Recalling the first week I adopted my puppy, Rascal.
After adopting my new puppy, Lucy, I was reminded of when I adopted my small dog, Rascal, seven years ago. I thought I would share a story of my chihuahua mixes first week home.
In case it's helpful, below are the topics covered in this post:
Initial Meeting
For months, I searched for the right puppy for me and my first dog, Shadow. Not only did I want a small cuddle buddy, but Shadow preferred being with small dogs opposed to dogs his size. I believed a small dog would be a great addition to our small family.
I also read online that it was best to adopt a dog that was the opposite sex of your current dog. Apparently, assertive behavior was less likely to be a problem between opposite sexes.
I also read that it was not a great idea to have two male dogs. I was set on adopting a female puppy.
On 3rd July 2015, I saw a posting for a small female chihuahua mix about an hour's drive away. My niece and Shadow joined me for a trip from my Mom's house where I was staying for a few days to meet the puppy.
When we arrived, my niece stayed in the SUV with Shadow while I headed in to meet the puppy. Unfortunately, another person was in the process of adopting her. I felt bummed.
Instead of making the hour long drive back to my Mom's house, I decided to stop at the nearby humane society a few cities over. I adopted Shadow from there eight years prior and figured I would go to see the adoptable puppies.
To my surprise, they had a male chihuahua mix that looked identical to the female puppy I wanted to meet earlier that day. I asked a volunteer to hang out with the puppy in one of their meeting rooms.
Meeting Walter, the three-month-old chihuahua mix puppy, was an experience identical to when I met and adopted Shadow.
The puppy was nervous at first and sat in a corner of the room, just like Shadow did when we first met. I sat on the floor and left him alone to prevent scaring him any further.
Before I knew it, he was on my lap. He then refused to get off my lap even when it was time for him to return to kennel.
Unlike when I met Shadow, the puppy's acceptance of me happened much faster. The puppy was on my lap within five minutes. It took Shadow about ten or fifteen minutes before he laid on my lap when we met.
I asked if Shadow could meet the puppy. I was informed by an employee that puppies under four months who were not fully vaccinated could not meet older dogs. I did not know this and felt bummed. I was not going to adopt a puppy Shadow could not meet first.
The employee asked about Shadow. After I mentioned that he was adopted from the same humane society and turned out to be a near perfect dog, the employee said she would allow Shadow to meet the puppy in her office.
My niece and Shadow came to the office. The meeting between my dog and the puppy went well! Shadow was excited and tried to take the puppy out of the office.
I was not sure about adopting the puppy at the time, so I thanked the employee and headed home. Shadow whined for part of the drive back to Mom's house.
The next day, I could not stop thinking about the puppy and how Shadow whined when we left empty pawed. I would have gone to adopt the puppy, but the organization was closed due to it being Independence Day, a holiday celebrated in the US.
Adoption Day
On 5th July, I asked my Mom to dog-sit Shadow for a few hours. I told her I was heading to the humane society to adopt a puppy. She was adamant that I did not adopt another dog, but I did not listen to her. My mind was made up.
I stopped at a pet store to buy a few supplies. I then returned to the humane society and adopted the puppy named Walter.
The puppy was excited to see me, just like Shadow was excited to see me when I returned to adopt him as a puppy. I felt like I made the right choice for me, but I worried about having two male dogs following several online articles I read about the challenges I could face.
Nevertheless, I knew I would find a way to make things work out between Shadow and the puppy. I just needed to see how they reacted to one another on neutral grounds, also known as my Mom's house.
I left the puppy in his travel crate in Mom's garage. I let Shadow into the garage and played with him for a while. Shadow greeted me excitedly as he does when we were separated for some time.
Shadow immediately noticed the crate. He cautiously walked over to investigate it. When he realized it was the puppy that he met two days prior, Shadow got excited.
Shadow tried to open the crate door by himself. I went ahead and let the puppy out. They immediately played with one another. It was amazing!
After spending some time at Mom's house, we made the one and a half hour drive back to our own house. Shadow spent the drive smiling and wagging his tail while watching the puppy in the backseat.
First Night Home
As I did when I first brought Shadow home, I put on the puppy's new collar and leash. I then walked him around the backyard for a potty break after a long car ride.
Before we entered the house, I wiped him with wet wipes. My Mom did the same to Shadow when I adopted him, so I figured I would make this a new tradition.
I carried the puppy to a mirror and introduced him to our reflection. Unlike Shadow, the puppy did not growl initially. He just looked out at our reflections for a while.
I fed both boys side-by-side at the same time. It felt like the puppy was a part of our small family for longer than the few hours I had him.
That evening, I sat on the couch to watch a movie. Shadow laid on my ride side with his head on my leg like usual. The puppy fell asleep in my right arm.
When we went to bed a few hours later, the puppy decided to chew on the wooden bed frame. Before I could correct him, Shadow let out a bark and slapped the puppy on the head with his left paw. The puppy quit and jumped onto the bed.
The puppy fell asleep while maintaining eye contact with me. Shadow fell asleep watching the puppy. Unbeknownst to me, this would become routine for many years to come.
However, the puppy did not respond to the name Walter. I needed to decide on a new name for him.
The Week That Followed
During a phone call with Mom, she called the puppy ugly and a waste of money. She hated the small dog (and still does). Mom called him "a little Rascal" and I loved the name!
I told Mom to hold on and called out for "Rascal." The puppy, who was in another room at the time, came running to me. I knew then that his new name was Rascal.
Mom hated the name and only called him Cocoa. To this day, he responds to both Rascal and Cocoa.
When I returned to work the next week, I left Rascal in a crate. I figured Shadow, my lazy lab mix, would want a break from Rascal's puppy energy.
I would return home at lunchtime to let the dogs out for a potty break. However, I returned home to Rascal out of the crate and messes around the house.
Even when I would put Rascal back in his crate at lunchtime, I returned home after work to Rascal out of the crate and more messes around the house. I was stumped!
Mid-week, I took the dogs to Home Depot, a dog-friendly store in my town, and bought a cheap home security system. I wanted to get to the bottom of Rascal's escape so I could address it.
The next morning at work, I opened the app to check on the dogs. A colleague was watching behind me because he was curious about the quality of the security cameras for his own home.
As soon as the camera feed loaded, we watched as Shadow opened the door to the crate. He used his mouth to unlatch and swing open the door to let Rascal out. Rascal licked Shadow's face and then ran around the living room like a crazy lunatic. Shadow jumped onto the couch and watched Rascal have fun.
My colleague laughed while my jaw dropped in disbelief. Not only did I see that with my own eyes, but my colleague was a witness to the puppy's escape.
Shadow always hated crates, so it was ultimately no surprise that he let Rascal out. I had to teach Rascal to use potty pads and gave up on the crate.
I wanted to train Rascal basic commands and expected it to take time. However, Rascal picked up on basic training immediately with Shadow's help.
Shadow played a huge role in Rascal's training efforts. There were many times I wondered if Shadow believed Rascal was his puppy. Raising Rascal was ridiculously easy thanks to Shadow.
However, Rascal's puppy energy would prove to be a bit much for Shadow at times. When Rascal was not burning off energy, he always wanted to cuddle with me or Shadow. Shadow was not used to long cuddles (although he loved being hugged and kissed), but he eventually caved in and let Rascal close to him.
Something that helped Rascal burn off energy was a treadmill I bought from a colleague. Before I attempted to get him onto it, I used it myself while he watched. I then sat him on it while it was off to get him used to the machine.
With Shadow's help, I was able to get Rascal walking on it. I sat facing Rascal with a treat to lure him to walk forward. Shadow, without instruction or guidance from me, would stand behind the treadmill and push Rascal's bum whenever Rascal tried to get off.
It took us one night to get Rascal used to the treadmill. Rascal used it daily until he was fully vaccinated and could go to more places.
My Thoughts
I was fortunate to have found the perfect puppy for me and Shadow. I have no regrets.
I never had a problem with two male dogs being assertive with one another. It turned out that Rascal, as a puppy, was submissive to me and Shadow. Both boys got along well.
Shadow was an intelligent dog and figured out how to help me raise Rascal. Within a few weeks, Rascal reflected on some of Shadow's mannerisms and behavior. In fact, I cannot recall teaching Rascal any basic commands other than "sit."
I never expected Shadow to do as much as he did for Rascal, but it was helpful and much appreciated. I never enrolled Rascal into a puppy training class because it seemed unnecessary.
My boys bond was strong from the beginning and remained so until Shadow's dying day. I wish Rascal's relationship with my new puppy, Lucy, would one day be as strong as his relationship with Shadow was.
What's Next?
While the first week with Rascal was relatively easy, the same was not true with my newest puppy, Lucy. I will soon share her adoption story.
Comment below to share your dog's adoption story!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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