Sweet Pup

Day 1. Ethan and I woke up this morning knowing that it was a day dedicated to preparing ourselves to become dog parents. We did not know that we would come home with a sweet pup. She is certainly sweet. Her parents are feral desert survivors from Lucerne Valley - mom a cattle dog mix and dad a spaniel mix. She is pure mutt. We didn't look at any other dogs, didn't visit any other shelters. I found "sweet pup" on petfinder and couldn't stop thinking about her. So, today, we drove out to Apple Valley to meet her. We held her and knew she was the one. We took care of the adoption paper work, paid our $150, bought a crate, bed, toys and food, put her in the car and drove her back to Joshua Tree. The whole drive was a mix of emotions - anxiousness, excitement, fear, sadness, happiness. The emotions that come with taking an 8 week old puppy from her littermates and mom are intense for me. She seems so young, yet I know she needs a loving home and I know we can provide that.

Ethan and I are prepared. We have read Cesar's book on raising the perfect puppy, we have researched breeds, we have talked to friends, we have made lists of supplies we need to get, we have mentally prepared ourselves for dog parenthood. But there are still so many questions - what will she be like? What kind of guidance and parenting does she need? Will she learn to like to the collar and leash that she currently resists? Will she learn to explore outside of her crate? Will she learn to trust us?

The first walk to the house this evening was more than she could handle. The little sweater we'd gotten her was too big and falling off, the collar was too big, the leash too heavy. The environment to new and vast and unknown. She just sat. That is all she could do. She wouldn't walk with me to her house in the way we had planned so that it would mimic the migration instinct. At one point, she just crawled onto my shoes, curled up in a ball and stuck her head between my legs. As if to say, "Enough, I just need a warm place to hide until I wake up from this bad dream and find myself back with my mother and littermates."

She may not be the best walker, but she is certainly a good eater and sleeper. She ate a huge bowl of food and has been comfortably sleeping in her crate since she discovered where it is. Her cries are more like howls that touch deep in my heart. They sound primal. Pure instinct coming through her due to the loss of her pack.

Hopefully she will transform soon and realize that she has a loving new humanoid pack that wants to be on her team. We are committed to giving her the best life we can offer.