Christmas was hectic as usual here, with us hosting JD's family on Christmas Eve, and my family on Christmas Day. My mom (on a little hiatus from the nursing home) spent Christmas night at our house. It was great having her here, and considering what she has been through in the past year, it was nothing short of miraculous. But, taking care of a nursing home patient is a tall order, and it was very high maintenance to care for someone who needs help dressing, bathing, etc. The joy she felt made it all worthwhile, though.
After she went back to Bennington, VT (where nursing home is), our life got permanently turned upside down on Sunday, Dec. 27 when we adopted a 3 yr-old Golden Retriever. We got him from my brother-in-law, who apparently didn't want him anymore. The pup is a gregarious individual named Buddy, who has had no obedience training whatsoever, and very little life experience outside his house. He really has turned our house upside down - the cats have been living upstairs and have not come down. I moved all their necessitities to our upstairs bathroom. Buddy stands at the bottom of the stairs (which now has a gate across it) and gets all excited just to watch them. Lacey, our mom cat, sits on a ledge next to the stairs and hisses at him to try and get her point across. But Buddy never gets the message.
Tomorrow morning he goes to the vet for shots and a checkup. I am also scheduling an appointment for neutering, because he is still intact. I'm hoping that will take his hyper-ness down a few notches. Then we'll start some obedience training. So far I have managed to teach him sit, but he needs a lot more than that. I've also ordered a crate so he won't destroy the house when we're not at home. He's already bonded to us and gets separation anxiety when we leave him, so the crate will be a necessity. He's a good dog, and very smart, so I think it will all be worth it.
Glad you took him on - sounds like what he needs is a little attention and training - we lost our wonderful Golden Sunny about a year and a half ago and I still miss him - looking forward to hearing more about his adventures.
ReplyDeleteThat was great that your mom got to visit for Christmas!
Glad you had some special time with your mother, even though it posed some difficulties.
ReplyDeleteBuddy definitely needs some civilizing, but I'm sure you are up to the task. Neutering and a lot of exercise should help him a lot. Once his mind starts to function at a more normal pace I have a feeling you will train him quickly.
Poor kitties. Sounds as if Lacey might be a good disciplinarian herself. All she has to do is come down to the gate and give him a few good "cat talks." *G*