Ok, now that you've
met Scooter officially, here goes the narration of her moving in and
making Poughkeepsie her home. In being introduced it was noted
that Scooter hails from Birdwalk Farm.... also the home of the infamous
Curly, Chief Cockapoo and Commander of Curly's Commando Course for Crazed
Cockapoos.... and lest you think this is an overstatement, just wait.
Even
after her long day of travel to arrive in
her northern new home, we had a decent night - she woke up a few times needed
some reassuring but settled again right away... and made
it till about 7am the next morn. Needless to say the first few days were
spent working out a schedule of crate time, out time and just overall
getting to know each other and snuggling... nights have been going well from
the beginning, we all hit the sack and Scooter settles into her bed in
her crate in the bedroom with us, and with minimal fussing settles in just
fine. Her crate is within eyeballing me, and as long as I don't move too
far toward the other side of the bed where she can't see me she is happy
and content. She has a doggie bed with sheepie covering all her own, with
a baby fleece blanket too - that has been very quickly adopted as her binkie,
and where binkie goes so goes Scooter. By Sunday she had learned that the
run outside was for going out to get busy in.... and within a week we graduated
to her just being put out there and doing her thing without me having to
stay out there with her. She also camed equipped knowing paper training...
so for the times that we are playing or she is in her playpen (not to be
confused with one of her crates) - she does try to hit the paper if we forget
the time. These first days have been very busy with friends dropping in to
welcome her to her new home - and of course both Scooter and Puffin are making
out like bandits with New Puppy and Big Sister presents.
Scooter even got her first email....
By Day 3 we had also tested
and worked out the Morning Snuggle Routine.... we all get up and Ginny
takes her pills, everyone goes out, and we all manage to snuggle back
in on the sofa for another nap - granted Puffin is on one end and Scooter
on the other (Puffin's choice needless to say) - but this is progress in
the Getting To Know You Department. Scooter is decidedly energetic - a
little much so for Puffin's taste at the moment, so both are learning how
to meet this one in the middle....
To be sure we have a little
pistol here..... she is, according to Birdwalk sources, a Magna cum Laude
graduate of CCCCC (see above) - and demonstrates her accomplishments without
reserve. By Day 4 she was an old hand at making off with Ginny's slippers
(or any other shoe or piece of clothing that might land on the floor) -
Slipper Swiper makes off with it and makes it to the living room in about
four seconds flat (now that may not seem like a major accomplishment to
you, but when you conside the slipper is bigger than she is, well....).
Place her in circumstances that she does not approve of, and you will hear
about it - she howls. Starts out cry and whine.... then goes to full
bore howl. Head back, chin up.... singing at the moon.....
and given the opportunity we also have a built in paper shredder in
residence now. Puffin likes to rat off with gift wrap and tissue paper in
particular - Scooter is not picky. Paper - any paper - will do. Consequently
Ginny has had to adjust her newspaper reading habits - namely not on the
living room floor. Don't read the mail there either. Especially not the
bills. That of course brings up the other problem - trying
to reprimand her with "that face" and "those eyes" looking at you - usually
with something illegal but therefore all the more engaging haging out of
her mouth. I probably could have named her "OhGoshThatFace" since that is
seeming to be what everyone greets her with and I swear she is starting
to answer to it......
Day 5 proved to be another busy
one - Zoe (Puffin's real half sister from next door) came to stay for
the day - so we did have a very poo-ful house for the day. This however
proved to be a good time and purpose to really settle in on a crate/timeout
schedule - and it is proving its worth well since Scooter hs crate trained
now with nary a ripple. Free time gets earned when she has gone out and
been busy... and that of course also earns her a "Good Girl Treat" - it
did not take her long to decide that she rather likes Charlee Bears along
with her big sister.... and selective learning has allowed her to learn
what "good girl treat" means when it's said - she will dance around at
the counter just ready for it. 'Course the other half of that - the first
half called "do you have to go out" is still not processing..... but anywho,
we all did fine - Puffin and Zoe each appropriated their own "Scooter Safe"
zones, one each on each sofa, since the terror of NY ran around ambushing
them nonstop. Scooter is unreal - no matter how many times she gets put in
her place by Puffin (or Zoe) - and Scooter submits right away with either
dropping down or rolling over belly-up, the moment Puffin turns away Scooter
is up and running with that glint in her eye and is right back at it. I've
continued to let Puffin tell Scooter who is Top Dog, with me siding with
Puffin....
One of the best parts of her
day - and Puffin's - is when we go next door to Zoe's yard to run. Zoe
has a really gorgeous fenced in pool area... so that they all can run flat
out for all they want. It's been a great way to let the two of them blow
off steam and wear themselves out as well as test their mettle with each
other since it's neutral turf for them both. Puffin has from the beginning
let Scooter know who is Top Dog - though it's been "polite" as far as dogs.
Scooter is never-ending tease, baiting her older sister to no end - usually
from behind. Play time is a riot - she has the attention span of an ant
as far as one
toy, but goes at anything with gusto. Her NewPuppyPresents have
two in particular that have been big hits - a little fleece funnyface
with troll hair on it and a rattle inside (from Zoe and her family),
as well as a hard rubber pacifier which as tacky as it sounds is indeed
a favorite. She also likes a latex squeaky barbell that has all sorts of
spikey things all over it - you can tell it tickles her mouth juut watching
her with it. Today she discovered that it squeaked and was a riot - between
the sound and being "blown at' with the air coming out of the hole in it...
and chewis too of course. I made sure that Puffin had a good new bone, and
it took Scooter no time to find one of the older ones - it's bigger than
she is but that doesn't stop her. It has had peanut butter in it, and she
goes into it up to here forehead. I make sure that I am with her when she
goes at it - but it's enough to send you over the edge watching it. Even
Puffin has sat there looking at
her. Speaking of peanut butter - Puffin's treat each evening after
supper is a swig of PB in rhe current bone (she gets a new one each week)
- well, Scooter has learned that down pat too so now both of them go bonkers
when they know that I've finished supper till they get their nightly fix.
Then we come down to the swiping. I really think she does have klepto
genes in her.... delights in making off with something and is as sneaky
as a cat doing it - can make off with something from right under your nose
and be as silent as anything - next thing you know she is prancing in the
middle of the room with it, usually tripping over herself and it with utter
glee in her eyes. I was reading the paper tonight before supper, she made
off with a section and managed to carry the page (full four sheet thing)
all around the house. We had a great day today - since she is getting the
hang of outside so well she has had several good long times of free run
in the house today. It's a full Cape with a center chimney so you can make
a circle inside - she figured that out Sunday, and goes like the wind. I
can't even explain what it's like seeing those little legs pump like anything....
and she has a total grin on her face. Anywho - tonight she was proud as
punch thinking she stole my newspaper and trotted around the whole circle
with it....
We're now a week since arriving....we had quite an adventurous day,
couch sharing not withstanding. Today was our New Puppy Visit to the vet.
To say that Scooter charmed the pants off of everyone is an understatement.
Needless to say just her size was enough for the Aaawwwwwww...'s but even
the gals at the front desk before we ever got to the doc were most impressed
that she was microchipped already, and had been beautifully kept up to date
with her shots. Then when they heard that she has flown around more of
the country than I have... well....The vet was just tickled - this was
not our regular gal since Dr.
Relyea's grandmother had passed away two days ago.... so we saw Dr.
Harper but she is just as sweet. She came in welcoming Scooter like a new
baby.... Scooter was on a towel on the table and totally unphased
by it all. She was a bit subdued for herself but I knew that, not Dr. Harper....
The doc was totally impressed at how assured and confident she was. Especially
for 11 weeks! By this time word was through the office of "wait till you
see Scooter".... and they already consider Puffin a special person so Scooter
being Puffin's sis, well.... Dr. Harper was delighted with her - went
over her head to toe pronouncing her totally fit.... was quizzing me on
where I got her etc - she was so taken with "how complete a package" Scooter
was in terms of fitness, health, microchipped, vaccines, being wormed, and
above all her personality and level of attainment at this age. When she
heard that Scooter was leash walking (on harness she does great though we
are still working on accepting her leash on her collar), crate trained, sleeping
through the night, eating with no problems given all the changes in her
life the last week, likewise no GI upsets due to same etc... her prounouncement
was "that's some breeder - we rarely see puppies this well adjusted and
developed at this age" - they paid particular attention to eyes and
knees, both of which are great.... and also ears, clean as a
whistle. I needless to say, did not divulge Curly's Commando Training -
but it would seem that it does have its benefits after all - no to mention
the overall quartermaster services and provisions they give them down at
that Tennessee training camp. Given Scooter's status as she arrived, this
was nothing more than a check up and get to know you visit - she did not
need shots now, we go back in ten days for her next series of those, so
it was a "positive" visit from Scooter's point of view in that nothing "nasty"
had to be done.... even her eyes and ears were so clean they didn't do a
thing to her!
She weighs in at a whopping 3.8 pounds.... we do have Frontline
and Interceptor for her...
The morning snuggles are
still going well - but then today (Sept 6, ten days into it) Scooter
was going around like a little dervish and the race was on. Puffin decided
that at least some of this wasn't so bad - we had tag team races going
around the house. Puffin makes two laps against Scooter's one- and Puffin
will loop out around the dining room table, Scooter sits there like "where'd
she go?" which immediately changes to "where'd she come from?" - hasn't quite
figured that one out yet. Then things settles down, and the Slipper Fettish
kicked in again. All of a sudden I see Scooter take off with that "cockapoo
on a mission" attitude- trip trip trip into the bedroom.... two seconds
later she comes out proud as punch with my slipper in her mouth making off
for the living room. What got me is that this was no ambient stroll around
the house - that little squirt knew exactly where she was going.... granted
I'm sitting here trying not to crack up and actually wishing I didn't have
to take it away from her.... which of course I did - went in and put the
pair up on the rocker. Two minutes later the cockapoo on a mission is at it
again.... this time she comes out with my moccassin (have those to
wear around the house during the day rather than my fuzzy slippers)
- so we go through the whole thing again.... Then we're out on the porch,
I'm trying to get some paper work done, she's out there and I realize she's
taking position to ahem, well... dump. I get up to scoop her up to put her
out and the little dickens takes off like the chase is on - three times around
the house. Finally ened up with the little twit sitting by the back door
to go out in the run, which she did and left it there. I swear she ran me
around the house just for the heck of it.
Stay tuned....here's the next page, the
first month.