Deuces Wild

Otis is here!

He and Zoe are trying to figure out who’s boss, at least in the canine sector of our household. I like to think Tim and I are in charge overall, but once they learn we’ll let them outside every time they stand near the back door, that might change.

Zoe had been in a rambunctious mood all night so I was looking forward to her playmate’s arrival. He’s been here for three hours and I think they finally stopped panting.

They started out with a wrestling session in the house, which we took to the back yard. They’ve followed each other all over the house. Zoe has hip-checked Otis several times. She wants to be first in the door, first down the stairs, first onto the bed, first into a new room. They’ve had some growling and snarling episodes, but they don’t sound too serious (I hope). I figure that it’s something they’ll have to work out between themselves, but I’m going to supervise them as much as possible.

We have some audio to record on Sunday, so the background noise will be interesting, to say the least. We usually give Zoe a tendon to chew on, which occupies her, but with Otis in the mix (so to speak), who knows what’s going to happen.

I fed them earlier, and we put the food dishes in separate rooms. They’re very interested in each other’s food because they’re eating different brands, and whatever the other one has is much more appealing.

Otis has a little bit of diarrhea, but I’m hoping it will clear up soon. I wonder if it’s stress-related. We’re taking him to the vet for the first time Monday (although our regular vet will be on a much-needed vacation).  His ribs are still showing, so we need advice on helping him pack on some pounds. He burns a lot of calories wrestling with Zoe, for sure.

Zoe is having a hard time sharing her toys. Otis was gnawing on a bone earlier, and the second he left it unattended, Zoe pounced on it. No food aggression so far, which is good, but we’ll have to keep an eye on the toys. She did allow him to play ball for a while, which was nice of her.

He’s been in the office to visit me a couple times to request butt scratches. He’s very sweet and has an adorable face. Zoe has been peering around the corner just to check on us. She is still gnawing on the bone.
The first night with all four of us on the bed should be very interesting.

Shake the Disease

While we were in the Paris Las Vegas Diamond Lounge, we decided to name our new dog Otis. Other contenders were Oggy, Tobias, and Elvis, but Otis was the first choice for both of us (even though the bartender tried to persuade us to name him after a brand of tequila).

Otis and Zoe. Zoe and Otis. If you say it really fast, it sounds like a disease: Zoeandotis. You might want to have that zoeandotis checked out by a doctor.

We’ll probably call him ThunderOtis to help him with the transition. That sounds like an even more serious ailment.

My Helpful Helper

Zoe made new strides in assisting me around the house today.

First, she jumped on the bed as I was trying to remove the bedding. Then, she weaved in front of me as I was carrying an armful downstairs. Cute, but not good for either of us if I fell. Although, I was carrying some cushioning so her timing could have been worse.

And as usual, when I deposited the warm sheets from the dryer onto the bed, she plopped down in the middle of them.

As I made my third trip downstairs, I was carrying our comforter. It didn’t all fit into my arms so some cloth was dragging behind me. I got down about three steps when I felt a slight tug as if the comforter had caught on something. I turned around, and Zoe was standing at the top of the stairs, her front two paws on the comforter. She was wagging and panting as she looked down at me. I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically. That’s my dog.

It Takes Two

Meet Thunder

We’re about to become a two-dog household. We met Thunder (from MN Boxer Rescue) today, and he’ll be joining our family in a few weeks.

It was so much fun to watch him and Zoe chase each other around and wrestle. They play very well together. She’s been lying on the floor and panting ever since he left a half hour ago.

At first, Zoe didn’t want us or his foster family to pet him. She kept placing herself between Thunder and whoever was trying to give him affection– not aggressively, but just to let everyone know who they should pet first. They followed each other around the house, doing lots of sniffing in inappropriate places.

We let them run around outside, and the real fun began– lots of wrestling and boxing and play growling and chasing. Zoe appears to be the dominant one, but they pounced on each other equally. One dog wasn’t playing while the other dog was running away, and they both appeared to enjoy the play session tremendously.

He’s about 3 years old, but seems much younger. He’s 55 pounds but needs to gain more weight. His ribs are still showing. The dog in his previous home kept him from eating. He and Zoe shared a water dish today. I’m not sure how we should feed them– if we should feed them side by side if there are no issues, or if we should space their dishes farther apart. Lots of things I get to learn, but I’m excited!

I don’t mind the name, but Tim isn’t a huge fan, so we’ll probably come up with something different, although Pilot Inspektor and Moxie Crimefighter are out.

I always suffer from post-vacation letdown, so it will be so much fun to come home to the new addition. We’ll give Zoe a few days to settle in, and then bring him on home.