nervous at first, but she warmed up and we witnessed some funny play time, ending with her seriously licking Mookie's teeth. LOL
Sorry this is getting so long! We are going to officially take her home with us on Friday when we are both off from work. I have been going through old threads to make sure we are prepared. I know the home introduction will probably be very different as it is Mookie's "territory". We are very excited and a little nervous. Also, the adoption lady pointed out that Penny has a slight underbite, which probably will not pose any problems later on. Has anyone had experience with that? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Get ready for some spam on Friday!!
During our morning walk we decided to stop in to our vet's office to pick up some more Heartguard since we were out and the office is only 2 blocks from our apartment. Plus, luckily for us, Mookie loves the vet! Everyone at the office is so nice and when we first brought him in at 8 weeks, they suggested we stop in and weigh him or just say hi whenever we wanted so he could get used to them. Since we live so close, we followed their advice and now anytime we are on that block, he pulls us to go in :)
Now, back to the real story! Our vet knew we were looking to adopt a sister for Mookie in the near future. Well it turns out he was also looking to adopt a dog, so he stopped in the ASPCA last night and he met our little Penny. Good thing he wasn't looking for a Shiba!! She was surrendered by her owners who just moved from "the country". They use to have a big yard with a doggy door and didn't feel like walking her every time she needed to go out, especially in the cold. Poor girl :( They also said she was a bit nervous about all the noises that come along with living in Manhattan. As soon as he told us about her, we rushed up there to meet her. (The ASPCA is conveniently 10 blocks north of us)
They had a "behaviorist" meet with us and Mookie first to examine his temperament and he decided to introduce us to Penny. First, we took them outside and went on a walk together. Then we went back into her little "room" where they did SOO well together. Penny was a little nervous at first, but she warmed up and we witnessed some funny play time, ending with her seriously licking Mookie's teeth. LOL
Sorry this is getting so long! We are going to officially take her home with us on Friday when we are both off from work. I have been going through old threads to make sure we are prepared. I know the home introduction will probably be very different as it is Mookie's "territory". We are very excited and a little nervous. Also, the adoption lady pointed out that Penny has a slight underbite, which probably will not pose any problems later on. Has anyone had experience with that? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Get ready for some spam on Friday!!
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
As for the underbite, I wouldn't worry about it. Lucy has a slight underbite and it hasn't caused any medical problem. She's still an amazing dog. :-)
I agree with Dave's introduction advice - 80% of the time, it works everytime. But in all seriousness, that is exactly how we introduce dogs to one another. That and taking up all toys, treats, etc except water (make sure you have at least 2 bowls of water now).
Just take it slow w/ the intro, things can change when you get the dogs to your house, but if you take it slow they should end up good friends.
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Congrats on your soon to be new addition! It sounds like Ms. Penny has found the perfect home. Agreed with all the advice above. The long walk helps bond the pups and tires them out. I think things will go smoothly. However, we expect a TON of spammage once your new one arrives home!
I'm so done hijacking now!
Keep us updated on Penny and Mookie!!!
If all goes well, we should be able to get her on Monday. Hopefully she is just a little off because she is not used to that kind of environment, so we will see. It just makes me wonder though, since they felt the need to run tests.
We are hoping for the best! Mookie can't wait either!
Looking forward to more SPAM!
Jesse
And I was a fan of them when I saw them internationally months before they hit the U.S. so nyah
Jesse
Snf
how does Mookie like the new arrangement?
First of all, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Mookie. He is the best dog anyone could ever ask for. The way he is welcoming Penny into our pack just makes me love him more, if that is even possible. I just want to squeeze and kiss him all day.
Miss Penny has come a LOOONG way in the last 24 hours. She came to us not potty trained, not leash trained, not anything trained pretty much. She had a couple of accidents in the house already. Probably since her previous owners never wanted to walk her.
Around 5pm we put her harness on for a walk and she would not take one step forward or backwards. She was so scared of everything! It was so sad. We ended up carrying her with Mookie walking ahead of us so she could see how the big boys do it! We walked to Central Park which was beautiful and covered with snow. We figured she would do better there because there would be hardly any people and it would be quieter. It took a while. At first she took a few steps and explored a little area around her. I had Mookie and we were running around in the snow. Craig had Penny and once she got the hang of it, she decided she should follow her brother and see what he was up to. The way she was walking was so silly. She would be behind me and I would give the leash a little tug. Then she would run up to a spot about even with me and then stop. If I stopped also, she would get a little scared which was strange. If I kept going, she would run to catch up. When she peed, we made sure to praise her a lot and gave her a little treat. By the end of our hour long walk in the park, she was running around and pouncing on the snow. She still refused to walk once we got back on the street.
On our next walk, we carried her down the steps and while it took some time, she eventually trotted down the street right behind her brother. She was still frightened when we got to the intersections. The avenues are a little more busy and freaked her out a little. She would not cross the street. We didn't want to force her to do anything she wasn't ready for so we just let her walk on the streets, and we carried her on the avenues and across the streets. She peed and pooed this time and she got lots of praise and of course 2 more treats. By the end of the walk she actually ran with us across the street to get home! She still doesn't climb the steps back into out building.
This morning, aside from the steps, she was a brave little girl. She walked the whole way!!! Crossing streets and up and down avenues!! All she needed was a little patience. She likes to walk right behind her big brother. Her nose is practically in his butt!! LOL But at least she feels safe.
In the apartment, they are doing really well together. Sharing toys and water and Mookie even lets her sleep on his bed. Probably because he would rather be on the couch or our bed. So far, we are being sure to give him a lot of attention. We are also not letting Penny on the sofa or the bed until Mookie is completely comfortable and they are settled in. At bedtime she was whining a little so we moved the dog bed right beside our bed and she just curled up and slept. She woke up a couple of times throughout the night but just licked my hand a little, circled the apartment and then settled back down. We only got 5.5 hours of sleep before she woke us up, but overall I think we had a pretty good day/night. Hopefully we will have this pottying in the house thing taken care of soon.
Did I mention how much we love Mookie?? LOL Penny's not too bad either ;)
More spam please. :-)