Blink dog

And then there were two dogs ...

Two weeks ago, sort of suddenly, we added a second dog to our family. Charlotte is a 7-month old pointer/blue heeler mix (we think) we adopted from the Humane Society. As with any puppy, the transition has been, well, noticeable.



For starters, she wasn't house trained, so we've needed to get her outside a lot to do her business. She struggles with impulse control, going a little crazy whenever she sees another dog or cat. Given we have a dog and a cat, that has been a challenge.

Popcorn hasn't been a big fan of Charlotte so far. The puppy wants to play and sometimes bark when she sees Popcorn go by, and the decibel level has bothered our senior dog. 

Charlotte also came home with a parasite, which resulted in some runny poop over the first several days.

All that said, we've seen so much progress. She hasn't had an accident in the house in a week, and she's figured out that when she goes outside, she should go outside. Popcorn is coming around a little bit, and we can walk both around the block if we're careful not to let Charlotte jump on her. (The cat is another story, but Charlotte will learn not to piss off Maggie.) Charlotte also is getting better not going crazy when she sees another dog. Medicine has helped with the parasite, and she'll be all better soon.

What helps is that Charlotte is ridiculously sweet and cute. I like to think maybe, after being in shelters, she realizes how good she has it with us. I also like to think she is just a sweet puppy. Falling head over heeler for her was easy, even when she has been driving us a little nuts.

Two weeks in, I still can't quite believe we added another pet. Like a blink dog, she was just suddenly here when we sort of weren't looking. The training will continue, she'll get a little bigger and a little older, and she won't be a puppy anymore. As much of a challenge as Charlotte has been, I hope we don't forget what our little blink dog has brought to our family in her first weeks with us.

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