Rosie and Rebecca

We have had Rosie and Rebecca for two months and they are a very welcome addition to our family.  They have made themselves very much at home.  Both enjoy treats and that has made them very trainable.  They sit and lay down on command.

As soon as their adoption was final, we hired a trainer to come to our house.  She was invaluable in teaching us and then giving us space to work with the girls.  The first valuable lesson was teaching us to to ignore them for the first minute or two when we enter the house.  We have asked our guests to do the same.  This is a very hard thing to do but they mirror our response to entering the home and remain calm.  This practice has made it a pleasure to allow people into our home because the girls do not get wild and plow over our visitors.

The second most valuable thing we learned was how to teach them to walk on a leash.  The first few weeks were total chaos as we walked them because they are a bonded pair it’s not an option to walk one without the other.  I am thrilled to say that today Rebecca heels as we walk and Rosie is learning as well.  She is a little more stubborn but when she realized Rebecca was constantly getting treats she started to get on board.

They are sort of learning that there is always two of everything so there is no need to take each other’s stuff.  They love chewing bones and stuffed toys but Rosie likes to collect everything for herself.  It is entertaining to watch Rebecca sneak around to try to recover her bone or Kong or whatever her mom has claimed.

Rebecca still likes to be around mom but we have seen tremendous improvement as she spends more and more time in different rooms.  She definitely has separation anxiety and is a little skittish but we are hoping that in time that continues to improve.  Playing ball and chewing bones (and some other things that aren’t hers) are her favorite things to do.  She loves belly rubs and is constantly offering her backend for us to pet.  She isn’t as affectionate as mom but there is no doubt that she knows she is safe and loved and that she loves us right back.

Rosie and her sweet, sad face is a total love.  She would be very happy to just lay in the recliner all day and have someone pet her.  She also loves to cuddle on the sofa in our basement.  It took several weeks for her to build the courage to go the steps but now she goes up and down like a pro.  She can be a little stubborn but nothing a little cheese can’t straighten out.  I often find my stuff has gone missing; she likes to take a slipper or sock or whatever she can find laying around.  She doesn’t chew anything (unlike her daughter), she just lays on them.

Our family and friends absolutely adore these beautiful girls.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to love and care for them for the rest of their lives.  I’ve seen bumper stickers that say “who rescued who?” and I totally get it.