It’s dog talk time again. Thank you all for your kind words about our Lizzie’s passing, we really appreciate it. And even the card! So kind.

As the month progressed, it became ever so clear that Rose was not going to be able to be an only dog. We attempted to do all our rescue recommended when one dog is experiencing loss. We kept to routines, gave time, kept energies as positive as possible, etc. After a couple weeks, Rose went back to normal when people were in the home. That was encouraging. She didn’t completely lose all the lessons that our confident Lizzie taught her.

But, when no one was home, things got bad. She escaped her kennel, she stress drooled puddles all over the floor, she shredded anything near her kennel including an entire chair, and then I had to take her to the vet because she hurt her paw trying to escape. It wasn’t good. Even if placed in her kennel for the shortest time, all these behaviors would begin.

While I was extremely resistant to adding another dog to our home, our rescue had brought in a little Lizzie sized Australian Kelpie who was Rose’s age. After a few days of her being in rescue, I tossed the idea out to Mr. Ink about this little dog. He, surprisingly, said yes right away. He, too, had realized that Rose wasn’t going to be an only dog. But, I wanted to make sure this little dog really would be good for our family.

Thankfully her foster mom is someone I am friends with, so I was able to contact her foster mom and ask her questions about her confidence levels, etc. Her foster mom immediately said “Actually, there’s a lot of her that reminds me of Lizzie, I think she’d be a good fit for your home.”

I was still ridiculously reluctant, but also knew it was probably the right thing to do for Rose. Her foster mom said “Hey, why don’t you come out to my place and spend some time with her?” So that’s what I did. After a few hours in foster mom’s home where this little dog showed off far beyond what foster mom expected her to, I came home realizing she’d be a great fit for our home.

2 days later I spent some time holding leashes at a meet and greet, then we took this little dog to meet up with Rose at the dog park.

Oh, yeah, and Mr. Ink and Miss Butterfly met her too! We had worried that she might not be playful, but it turns out she loved running around. I think perhaps she hasn’t learned to play yet, and now she will learn.

So, after that, she came back to the house with us! And that’s how we ended up with a new dog despite me not wanting one right now. There’s a funny thing that happens with animals. She wiggled her way into my heart so fast, and she’s a doll and a delight and a constant amusement.

She adores people and is trying to figure out living in a home. She likes to steal things off counters and tables. She likes to look out windows. She’s figuring out the idea of “play” and it’s adorable.

And I’ve named her Furiosa. I love her mask markings and wanted to pay homage to that. Furiosa, my favorite character in my favorite movie, spreads grease over the top of her face. I thought this appropriate. We call her Fury for short.

So basically, I adopted an emotional support animal for my dog. Fury is figuring out life with Rose. Rose is figuring out where Fury fits in her home. We aren’t seeing a ton of play between the two of them yet but I have a suspicion it will come. But the best part? Rose is FINE in her kennel again, like magic. Some dogs weren’t meant to be alone. Rose is one of those dogs. We truly hope she never HAS to be alone again.

Fury has only been with us since Saturday but she’s made fantastic progress already! I am sure it will continue. There’s going to be a lot of training to be done soon, as Fury knows absolutely NOTHING, can’t even manage to get her to sit. I can’t even LURE her into a sit yet. But, first I want to see her relax in the home and see how she does, then we’ll work on the training portion of this equation.

Small herding breeds are absolutely my type of dog. I like the busy, I like their brains, and I like how alert they are. I think her personality is a very good balance for Rose and I am truly excited to see how this all goes for them both. The massive amounts of trepidation I felt about getting a new dog so quickly have all melted away leaving only a cute little 32 pound bundle of energy and muscle who desperately wants attention from her humans and is learning the ways of comfortable home life.