There’s a great song from
the musical “The King and I” which
Anna (a teacher) sings to her new students; the song is called “Getting to Know
You.” I feel like that’s what Toby and I have been doing during these last six
weeks – getting to know each other. I’m not exactly sure what he thinks, but he
seems happy to be here in his new home. I know I’ve loved getting to know him
and wanted to record some of my observations before I forget what these
beginning weeks were like.
Driving home from the
shelter was interesting. He wouldn’t sit still and was afraid in the back seat,
so I hauled the dog seat cover in the front and had him sit next to me on the
seat, constantly petting him with one hand to keep him in one place (and wondering
about the wisdom of going alone to get him!). Partway home it began raining, so
I turned on the windshield wipers. Toby was fascinated … at first. He sat up
straight and stared (cocking his head sideways) as the wipers came up, only to
shrink back in terror as they came down. It was so funny to watch! One of the
first things I bought for Toby was a car harness, so now he’s safely settled in
the back seat when he comes along in the car.
Toby is quite a different
dog today than he was during the first couple weeks when he was so sick. Back
then he was docile and quiet, curling his body in close (as if trying to take
as little space as possible) when he sat, lying on his dog bed and sleeping
much of the time. Because he wouldn’t eat, I would hold ice cubes in my hand
for him to lick to keep him hydrated. He would lay there, lifting his head just
a bit, and gently lick the ice. I felt so bad for him, but it was definitely
part of our bonding process. I’m so glad he’s feeling better.
It has been fun watching
Toby learn to play. Although he walked fairly well on a leash and was
housebroken, he must not have had opportunities to play wherever he was before.
The first few times I threw a tennis ball for him he walked over to it and just
looked at it. After a few days he picked it up. When he brought it back to me
and I threw it again, it was like a light bulb went off in his head as he
discovered a “new” game. About a week later I threw his stuffed animal along
with the tennis ball; he ran after both and realized we could play fetch with
multiple objects. He’s still trying to figure out how to bring two objects back
at once; watching him with both the tennis ball and stuffed animal – first
putting one in his mouth and then dropping it to pick the other up – back and
forth, is pretty entertaining, but I couldn’t help but laugh as he finally
carried the stuffed animal in his mouth while batting the tennis ball down the
hall! I can’t wait to bring him to the dog park in a few days for a real game
of fetch. For now, our morning and evening routine includes a 5-10 minute
fetching time down the hallway.
Toby claimed his favorite
spot in the house as soon as he was feeling healthy again. He loves sitting on
the loveseat in the living room and looking out the window. It’s a perfect
spot, with a view of the driveway and sidewalk. He can watch the squirrels in
the yard, the people/dogs walking by, and check out anyone driving up. When I
leave the house, he’ll race to his spot by the window and peek out to say
goodbye. Of course, when things are really interesting, he’ll run from the
loveseat to the front door to the back sliding door and back to the loveseat again.
Don’t get in his way; he’s a dog on a mission. In his haste, the couch pillows
often end up on the floor. If only he’d put them back. On the bright side, at
least he hasn’t chewed them.
Speaking of chewing, I’m
learning to keep any paper up high and out of his reach. Thankfully he hasn’t
chewed any shoes as of yet. He has two Kong toys – classis Kong and a large
bone-shaped Kong that I stuff with treats. He loves chewing them and will work
at finding the treats for a little bit, but he either has a short attention
span or needs to work a little more on problem solving skills as a few of the
treats (usually in the middle of the toy) are often left.
In getting to know Toby,
I’ve also found –
- He prefers sleeping on the living room floor, leaning against the
couch
- He can’t wait to chase a squirrel, a chipmunk, a rabbit, etc.
- He’s not afraid of bees (yet – he was almost stung yesterday
because he wouldn’t leave the bee alone)
- He’s fascinated by fireflies
- He will eat his poop if I don’t watch (I so hope this will change
– yuck! – at least I’m keeping the yard picked up)
- He doesn’t know how to climb steps (yet)
- He knows the kitchen is where the food is
- He loves going for walks
- He needs to visit every tree we pass on our walks and lifts his
leg every time (even when there’s nothing left to come out)
- He has excellent hearing
- He cocks his head sideways when he’s curious or thinking about
something – so cute!
- He’s afraid of his crate (working on this)
- He doesn’t like being closed in or confined – he got the baby
gate down (multiple times) when I first confined him to his room when I was
gone; I guess he won as he now can be in the living room/kitchen area when
I leave (but all other doors are closed off and things are up high)
- He wags his tail when he sees me J
I look forward to
discovering more of Toby’s personality and little quirks as I continue to get
to know him. I’ve said this before, but I’m so grateful he’s here. My house has
life again.
I posted this movie trailer on Facebook, but I love it and wanted a copy of it here on the blog as well.
