One day, the posts will trickle, but for now Cerbie is still new, and he is still bringing lots of new experiences, so the posts continue.
Last night, both Lizzie and Cerbie slept on doggie beds in our room. No crate, no issues, no drama. Excellent.
The new feeding station arrived, as Cerbie is about as messy as our Tate was with his eating and drinking.
They both seem to be doing well on the Merrick limited ingredients “Salmon” kibble. We had two very particular greyhounds whom we had to feed two different kibbles to. Royal pain in the arse. Especially since the only kibble that Tate did well on was the Science Diet reduced residue kibble – at well over $100 a sack – a major gulp when it was time to restock.
The pecking order battles seem to be reducing in intensity. They still play, aggressively (and worryingly if you had experience with greys) but the testing is reduced.
Yesterday, we had our first outing with Cerbie. We got harnessed up and headed to our Lizzie Proving Grounds (a.k.a. Unleashed by Petco) where Cerbie was a star, and Lizzies confidence was magnified. She even took a treat from their resident trainer – Kira – after sitting for her. (this is the same Kira who when we first took Lizzie to meet her that Lizzie was so scared, she cowered, barked and pooped on the floor). Of course the treat was a half of a McDonalds french fry. A girl has standards, right?
Yesterday as well, Barb went to lunch with a friend, and she came in to meet Cerbie. Of course Lizzie was her usual bark and terrified self. But then a miracle happened. The visitor sat down, and gave lots of loving to Cerbie. Ultimately Lizzie wanted some of that, and she ended up taking a treat from the friend. Huge progress!
Bathing and cleaning the oily build up in his ears have helped tremendously on the odor that Cerbie had on Saturday. However, we still get wafts of it, and I strongly suspect that he needs his anal glands expressed. Time for a vet visit me thinks.
Alas, my days off to help the integration are at an end, and I must return to the office today. But, I think in the nearly 4 days, we learned:
- Cerbie is a mellow dude. Really, chillin’ on the couch is his favorite pastime.
- Cerbie just goes with the flow. He is good in the car, and likes to see where he is going. Calm.
- Cerbie is great for Lizzie. While the cousins were good and helped tire her out, having three dogs was an odd dynamic. Lizzie was the queen, but Sugar would feed off that and take it to 11. Cerbie is just right.
- Cerbie seems to enjoy being outside sleeping on the concrete of our patio. He hasn’t figured out the doggie door yet, but he will.
Hugely awesome addition to our pack, Cerbie will give us a lot of joy, and help his adoptive sister to come completely out of her shell.
It’s so great to read about Cerbie. Much as I still miss him it does bring me joy to know he is happy and loved. Plus having a sister instead of a couple naughty cats is an added bonus.
This brings me tears of joy! Both of these dogs are so special to me, thank you for giving them an opportunity to have a loving home together ❤️