This was our first full day with our adoptee, who we have decided to name Peaches, or at least she now has a brass tag with that name engraved on it. I also bought her a new collar and leash--peach colored. A new leash on life, so to speak. It's hard choosing just the right name, but since she seems like such a peach of a girl, it seemed like a good name for her. She and Bubba are having a period of adjustment, as are we all. It's not easy bringing a new dog into the house and kind of turns everything upside down. You lose sleep, just like with a new baby, and I sure did last night listening for any sound of her moving around, as we hadn't mastered the dog doors yet. Fortunately, she slept through the night without a peep.

Although she is far from a pup, she is quite lively, and I hope not too much so for my old boy. He's set in his ways (as are we) and hasn't taken to her as quickly as I'd hoped he would, but these things take time and patience. Perhaps he was not as sad about being an only dog as I thought he was, but she's here to stay, and they'll just have to learn to coexist peacefully, with our help and supervision. Bubba's not a vicious dog, but he's definitely trying maintain his top dog status, and she tries to push the envelope sometimes. We try to keep things cordial, but it's a challenge. The way they were introduced at the SPCA was far from ideal. I'm frankly surprised at how it was handled by staff because they are supposed to know dogs so well. I tried to tell the young woman who was so adamant that she knew what she was doing (and claimed she had a basset, which I strongly doubt) that it was better to take them out on the lawn off leash, where they could interact unfettered as dogs are meant to and would do in the wild. Being on leash, especially if it's being pulled taut as she was doing (after I told her not to), can trigger aggression when the dog feels he is either protecting his owner or is not able to approach another dog on his own terms or escape if there's a need to.

We made some progress with using the doggie doors today, although she made one pee-pee mistake in the house. I think because she was scared by a baby gate that fell over. We'll have to monitor them more closely the rest of the weekend. She'll get the hang of it. She's a smart little dog. Maybe too smart! Very sweet and loving, though, with not a mean bone in her skinny little body, which is already plumping out a bit from some good eating. Hoping for a more restful night.