Bindu Wiles Challenge, Day 3 (10 June 2010)
I began writing this in response to a letter from a good friend of mine, who owns a Bichon, a pet shop, and does grooming. She asked how the visit with Jolene went, and if Jolene came home with us. As I was writing back to her, my letter became longer and longer, and I decided it would be my 800 words for the day.
We met with Jolene, her foster mom, and the 'special needs' rep from the Humane Shelter yesterday. Jolene was almost the same size as Izzie, but I'm not sure if she is full Bichon -- not that it matters. She has a lot of apricot, which some Bichons do, but her apricot hair was coarser, and instead of being a soft curl, was frizzy and sticking out. I'm thinking there's a bit of cinnamon-colored poodle in there somewhere. She was definitely timid, and her response was to back into her foster mom and growl. It took her a bit to warm up to us, but after about an hour of us all sitting together on the grass, she would roll over for tummy rubs from Shari and me, and even gave both of us a kiss. She's not too sure about Aaron though, nor is she too sure about Izzie. We did the proper brief social-dog introductions a few times while they were still on leashes, and once Jolene seemed a bit more comfortable, we let them both off (we were the only ones inside a fenced play area). At that point, Izzie of course just wanted to play, and she ran up to Jolene and got in the head-down-butt-up 'downward dog' position. Jolene just backed up into her foster mom and wouldn't play. We just let Izzie run around and come back every now and then to check out Jolene and vice-versa. At the end of the hour, Jolene was starting to come out of her shell, and at least would let Izzie sniff her. She would even try to sniff Iz when Iz wasn't looking. A couple of times she would trot beside Izzie for about ten feet before coming back to the group. Jolene has been with her foster mom for about 2 weeks and has definitely bonded with her, so I think she would easily bond with a new family. She certainly needs work socializing with both other dogs and people. She needs to know that all people aren't bad -- and most come with treats! I was a bit concerned with how little interest she had in Izzie. The main reason we want to get another dog is as a companion for Iz. If I had to make my decision solely on the behavior we observed yesterday, I would have to let her go to another family. She was just really disinterested in being with Iz. She did, however, have many good qualities that she could teach Izzie -- walks nicely on a leash, doesn't get all up in your face, doesn't want to chew and lick your hands and stuff. We made an appointment for another meeting on Sunday morning, and we'll see if she 1) remembers us; 2) doesn't shy away from us; 3) remembers Izzie; and 4) takes more interest in Izzie.
The other big concern of mine is the timing. She's going to take a lot of work, and we're getting ready to go on a 10-day road trip vacation at the end of June to Seattle and Canada and back. Izzie can't come with us, and I'm already having issues getting someone to take care of her. As it stands, I have a combination of people either staying here with her at the house, or taking her to their house. It's not ideal whatsoever. I really don't want to board her, even though there are a couple of places around here that are supposed to be really good. Izzie probably would be great in a boarding situation -- be around other dogs and socialize, have scheduled playtimes throughout the day -- so I probably shouldn't worry. I would need to get her Bortadella shot first though.
So I'm already worried about Iz, and I'm not sure how fair it would be to ask the babysitting team I have lined up to take care of another dog, especially one that currently has special needs. I’m just worried and not sure what to do – either with Izzie when we go on our trip, or with bringing a new dog into our family and then leaving again for 10 days. I’m making myself anxious and sick over the entire situation.
That’s where the letter to my friend ended. On the yoga front, I went to the yoga studio where the teacher that used to come to our work and lead us is now located. She now teaches at a nearby studio during the Tuesday and Thursday lunch hours. I went yesterday for the first time in two and a half months. Unfortunately she wasn’t there! But I stayed anyway, and the woman who was teaching us (there were two other women that attended the class) kicked my butt. It was like I was completely starting over again. Bet I’ll be hurting tomorrow.
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