March 1, 2010

White Dog's first day of being a big sister turned out to be her first day of being a little sister! Quinn had a visit with Dr. Julia, White Dog's vet, just to make sure that he was healthy and that his neutering had been done correctly. Michael went with to hold Quinn's paw, a relief to White Dog since she hates going to there. Imagine all of our surprise when Dr. Julia told us Quinn was not the 1-1/2 years old Animal Control claimed...or even the 3-4 years we had expected...but was rather, 8 years old! Not that Quinn's age changes anything...it just amazes us that such a misrepresentation is considered ethical. Since White Dog turned 5 in December, she is now officially the little sister.

Little sister White Dog began training her brother when the mailman came this morning. She allowed Quinn the "honor" of standing on her lookout chair while she stood on the arm of my chair and barked and barked her USPS song. Quinn finally "got it" (he seems very reluctant to bark) and gave out a hearty "woof!" to add his voice.

White Dog has taken a sort of hang back and see approach to Quinn. She doesn't pursue him but is fine with his attentions of sniffing and standing near her. When he disappears from the room, she quietly checks on his whereabouts but leaves him to discover and explore. White Dog has stuck close to my side, which is expected, and she has in turn received much positive reinforcement for her tolerance and acceptance. She is not happy that Quinn is a food inhaler (she likes to savor and pick at her meal) because after he finishes his, he looks longingly at her plate. We are probably going to need to change feeding routines but for a first day...after a long and tiring night of driving...I think things have gone well.