We have added another member to the family! We are fostering-to-adopt a yellow Labrador retriever - English springer spaniel mix. He's not fully ready for adoption, partly for his age, partly because he isn't yet neutered or microchipped. We're in almost daily contact with the shelter. He caught coccidia right before we got him and was started on antibiotics. Then the next day they called to tell us there was an outbreak of kennel cough, but the Clavamox he was on should help.
Charlotte has had some issues adjusting to him. Now, she's having to share our attention. The first night she really scared us. We're in a pretty warm spell and we had lots of windows (with screens) open for air circulation. After fleeing from him for a while, she disappeared. We figured she was just hiding - hiding very well. It wasn't until Tom got up and it was chilling down from the rain storm that Tom went to close the bedroom window and found the screen had been popped most of the way out. We figured she either tried hard or the screen wasn't in all that tight and got out somewhere around 10pm. We went out calling and looking for her several times. We were at the point of wondering how much longer to wait to call the local shelter, vets and animal return service (HomeAgain - she's chipped). Tom went out to the garage one more time and she finally came to him.
It was another day before I found her collar snagged in the bottom of the fence. I had already ordered her a replacement. A spare's not a bad thing.
She's beginning to make advances toward playing with him. She'll tear into a room, go right up to him, then run away or jump up onto the furniture to tease him. He chases her, too. And they've touched noses from time to time. Each day brings a bit more progress.
Since he's appropriated every toy of hers he's come across, we bought her a special toy that is only brought out when Marley is otherwise occupied. We play on the bed to make sure he can't get up and grab it (the top of the mattress is nearly waist high for me). Her special toy is a feather "boa" on a string on a stick. She grabs it and rubs it on her face. As soon as it's clear Marley is headed that way, I put it in a drawer to make sure he doesn't get a chance to get at it. I want her to know, without doubt, it's her toy.
We also introduced Marley to the crate today. It was something I didn't think I wanted to do, but we were going out to dinner. We're not yet ready to leave him alone in the house, can't close him in the bathroom since it's Charlotte's bathroom, too. We put a big folded blanket in the crate, tossed in many of his toys and a couple of smal biscuits. The TV was on, so we left it on for "company". He was calm as we left and calm when we got back. After a short walk in the yard (in case he needed to pee) we fed him, waited a few and took him back out to poop. He even went back inside the crate after he'd been released! So far, so good.
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