Two photos of my in-laws’ dog, Georgia, from the Thanksgiving holiday. She is just the most cheerful little thing. She might also be the perfect dog; she has practically no vices whatsoever.
Happy Christmas Eve to all!
The happiest pup
Tag: golden retriever mix
A visit from Georgia
We enjoyed beautiful spring weather this weekend — and a visit from my in-laws and their pup, Georgia!
Isn’t she just too cute?
She is such a precious little “pocket golden,” and it’s always fun to see what a naturally different disposition she has than our shepherds. Georgia, for instance, is SO much more interested in human beings than the GSDs. Georgia wants to be touching a person at all times. Pyrrha and Eden would prefer that you kept your hands off them, for the most part, and they are usually too busy patrolling the house and yard to worry much about deep, emotional human interaction.
This was Eden’s first time meeting Georgia. Their initial meeting did not go so well. Georgia showed up at 9 pm, so meeting in the dark backyard + Eden finding it all very unexpected + barking and lunging = not a great introduction. To help Eden calm down, we took all three dogs on a walk and kept Eden a fair distance from Georgia until she could calm down. The walk helped, and within about 5 minutes of returning home, the little ones were playing like best friends.
All three dogs were great together over the weekend, and we were thankful for our secure backyard, where they could hang out and play together while the rest of us worked in the yard and prepared our garden beds. (And planted an extra tree to continue forming a hedge/barrier from the neighbor kids!)
I think Eden’s crazy barking freaked out my in-laws, but Georgia knew how to handle the psycho puppy, and they played nonstop all weekend. Eden’s play barking also reduced considerably over time, once she seemed to figure out that Georgia was not going to leave any time soon. Pyrrha tended to do her own thing, but all three dogs were just beat at the end of each day. Which was the best. We could have a peaceful dinner while all three fuzzy monsters slept soundly on the dining room floor.
We hope Georgia will come visit again soon!
Pyrrha’s best Christmas ever (Part I)
We had a very busy Christmas, and I’d like to say it was Pyrrha’s “best Christmas ever,” because she seemed to be so happy and confident (most of the time)!
Part I: Visiting my in-laws and the house of three dogs (Pyrrha, Georgia, and Adelaide)
Having three young dogs in a small, one-story house lends itself to craziness, but I was proud of all three dogs: Pyrrha, Georgia (my in-laws’ 1-year-old “petite golden retriever”), and Adelaide (my brother- and sister-in-law’s 5-year-old cockapoo).
Particularly, I was proud of how well Pyrrha and Adelaide did together.
Both P and Adelaide are anxious dogs, and when they first met, they seemed to make each other more anxious. Pyrrha seemed especially perturbed by Adelaide’s body language, as it is quite hard to read (her eyes are hidden by hair, her tail is docked very short, and she is quite small).
This time around, they coexisted much more smoothly. There were a few exchanges of growls from time to time when one of them felt cornered, but overall, I felt like I was able to relax a lot more and not have to constantly keep tabs on Pyrrha during our stay.
Adelaide wore a Thundershirt during busier days, and that also seemed to help her a lot. She seems to really enjoy wearing it and even gets excited when Win (her human dad) pulls it out. Adelaide and Pyrrha figured out how to maneuver around each other, and they even laid near each other on separate occasions. They were also pals on our walks, always running to sniff the same spot.
Georgia and Pyrrha remain great playmates, and they wore each other out during our stay. Georgia never seems to tire of throwing herself at Pyrrha’s face and inviting a wrestling match. It’s pretty adorable.
We also got to take the pups on lots of walks around the neighborhood, which they all very much enjoyed.
A house full of happy, largely peaceable dogs: No better way to spend a holiday!
Coming up next: A recap of our Christmas, Part II!
Doggerel 