Starting Again...

Peter had some problems in his first home. After a brief honeymoon period, he got off on the wrong foot and it was decided that he'd do better back at SEGA until he could find a new home.



So today he came home with me--to be the foster brother of my 8-year-old girl, Silver--until he remembers his manners and SEGA finds him a new home. He was nervous, panting, and stressed when he arrived (and ignoring his stuffed Kong); that lasted about 30 minutes. Then he took a nap.



I got a close-up photo of him, and that woke him up. No longer stressed, he was willing to clean out his Kong (kibble, vanilla yogurt, and a couple of mini-marshmallows, frozen).


Look closely. There's a dog hiding on that bed.

He took another nap. When he woke up again, he was a bit bored. One thing he's going to learn here is how to chill when he's awake; naps are great, but sometimes he needs to be awake and calm. So he's in an ex-pen to keep him from wandering around and getting into trouble, and when he wakes up and is bored, he yawns. Loudly. And sighs--loudly. I'm sitting where he can see me, but I have my back to him while I work, and his yawns and sighs get louder and louder as he hopes for my attention (and I'm smothering my giggles). When he doesn't get noticed, he just goes back to sleep.

And that's how we want it. He'll learn to be calm and relaxed while his adopters go to work.

He's had his dinner and now is napping (again). In a little while, he'll get another quick walk, and Peter, Silver, and I will settle down in the living room to watch the Braves game. At bedtime, he'll get another quick walk, then have a Kong in his crate. Tomorrow morning, he'll be left home alone (and crated) while Silver goes to an obedience class. We'll see how he does then.

Peter's adoption photo, February 2013

One thing I want to add: This boy is gorgeous. When you see him in person, you realize that his coloring is much more vivid than it looked in bright sunlight during his adoption photos. His head is nice and slender, and he's not very large. He raced at a variety of weights ranging from 64 to 71 pounds; that's a wider range than most racers. Today, on the scales at Lake City, he weighed just under 69 pounds, and he looks great. He travels well in the car, too; the boy rode for more than 80 miles today.

* * *

Holey moley! He just came over the top of the ex-pen! (Ignore his sighs at your peril.) It's time for the Braves game, so I gave him his post-dinner walk, and I'm letting him stay out of the ex-pen. Bedtime (for him) at 10pm or so, and we'll work on ex-pen tolerance tomorrow. He has to learn the ex-pen is his friend. The alternative is the crate, and the bed there isn't as cushy.