Dog family

The trainer told us she would arrive between 12 and 1 pm on Wednesday. When Stow gets overly excited, impulse control becomes difficult, so Wednesday morning was rough. By 7 am it was clear that he needed to stick close to me (since I tend to be the best co-regulator for him). So we loaded his backpack with snacks, some books, some markers, and his Switch, and I took him with me to my office--where I was desperately trying to hit a book deadline. (Note to self: the week of a book deadline, is NOT the best time to add a new family member.)

We came back home in time to have some lunch and watch a little TV. It didn't take long for Stow to get antsy, though, so we went outside to wait, killing the time by making bets on which car would be the one with Shiro in it. 

Waiting.

Finally at 1:03 pm, she arrived.

First walk.

The plan was (is? ugh, grammar is hard!) for the trainer to leave Shiro with us for ten days while we all get used to each other and figure out various family dynamics. That way, when it's time for final training, we will have a much better idea of what our challenges will be and can problem solve them before the trainer heads back to Canada. So, after some introductions and some chatting and some quick tips, we found ourselves home alone with our new 9 month-old pup.

We are now officially a dog family. 

Look at those eyes!

Life has been a bit chaotic ever since. If you've had a dog, you know what I mean. Since I'm new to this whole dog thing, I STILL don't know what I mean. I just know that our sleep schedule has changed; the pup is so smart that she seems to be testing us at every turn (and finding all of our many weak spots); and the cats aren't thrilled. Stow has been doing an awesome job making sure Shiro is fed, let out, and walked, and it is fun to watch how happy he is to have the unconditional acceptance of another living being. 

Calm.

Helping Stow finish his book. Lol.

That said, Stow is also struggling with the fact there has been a change. Change, whether it is good or bad, almost always equals more meltdowns. Fortunately, nothing seems to faze Shiro, who can chill just about anywhere. 

We're working out the kinks right now, but in the end, I'm pretty sure this is going to be amazing!