My first week with Baby Girl & Challenge (aka Snow & Charming)
Challenge and Baby Girl drying off in front of the fire after their first baths
Let’s see. Charming and Snow came to stay with us last Tuesday night so today would be the seventh day. I must say they are more work than I expected. I’ve taken pictures of them as perfect angels and, really, they’re good dogs it’s just that you can’t say ‘no’ or redirect them as easily as you can a hearing and sighted dog.
Remembering my only dog experience has been with the only perfect dog that ever walked the earth (Lady Day), the fact that Challenge (aka Charming) hunts bread off the counter with his nose, is new for me. Lady would have never dared do something that…childish. She was an old soul.
Challenge enjoying his bone
Lady most certainly would not have done what Challenge did yesterday. We have a compost pile in our back yard and it’s about four feet high right now. I brought Baby Girl (aka Snow) inside to wipe her feet. Challenge was alone for five minutes (?). He scaled that compost pile and was eating something off the top of it!!!! If I hadn’t been so upset that what he was eating might make him vomit and that, because he’s white, he was getting filthy, I’d have taken a picture because, the truth is, it was so stinkin’ funny. All white like he is, he looked like one of the three Billy Goats Gruff up there on his mound. It would’ve been interesting to see him scale it, too.
Baby Girl enjoying her bone
This morning I left them alone for the first time. I went to church and, wouldn’t you know, we had this on-fire evangelist who’s been there before so it went over the normal time as he was speaking words God had put on his heart. So, I felt badly scooting out but all I could think was ‘What kind of trouble might Challenge be getting into’ and ‘I’m sure God will understand.’
What I found will probably barely phase anyone else but they were both on my couch. Dogs aren’t allowed on our furniture. Again, Lady never did that. It was funny, though, because Baby Girl was curled up at the window end, all white-fawn looking. Challenge was standing over her so his front paws could be on the arm closest to the bay window. The only thing in any eminent danger was my c
……………………….6+3
ouch (sorry, that was Challenge with his nose on my laptop!) so that was a good first test.
I’ve bathed them, taken them to meet several of our neighbors, taken them on at least one walk every day, taken them on car rides, taken them to meet area business people that I’m fond of. They haven’t met a person they don’t like yet. I don’t know when I’ll have the nerve to introduce them to another animal. I really hope Chelsea from Deaf Dogs of Oregon and Joyce from the K-9 nose class return my e-mails soon because Challenge is aptly-named.
Oh, Baby Girl is still barking. Obviously, she always will. She’s a dog. Anyway, it’s rare and I think it’s so cute. Challenge still hasn’t made any sounds except this exasperated bored low growl occasionally like what a teenager probably sounds like on the inside when you’re espousing wisdom on them and all they hear is ‘Blah, blah, blah.’
Okay, tomorrow I will post about wine. I promise.
Viki
I am a Clark County native. I am Level 2 WSET (wine and spirit education trust)-certified and enjoy pairing wine with my passion for travel and fondness of food. My most prized possessions are the memories of places I've been with my husband, the chance encounters we've been blessed to have along the way and my carry-on bag. I can often be seen around town and in tasting rooms with our two beautiful, double-Merle Australian shepherds, Challenge and Baby Girl.