New addition to the family

No, its not that. Its our new dog, Topper! (Sorry Dad) Topper is a chihuahua, dautshound (wiener dog) mix, or as we like to call it: a chihueenie! He is the sweetest, calmest, mostly lovey dog and he was at his no-kill rescue for 8 months!!! WTF? Maybe he was too calm and not excitedly affectionate enough? No idea, but he's perfect for us.

He and Max get along really well, though it'll take a while before they really gel as a pack. And he's doing well with the cats. :D Last night, while watching movies, Topper just curled up on my lap and fell asleep. He is so adorable, and I can't wait for everyone to meet him.

The rescue we got him from, Pet Orphans of Southern California, are very responsible, and had us talk with a behavior specialist for two hours before we could take him home. She told us how to acclimate him to the new place, and to the cats and Max, how to ensure he would bond with us versus Max as the pack leader, and how to train him about various things. Topper was on the street before being in this kennel, so he's never had a consistent pack leader or family to look to or bond with. Very different than a puppy from a breeder, who's born into home dynamics. So he's still kinda skitish, cause he's not quite sure how long things will last. Nor is he used to this kind of living as "normal." With that in mind, we were advised to not introduce Topper to anyone until Wednesday, so he has time to adjust. Make sense, but sorry to all our friends who want to meet him. We'll have to have you over later in the week.

She also said that he's gonna want to run, cause the street, awful as it is, is known to him, versus a home that's all weird and new, so no taking him to anyone else's place for a couple weeks. He needs to learn where home base is first. And they told us to keep him a leash in the house the first few weeks, so he's connected to us and knows who's in charge, the other animals in the house know if he's annoying they can walk away, and he knows that there's someone else in control and that he only needs to deal with a 6' circle of territory at a time. Its something I would never have thought of, and a lot of rules, but I have to say this is the smoothest adoption of a shelter dog I've ever had, and my family has always adopted from a rescue or shelter. So, I guess it works. He's calm, the other animals are calm, its great!

Can't wait until Topper feels like he's really part of the family.