Puppy Love

Yes, I already have 2 dogs, both of whom I brought home with me already imprinted with someone else's early nurturing. I love my dogs, but Mia is having physical issues and I may have her put to sleep ... sooner, rather than later. Daisy is very set in her ways, and it's Daisy's way or the highway. She is not thrilled that I brought home a new puppy, but Mia and I are enjoying her very much. Today, as a matter of fact, Cinnamon crawled up from my belly to my left arm, which was tucked against the couch, scooted around until she was comfy, and didn't move for an entire hour.

Cinnamon is Applehead Chihuahua and Pomerainian, and her mother and daddy are both about 2/3 Daisy's size. Her fur (refer to photo) is a soft, buttery yellow with one cinnamon dot; hence, her new name: Cinnamon. Her nails need clipping, and I must make a vet appt for her shots, as well as an appt to be "fixed."

As far as I can tell, she's smart, already playing with the crazy blue ball and quickly learning how to come in/go out the doggy door. Of course, the first time she made it through one side, she curled up on the little base between the inner and outer flaps, then went soundly to sleep. Imagine Daisy's surprise when she came bounding through the doggie door! When it's time to go to the potty place, both Mia and Daisy walk her over to the shaded sandy area they have all used until they were big enough to make it out to the dog run. It's cute to see the little troop of dogs heading out, single file, Mia in the lead, Daisy in the middle, and Cinnamon running furiously to keep up with the much larger dogs, on their way to pee.

Cinnamon can bark, at first tentatively, but when it's at Daisy, her bark becomes louder. A really obnoxious yapping dog is sometimes as effective at keeping strangers outside the fence as the ferocious bark of a bigger dog. My goal: less large poop piles to clean up every week.

I am by nature a nurturer, and right now I need something to nurture. I've killed almost all of my houseplants in the past 6 weeks, either by over-watering or under-watering, I'm not sure which. Instead of replacing them, I'm going to nurture the dog and fervently pray that the dog fairs better than the plants.