By far, the biggest news of this week is the furry new addition to our family. Pria, the 5-year-old rescue beagle, joined us last Saturday, and it's been fun seeing her transition into becoming one of our family members. She wasn't sure of us the first night, and waited by the front door, thinking her foster would be coming back for her (it was rather heartbreaking.) But, we lavished her with love and attention, and gave her space when she needed.
She quickly figured out "her" spaces in the house...the multiple beds, and crate where she feels safe. I am so glad that we ended up putting the crate in the office right next to my desk. She hangs out with me so much during the day!
Pria and I take multiple walks during the day (she's pretty easy to walk, and her tails wags so high when we're out in the neighborhood), which is good for both of us. I don't get the sense that she got many walks in her last (non-foster) home. Her joy at sniffing ALL the smells is apparent, and I give her the time she needs to check it all out. Except when it's really cold...on Friday night, our walk basically turned into a run. She didn't want to stop for anything!
She doesn't play much with toys, but she has found a few goodies in the house that she'd like to chew on, if we let her...a starfish from Florida, G's socks, Puppy, etc. When we tell her no, she stops, so I keep reminding the kids that we need to let her explore, and that will be how she learns what she can play with and what she can't.
We've seen two big, wonderful changes over the last week. Her foster mentioned that she didn't really like to snuggle on the couch, but in the last week, she's been laying down next to us on the couch, and falling asleep. We take that as a sign that she feels safe. She's also the quietest dog we've ever owned. Her foster never heard her bark in the month that he had her. The other night she was standing at the front door and let out a HUFF. Scott told her that she should howl (and then he howled), and to our surprise, she let out two howls! Her barker ISN'T broken! We haven't heard her make any noise since, but it gives us a glimpse into who she could become.
Snuggling happily on the couch
We are so grateful that she's here! I've accidentally called her Lucky a few times (they look a lot alike), and even Ava slipped up earlier today. We just want her to feel safe and know that she is in her forever home. I am SO happy that we adopted her...getting a puppy at this time didn't feel right to me. The fact that we could give a home to an older dog feels so much better, and I'm sure there will be another puppy in the future. Just not right now.
In non-doggo news...Ava and I attended (via Zoom) a high school marching band meeting on Tuesday night. Holy smokes, this band is a major commitment, for both the kids and the parents. They are amazing, and are going to be so much fun to watch. We will definitely be hitting the fundraising hard in the near future (it's neat that they do a wide variety of fundraising opportunities, so people can contribute in the way they feel most comfortable with.)
I think G and I are going to travel to Cali to watch Ava in the Rose Parade over New Years. Scott doesn't really like to travel so he'll be staying at home with Pria. I promised G a trip when he turned 9 (Ava went to NY over her 9th birthday), so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we'll get to share together.
Listening to our upcoming schedule for marching band (yes, OUR schedule...)
Last weekend, Ava, G, and I went to Skateville for a birthday party for one of G's friends. Since G had never been skating before, it was an exhausting experience for him and me. Ava had a blast rolling around, and can't wait to go back. I hadn't been on skates for decades, so it took me a little bit to get back into it...good thing I was going really slow with G! All in all, it was a different way to spend a Sunday afternoon, which also gave Scott and Pria a chance to hang out and get to know each other.
I'm glad that we've had a low-key weekend to relax a bit from a busy week, and get to hang out with our new furry friend. We're going to start working on training her in the near future...at least the basic commands, like come, sit, wait, and down. Do you have any favorite training tips to share?
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