Takoda's Thread (cool guys wear shades)
SO... some of you might already know that I'm welcoming a Shikoku into my wonderful, motley crew! Monica, his previous owner, is a wonderful person and absolutely dedicated to this dog. I'm flattered to have been chosen and I will do the best I can to do right by him - and her!
Here's some pictures of Takoda she shared with me earlier...
I am a -little- nervous about how he's going to react to my cats. They're all pretty dog-savvy and have a Malamute up in their grill every day, though, so I hope they stay calm in the face of a "little", barky Shikoku. I don't expect it to be easy and have them all be best friends overnight (but wouldn't that be wonderful??), but as long as he isn't actively trying to rip them to pieces, I think everything will be okay with time and patience.
I'm so excited!
I thought I'd be asking a lot more questions than I am at this stage, but I must have gotten them out of the way early. I know some forum owners adopted adult Shikoku and they seemed to have a bit of a rough transition to start (I remember @Hinata23/Chocho the most, I think?).
...so, for all of the adult NK adopters out there... if you had to pick one piece of information that you wish you knew during the transition... what would it be?
Here's some pictures of Takoda she shared with me earlier...
I am a -little- nervous about how he's going to react to my cats. They're all pretty dog-savvy and have a Malamute up in their grill every day, though, so I hope they stay calm in the face of a "little", barky Shikoku. I don't expect it to be easy and have them all be best friends overnight (but wouldn't that be wonderful??), but as long as he isn't actively trying to rip them to pieces, I think everything will be okay with time and patience.
I'm so excited!
I thought I'd be asking a lot more questions than I am at this stage, but I must have gotten them out of the way early. I know some forum owners adopted adult Shikoku and they seemed to have a bit of a rough transition to start (I remember @Hinata23/Chocho the most, I think?).
...so, for all of the adult NK adopters out there... if you had to pick one piece of information that you wish you knew during the transition... what would it be?
Comments
I foster a lot of LGD and herding dogs through a rescue I'm active in, so I'm fairly used to their "brand" of sensitivity when they're adjusting... but it'll be interesting to see how Takoda acts and reacts and how different the adjustment period is.
@Zinja - haha, you guys are terrible influences! But... I had to want it to contact her in the first place. I'm really grateful and so happy I did.
I think the introduction and getting Takoda and London used to one another is going to be the hardest part. I'll likely keep them separated for a while at first, as they get used to one another. I want to make sure Takoda is comfortable in the house and with us before I introduce him to London.
@cdenney - We're playing it by ear. If I foster, it may be a lot longer than I thought it would from what she was saying (it sounded like "years"). I still feel what I said before and if she ever wants him returned, I won't hesitate if it's the best thing for him.
ChoCho has a pretty high prey-drive... I can't imagine her in a house with two cats. She freaks out when she sees them during walks. You should ask the owner how Takoda does with cats.
I think @hondru adopted Rakka while also having cats. Maybe she can help.
Btw I a super duper excited for u!
I've only met one Shikoku, and she tends to influence me a lof. I would have liked more before Takoda came, but he was the right dog (fingers crossed!) at the right time.
Tho, maybe it's not too late to meet more! I have two weeks, after all.
I have to say, Delta Airline is extremely pleasant to deal with! I'm very happy with them.
I'm totally getting the Shikoku bug. Especially for B&T ones...
I also just saw the shipping confirmation - the way they spell Shikoku is just lol.
@WrylyBrindle - I'll pick him up on Tuesday! It's a super long flight for him. He's coming from Las Vegas on Monday night (11:30) and he won't be in Providence until 12:30 on Tuesday because of a layover in Detroit.
I was nervous because of the blizzard we're getting today and tomorrow, I didn't know if it would end up being warm enough to have him fly (or I would have had him fly tomorrow). Luckily, we're going to get a small, warmish break on Monday and Tuesday.
I just hope his flight goes well. Monica got him a basket muzzle for the trip because she didn't want to give him a chance to hurt himself. He's in a cozy kennel. Something like 20 x 27 x 19? Anyway, I'm already a nervous dogmom.
She was also looking into a chewable type of sedative? She wants to make sure he's okay for his flight. I just want to know that we did all we could to decrease the stress of travel.