Days 2-5

In Terms of Training

These past few days Shaya has been amazing in terms of potty training. Her only mess (#2) was during church when we put her in her crate the day after we brought her home. Since then, no #2 messes. She's sprinkled a few times on the rug, but we're hopefully seeing less of that. The first few nights she woke me up a couple of times with a little whimper, and I took her out. But last night, she slept till 5:30am with no mess in her crate at all. And she's stopped crying at night, too. In less than a week, this is amazing!

Pavlov's Dogs

In fact, just as I was writing this, another break-through happened. Shaya let me know that she needed to get let out by ringing the bell. Yes, and you thought the bells in Pavlov's dogs were just for the humans. My parents have actually done this before, and I encourage other people to try this method. What they do is tie bells to the doors where they let the dogs out. That way the dog ring each time she needs to get let out. Come to think of it, it's quite possible that Shaya thinks she has me quite well trained.

This reminds me of a joke about cats. Dogs say, "Wow! These people are great! They pet me, they feed me, they take care of me! They must be gods!" Cats said, "Wow! These people pet me, feed me, take care of me! I must be a god!" :o) (Sorry, cat lovers.)

On the Road Again

Another thing is that Shayita (as I sometimes call her) has logged 4 trips to and from NJ. Now that's a 2 hour drive! And... no messes... and she sleeps the whole way. Looks like I know what to do with her if she's ever being unruly. ;o) This is of course very important for our family who often goes between two homes... and bodes well for getting her to the shore as well.

Puppy Sister = Puppysitter

I'm now convinced that Tessa, my parents' 3 year old white german shepherd, is at the perfect age for a little puppy sister. She's still young enough to play, but she's more mature and very well-trained. Tessa is calm, mild-mannered, quiet and very well-behaved. I couldn't have asked for a better older pup for my little one to take after. And she tries. It's so cute to see her model her behavior after Tessa, sniffing the same places, playing the same way.

The other day they each had a little chew bone, and we had a case of "the bone is always tastier on the other side." Tessa was chewing the rawhide bone, while Shaya was on the chew stick. Pretty soon, Shaya went over and took Tessa's, and Tessa switched to Shaya's. They did this 2 or 3 times!

And their play is both adorable and wonderful. It's adorable to see their instinctive romping and rolling on the floor together, pushing and nudging each other but always gently. Tessa is unbelievable really, because Shaya is convinced that Tessa's fluffy white tail is some kind of animal of prey... and she often bites and chases after it. Tessa has also taken to introducing Shaya to the game of 'keep away.' She takes a toy and encourages the pup to chase after her. She also

Sing a Song of Shaya

A particularly distinctive O'Donnell tradition is to sing about, well, everything. There are wake-up songs, like "Eggo Waffles" and "It's Cheerios Time". There are songs for giving dogs little snacks like "Sandwich Snitches." There are songs for going to the pool, "Spring City Pool." There are songs for saying "Good-bye" to anything, anyplace or anyone. And, of course, there are songs for dogs. Often multiple songs.

After only 5 days with Shaya, we have quite the collection already, most re-versed Oldies tunes.

tune of "Oh Little Darlin'"
Little Shaya, my little Shaya,
Oh where are you- oo-ooo?

tune of "Brown-Eyed Girl"
You my brown-eyed girl.
Do you remember when,
We used to sing:
Shay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-a
Shay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-a
Shay-ay-a

How much is that puppy in the i-crate,
The one with the waggly tail,
How much is that puppy in the i-crate,
I do hope that puppy's for sale.

tune of "K-k-k-k-katie"
Sh-sh-sh-sh-shaya,
Oh beautiful Shaya,
You're the only p-p-p-pup
That I ad-d-d-d-d-d-dore
When the m-m-m-moon shines
Over the shelter,
I'll be waiting at the P-p-p-petsmart door.

tune of "Shaboom, Shaboom"
Shavelle, shavelle,
Shayayayayaya,
Shavelle, Shavelle,
Shayayayayaya,
Shavelle, Shavelle,
Shayayayayaya,
Shavelle.

Puppy Love... Full of Empathy

And although a little of puppies may look very similar, the individual dogs can be quite different. It's fun to notice this week how Shaya's personality is already emerging. She's the most empathetic dog. The other day when I was in tears, Shaya came over to comfort me. Such a little pup, but she still knew that I needed her to be there with me. I held her and she looked up at me with her 'puppy dog' eyes and made me feel better with her gentle puppy kisses.

Luckily, Brad has been able to see me, although for mere moments, twice through g-chat. And he's been able to see the little pup. I'm so happy that we'll be able to get to know her better together, because he'll soon be here... and she'll still be a puppy... soon enough for imprinting to take place. And that's a good thing, because she'll be not just "my"-a Shaya, but she'll be our Shaya for many years to come... like our commitment to each other. We have a commitment to a lovely addition to our family.