Josh: My first night home? This sounds like a good opening topic. I remember my soon-to-be parents walking through that door up in the mountains of Pennsylvania like it was yesterday. It was cold and snowy that day, and I heard my former owner say that they may not be able to visit me due to the weather. I was so sad . But when that knock on the door came, I went insane! I was so excited (and nervous) that the first thing I did when I saw my new owners was fart! Of course, those silly adults first had to sit down and talk about me – to make sure they really wanted me (as if). My former owner (who gave me up because she didn’t want me to become a show dog, after all!) even left the room so they can discuss it. I think that discussion lasted two seconds. My ride from there was filled with more farting and general nervousness. My new mommy was so sick, and the smell of my farts did not help matters. When I finally arrived to my new home, everything was so quiet. The person who helped my mommy and daddy buy this house had left a gift in the house after closing: A dog bed for when they got a dog. That became my first ever bed….
Jeter: I am the only one of these three to come here as a puppy! I walked into the house, meeting Josh for the first time as it was not required I do so before they brought me home. Josh instantly took me on as his protegé, and I paid him back by taking away his favorite toy and essentially nagging the hell out of him. Josh is a gentle giant – but he had a way to make sure I knew my place in this house! The puppy tests done on me already showed that I was a submissive dog – I didn’t want to take any power away from Josh! I (like most puppies) mostly slept on my first night here – a lot of that time spent in my crate or outside as they started house breaking me. I was a pain in the ass in that crate, constantly crying and barking until my daddy came downstairs and slept next to me. That probably isn’t recommended when crate training a dog, but I was just so irresistible (that is a synonym for “annoying”, right?)
Alanis: My first night was so much fun! To rewind, I met Josh and Jeter at a dog park earlier in the day. Initially, Jeter didn’t like me very much…..
Jeter: Yeah, yeah – Alanis. I am not good with meeting dogs for the first time. Nothing personal….
Alanis: This is my time to tell a story, Jeter. Go back to your tennis ball. Eventually, Jeter started playing with me and that was enough for my former owner to say OK to my new family! I went home, met my mommy for the first time, and instantly started making my presence known. That night, Jeter and I played for hours as my parents TRIED to watch TV. The best part of Day 1 was that I instantly stole my new daddy’s chair and made it my own. I admit to being quirky, and Day 1 was no exception. I hated the stairs, and refused to go up them….
Josh: I can relate, girl! I lived my first 18 months in a ranch house, so when I first came here, I had no concept of stairs. Eventually, I made myself up the stairs, but refused to go back down them. It was very stressful….
Alanis: Is this how this blog is going to work? I try to talk and my brothers have to jump in? If so, I am going to take my diva self and quit this gig right away!
Josh and Jeter: Get yourself, girl!
Alanis: Anyway, that sums up my first night in my new home. I felt very welcome and knew I would have a good life here.
When you bring a dog or puppy into a new situation, they are all going to react differently. Josh was instantly at ease, but didn’t know what to make of the steps. Jeter was a puppy so he did what puppies like to do: Go to sleep. He cuddled up next to Josh for a while until we put him into his crate. Alanis was a wild child who also did not take kindly to the stairs. Dogs can have issues with depth perception when it comes to stairs, so it can take them a while to figure out. Don’t fret it if your dog doesn’t settle in right away, especially if it came from another home or a shelter. They need to adjust and essentially “find their way”. You will be surprised how quickly it happens.