The Terrible Twos
Pictured above is my new furry companion, Yara. She’s just over 28 months and, as to be expected, very much a two-year-old dog.
Yesterday was a pretty laid back day. We didn’t do too much beyond letting her explore the house and some basic obedience. Not surprisingly, I learned that I’m not so great about “dog-proofing.” (Dolly has spoiled me.) Yara discovered all kinds of stuffed animals to try and chew, fish food to sniff and all manner of things to knock off shelves and tables. She’s also quite the whiner, which I found out is rather a common German Shepherd Dog thing. Thankfully, she gave me a bit of a reprieve towards the end of the day because I never would have gotten to sleep!
Megan gave me a bit of information overload, I think, but we went over everything from basic care to putting the harness together. One thing I learned was how to “target” with Yara, which is something of a game that Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation uses. I need a bit of practice. We also worked a bit with using a gentle leader on Yara, which I found gave me more control over her when she was being especially exuberant or “mouthy.” I’m not sure Yara enjoys having it on all that much, though.
Today, we do harness work for the first time. Currently it is 23°F and it’s not going to get much warmer! There’s a chance it may even snow!
Dog Day Has Arrived!
There should be a law that on Dog Day only interesting (read: distracting) things occur so that time moves at least slightly faster than a snail’s crawl.
Perhaps I am just a tiny bit excited. I can’t help it. Nearly 21 months ago I retired Dolly. It is truly thrilling to be getting a new dog! I keep imagining what Yara looks like and how she’ll behave and it just makes me even more giddy about the impending meeting.
According to what Megan told me yesterday, she should be here in about three hours. I may possibly die of anticipation between then and now.
I think back to when I trained with Dolly. It’s hard to believe I could have ever been this excited before, but I’m sure that I was just as anxious back then. I remember that Stacey got her call first and how jealous I felt of her as I sat there waiting for my name to be called. And yet, as excited as I was to meet her, Dolly was probably ten times that. She ran around the small kitchen like she was on hot coals, then hopped into my lap and licked my whole face. After a rather disgusting frenching from her, she leaped over my head and continued her mad race around the table. I remember the trainers were all reprimanding me to get her under control. Frankly, I didn’t know what to do. I think I was kind of scared of her at first; she was so completely insane!
When we returned to our room, she settled down a bit. She sniffed the floor and my bed . . . and then walked face first into the desk. This is what they expected to lead me down the street the following day? I burst into tears. (The fact that I was possibly given a blind dog remains a joke amongst my friends and family to this day.)
It’s hard to believe that was more than nine years ago. Time certainly has flown by.
Well, except this morning!