Friday, January 11, 2008

Matilda update


Matilda, our new puppy dog, is really doing quite nicely in our little family. She is still very calm, quiet, kind and gentle. She would be very happy to sit in your lap all day long and just cuddle. Although she's a small lab mix (around 40lbs) she appears to think of herself more as a toy poodle.

We keep thinking her old home must really miss her as she's very well behaved and has been very well trained. She will not go on the furniture unless you invite her. She will not even go into bedrooms unless invited. She does not beg for food although it's apparent she knows exactly what happens in a kitchen. We think she may have been fed a good amount of scraps as it took her awhile to eat dog food. The shelter even mentioned she'd daily skip one of her meals. She's doing much better now.


I was extrememly concerned the first week we had her as there was no mention of her not getting along with other dogs. On two occasions Matilda nearly had an altercation with two of the neighborhood dogs. One dog I knew for sure is kind and gentle as well and I was very surprised at Matilda's behavior. After going to the vet last Friday, for her free check-up and rabies shot, the vet rather thinks Matilda was protecting her family. The vet attempted to find the aggressive behavior in Matilda while socializing her to other dogs at the clinic. Dr. Bray said she acted just fine and mentioned that Matilda may have been trying to prove to me that she is part of our family now and just wanted us to be protected. I felt honored. Now, if only she will realize the other dogs in the neighborhood just want to be friends. I would think with time she'll feel better about her new surroundings and will enjoy playing with her neighborhood puppy-pals.
Isaiah was thrilled this morning when I told him Matilda whines a bit when he walks down the driveway for the bus. "Wow!", he said, "Nobody else does that." Oh if only he knew the truth of that statement. Anyhow, here are some photos of our new Matilda enjoying her new family life.
Photo 1: Isaiah and Matilda giving hugs (don't mind the laundry basket at top of stairs, that's Anna's reminder to not go down the steps :) )
Photo 2: Matilda very much enjoys watching the squirrels and rabbits out the window. Stands as still as a statue, amazing.
Photo 3: Getting the mail with Papa and the kiddos. Notice Anna was pulled on the sled and she "carries" the mail back to the house.

3 comments:

Kelli said...

Dream puppy.

erin said...

Pedro is VERY friendly, but still has to have a "standoff" with every new dog that he meets. They do that to determine who is the Alpha dog. It usually doesn't last more than a few minutes (like 1.5), in my experience.
I love watching the social life of dogs. : ) Is that weird?

kristi noser said...

I think Matilda and Eddie need a play date!
She sounds wonderful.