I went to the auction today with my dad. I'm busying browsing through the stuff when my dad comes over and says 'Those people are giving their puppies away'
I've been really...really...really...wanting to get a pup of my own for some time now. I romp with the Lab cross pup down the road were my horses are boarded at whenever I go out to feed. I would just like a 'dog of my own' really :)
And although I DO have a very large Great Dane to care for she's my 'moms dog' whom couldn't deal with the fact that Mom had to study 8+ hours a day and couldn't pay attention to her as much as she would have liked. So henceforth I have a partially trained (she listens to me but we aren't bonded like she is to mum) Dane whom frequently frays my nerves by just being to frikkin oblivious and excitable for her own good.
As I told my dad, "I love Lani, I really do. She's cute, she's slobbery, she's everything, but if I'm going to have a trainwreck I'd like to have my OWN trainwreck."
I enjoy dealing with my own mistakes and training mishaps rather than someone else's. At least you know if your dog doesn't sit, it's your own darned fault and not some past training flaw. Same with horses.
So I bee line over to see these puppies.
Both are jet black, small. One male and a female. The male is bigger but the girl is closer and so I ask to hold her. She is just a doll. Medium haired, with a cute little head, brown eyes, and ears like a Cocker Spaniel but smaller. Just adorable. Shaking like a leaf though. It turns out that they were dumped on their doorstep, and since they already have to many animals and the shelters are full, they decided to take them to the auction to see if someone would be willing to give them a good home.
I'm normally a 'Large Breed' person. Preferring nothing smaller than a Labrador and really preferring something more in the Great Dane - Mastiff - Irish Wolfhound size range. But by god she is just so utterly adorable. It's like a miniature pony. You don't know you want one until you see one. Then you just go 'D'AWWWW!'
I hand her back and bee line back to my dad. 'See how much they want' he says. So I beeline back over to the pups, discover their free, and promptly adopt the cute little girl. Grinning from ear to ear, I buzz off again
She quickly calms down and cradles either in my arm or clings to my neck. My brothers are instantly in love, they act like two Mother Hen's, cooing over her every move. Once it starts to rain I take her to the car and held an hour in a half name vote.
I am now the proud owner of one 'Bunny Sophia Muttsy'.
I take her home and at first Lani, my one year old Great Dane female, thinks she's a new playmate. But after discovering that little Bunny isn't quite big enough to play with yet, she becomes the third 'Mother Hen' and follows her around, sniffing her butt and cuddling.
The brothers, of course, are still utterly overjoyed, lay on the floor and laugh hysterically as tiny little Bunny bounces all over them. Not a good habit to teach, but hey, it's the first day and she is just so darned cute and tiny.
I water her, attempt to walk her (failure, utterly, she does not accept the leash at all. She does follow you just fine and dandy though), see if she's hungry at all and settle down with a book. Little Bunny bounces over and tries to climb onto the sofa (she can just peek over the cushions on her hind legs). I give her a boost, she climbs into my lap, rolls over, and goes to sleep.
(D'AWWWW!)
A few hours later I go to feed the pooches again and slice some roast for jerky. Lani the Great Dane is getting along just fine and dandy with Bunny The Possible Cocker Spaniel-Labrador Mix. I give them each a tiny scrap piece and watch closely for any signs of aggression or otherwise ill behavior. Me and the Dane may not be bonded, but I know her like the back of my hand. We understand each other, if you will.
Lani watches Bunny but does nothing at all. No aggression, just a sort of a loving pooch look while she drools.
Then I give them each a bowl of dog food. Lani's is sitting up were she can reach it easier, Bunny's is a bit away on the floor. She ignores her food and instead bounces around the legs of Lani and happily licks her nose.
Out of the blue Lani growls and...engulfs Bunny's head in her mouth.
I yell 'DROP IT', Bunny takes off like a rocket yowling and Lani knows instantly that 'Oh cr*p, not supposed to do that' by my death-ray glare and seething tone as I scold her up one side and down the other, then boot her into the backyard for a 'time out'.Bunny is unscathed other than one very slobbered head. Twenty minuets later when I let Lani back in she's back to bouncing around her legs and being utterly joyous and cute. Lani is back to her Mother Henly self. I shake my head and question the sanity of the dog.
Now, Lani's in 'her chair' (a huge blue recliner that she just fits into) watching Bunny totter around the living room, exploring. With Great Danes you do have to be careful not to hurt there feelings when you scold them and while Lani did fly out the back door (on her own accord, I didn't kick her mind you) with her tail tucked between her legs she is quite unhurt emotional wise. She DOES pout when she's feeling hurt and at the moment she's in her drooling/slouch/sleepy Dane phase. I gave her a kiss and forgave her when I let her back in. This may seem contridicting but if you scold her once, leave her for a good twenty minuets to think about it, then forgive her, she doesn't do it again.
I'll be posting some pictures just as soon as I can get them to upload....which may be a while....seeing as my card reader doesn't seem to want to read the buggering card...
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