Friday, October 7, 2011

Welcome Chewy!

As promised, here is a post dedicated to our adorable new dog, Chewy!

Earning his name ;-)
For awhile we've been talking about starting a "family" - with a dog or two, that is! We'd been keeping an eye on several rescue sites to see if a possible "perfect" dog would come along (NO WAY will we ever buy from a pet store/breeder).  Our apartment complex doesn't impose size restrictions, but we knew we didn't want something TOO big, because we don't have a lot of space. We do have to deal with breed restrictions - no pit bulls, german shepherds, dobermans, rottweilers, or akitas, or any mixes thereof (though I'm totally into having 3 of those 5 breeds at some point!).

Anyway, so we kept an eye out, and only about 10 days after we moved in, Chewy came to us via craigslist. I'd been watching posts on there, and it isn't always the most reputable site for getting a pet - people will post wonderful things about a dog for "rehoming" and then when it's picked up, it's emaciated or sick or something else tragic. But in Chewy's case, he was found out n' about by a nice young guy and taken in by his girlfriend and her sister. They had already posted about him once, and had also put up fliers in their neighborhood (he was found with a collar, but no tag or microchip. Gah.) Unfortunately they already had dogs AND cats, and were unable to keep him; basically they were giving him away as "free to good home," and were nice enough to include a leash, some food, and a few rawhide chews. So his temporary owner brought him over and we liked him right away! He's a very cute corgi/terrier mix, happy and full of energy - without being hyperactive. He's about a year old.

Note the wistful look in his eyes - he sees a treat!
So after hanging out with him for a few hours, we took him to the vet. He had a whopping case of fleas, so they gave him a pill that started working in only 30 minutes. We gave him a bath that night and there were quite a few in the rinse water...blech! He was also tested for heartworm and intestinal parasites (mmm, the bright side to his dropping a deuce in the vet's office...) Both of those tests came back negative! Hurrah! And now we have him on a monthly preventative that handles heartworm, fleas/ticks, AND intestinal parasites in one pill for $15 a month. Not a bad deal. Earlier this week I took him to get his shots at the Indy Humane Society (where I'm soon to start volunteering) so now he's all caught up!

Doll baby!
Personality-wise, he's quite a pistol - he's learned several tricks, but totally calls my bluff when he knows I don't have a treat for him! Hopefully that will change as we build more of a relationship. He loves to chase squirrels and chipmunks, enjoys most people and children (though if there's something interesting to sniff, that's trump), and doesn't bark inside....much. Exceptions to this being if he hears another dog barking, certain loud noises, and a few times when he's been frustrated during training. He's learning to enjoy cuddling with us in bed and on the couch, and most mornings he gets an adorable case of the hiccups. :) In other quirks, when he's left alone in the apartment for more than a few minutes, he likes to grab random belongings of ours and deposit them on the floor of our bedroom. No chewing or other damage...just moving. Shoes, socks, my pocketbook...it's always interesting to come back to! He DOES have an issue with aggression towards other dogs, but he still needs to be neutered and we hope that will help to curb it, at least somewhat. No matter what, we will work with him to make him the best dog he can be!


We have him mostly crate trained at this point, and he's getting better about walking on a leash. One of the most important things (especially with a smart, confident dog like him!) is to make sure he knows you're the boss. So in addition to setting the pace for his walks, we make him "work" for just about anything he wants - he sits before we go out the door for a walk, we're working on getting him to "wait" for his food, and when he jumps to greet us when we get home, we don't pet him until he's sitting. He's also been getting more and more responsive to his name, and even though it's a simple thing, it's one of my favorite parts of owning a dog (this is my first dog EVER, btw).

He does this more than you might think ;-)

Getting a bath from "Dad" :)
So that's Chewy! If you haven't had a chance to meet him yet, we plan on bringing him to the bridal shower :)

In wedding-related news, MY DRESS ARRIVED! I tried it on and it's ALMOST perfect (there's a little bit of weirdness where some of the different fabrics join, but it looks like it will be a simple fix at an alteration place).

Devin is currently in Chicago until Sunday, designing for Core Project (dance company) and it's been a bit lonely without him...but I am glad to have Chewy to keep me company. Can't believe we'll be married in just over 2 months!