June 18th, 2014 - 12 weeks old, 30 lbs and doggy bonding

Today's Date - June 16th, 2014

 

Had a Kodak Moment and didn't have my camera with me.  While supervising Rosie and Emmett's play time out in the backyard my furry children made me smile in a really big way.

Rosie was laying on the back driveway under the shade from the Sycamore just peacefully enjoying the afternoon when Emmett layed about 2 feet from her.  Together they layed there a good while, while I observed with grateful astonishment. 

 

Also, earlier in the day, while in the bathroom, Emmett came in and layed down at my feet followed by Rosie who also found space to lay at my feet.  Emmett sat up and very gently rested his paw on Rosie's back.  She looked at me, wagged her tail and I smiled letting her see my approval. It's just one of those special moments that I will always remember fondly of Rosie.

 

Rosie was a feral puppy that adopted us.  Because she was feral, she takes her food very seriously.  She loves people but saying she doesn't play well with others (dogs, puppies, cats or kittens) would be an understatement.  She looks like a Mini Pin / Shepherd mix and definitely has a terrier attitude. 

 

The picture below was one of the first ones taken after she decided to stay with us.

 

 

She's smart, funny, lovable and an incredible watch dog but only with humans.  She loves both my husband and I but let there be no doubt that she absolutely adores her daddy and is definitely a daddy's girl.

 

We lived behind dog gates and played auto dog rotation from room to room for many years.  It was a way of life that we became accustomed to and at least in our case, was able to make it work.  We had 4 dogs and it was a bit of work but let there be no doubt that Rosie in her mind and theirs was #1 dog in command.

 

The picture below is of our four practicing their wrestling moves in a photo that I had taken and entitled, "Tag Team".

 

We could go months with no problem then for what ever reason something as simple as one of the other dogs looking at her daddy would be enough to set her off and never in my life have I witnessed any other dog as fierce as she is. 

As a feral dog, she fought to survive and let's just say for conversation that she made Old Yeller look like a sissy.

The picture below was our first hint about her devotion and love for her daddy.

Like I said, we could go months with no problems.

 

 

 

Life was good, perhaps a little tense at times but we took all the needed precautions and knew exactly what would push Rosie's buttons.

As the dogs aged and crossed the Rainbow Bridge, Rosie became an only child.  Rosie was absolutely devastated when we had to put Emma down.  I called them, "The Twins" because they were always together.  Let there be no doubt about their devotion to one another.
                               

 

 

 

Talk about trust!

 

 

 

 

We actually took Rosie with us when we put Emma down so she would know and understand that Emma was not coming back with us.

They did everything together after their adjustment time getting to know one another.  In the beginning Rosie flat out, absolutely hated Emma who was only 10 weeks old when I rescued her.  To make a very long and somewhat complex story short, we had several attitude adjustments and she finally accepted Emma. 

Emma could do anything she wanted to Rosie and until the day she passed away, they were truly the best of friends.

Rosie mourned Emma for almost a month and hid under the bed.  She wouldn't eat, drink or even bark when our neighbor rang the doorbell.   I have never seen any dog more heartbroken than Rosie had been over her beloved Emma.

They were very protective of one another and were definitely a team.  Mark and I had discussed getting a puppy but we were very concerned about Rosie's reaction. 

Talk about a couple of people brainstorming and coming up with a battle plan.  In the end all our planning paid off. 

Emmett has been part of our family going on 6 weeks and it's amazing to watch the interaction between the two.  Rosie has taught Emmett some very much needed puppy lessons.  What's acceptable, what isn't and he walks a very respectable 2 - 3 feet behind her at all times.

Lessons learned now will forever be engrained in Emmett's brain which will be a huge blessing when he triples Rosie by weight and height if not more by the time he's full grown.  In the 6 weeks Emmett has been home he's gained 20 pounds and tripled in size and height.

Emmett will always respect Rosie and that is a good thing.  I love watching the two of them, side by side.  This morning both dogs were sleeping together under the kitchen table as I used my Laptop and Emmett woke up, stretched and placed his head on Rosie's hind quarters.  She instantly woke up, glanced backwards, saw it was him and both dogs went right back to sleep.

I just sat there, spellbound with my mouth wide open.  Of course the camera wasn't anywhere within grabbing distance but it will be something that I will always remember.

 

 

 

                               Today's Date - June 18th, 2014

 

Today, Emmett received his 2nd series of puppy shots and the Vet will x-ray his right front paw during out next visit.  It looks like he must of been stepped on by his mother when he was a very young puppy and the bones became set in a crooked way.  It doesn't appear to hurt him at all when he walks or runs.  The picture below was taken when he was 5 weeks old and the leg is noticeably swollen.  Even back then he got around with no problem.

 

 

The picture below was taken at the Vet's office before he got his first series of puppy shots and he was 3 days shy of being 8 weeks old.  His leg is more noticeable.

 

 

                     Today's Date - June 21st, 2014

Today, Emmett is officially 12 weeks old and weighs 30 pounds. Last night he jumped up onto the couch by himself, he loves to jump and climb on all the furniture.  He has his toys scattered about the house and plays with all of them.

I love watching Emmett's first reactions to different situations.  He is very alert and barks if he sees or hears something that he isn't familiar with.  Just last night he scratched at the backdoor to let me know he had to go potty.

While outside he was totally memorized by the Lightning Bugs, the expression on his face as he gazed at them was priceless.  Still haven't come across any sort of food item that he doesn't like.  All dogs are motivated by food and he is by far the biggest food hound I've ever come across.  There's going to be a crash course in not taking food off of the table, counters or folding tables that we use in the Den when we watch TV.

He is giving all the signs of being a "Counter Snatcher" or in English he will be able to reach all food on the counter tops, table and stove.  I will be working with him not to do so. 

He's starting to lose his baby teeth and my arms have healed nicely after being used as chew toy for several weeks.  He plays very rough but he also can be so gentle and for the record, he does not like getting a bath.  I have to admit I was nicely surprised when I saw how quickly he dried.

He now has enough confidence to explore the entire backyard.  Yesterday afternoon Rosie was laying in the shade against the house on the back patio and after sizing her up, he did exactly the same thing.  He watches Rosie and mimics everything she does.

When the two are outside together, Rosie will keep looking over her shoulder to see if he's keeping up with her.  He wants to play with her so badly and she is starting to show signs that it's only a matter of time before she does.

Little does she know that within a couple of weeks he will be as tall as her if not even taller.