At the end of the class, Eileen had several people come over to Nadya and quietly pat her. She did exceptionally well! She only hung her head a little and didn't try to bolt or get away and her nose hardly dripped at all. I was such a proud mamma!
After most of the people and pups had gone, I sat with Eileen and a few of her show friends and talked. One of these nice ladies was a Kerry Blue Terrier breeder and had a five month old puppy, Raven, with her. Nadya found a playmate! She play bowed and hopped around while Raven barked and strained her neck looking up at her.
Then a cat wandered over and Eileens Saluki started to slobber all over it. Off goes the cat and Nadya made an attempt to go after it, but alas, the leash was only 6 feet long and it diiidn't quite reach!
On the way home, Sara decided that she just HAD to stop at Burger King. (She'd live there if she could!). Since they don't serve Vodka, borscht or caviar there, I wasn't going to get Nadya any more treats. Especially after the last burger fiasco! At the drive-thru pick-up window, the BK girl said, "Oh what a beautiful dog! I haven't seen one of those in a long time!" I turned to Sara and whispered, "I'll bet she's NEVER seen one of those!" Nadya was completely sacked out in the back of the station wagon with her head resting comfortably on a blanket and she was snoring. She never moved all the way home.
~Monday, July 3, 2000~
Malachi and Basketball.
Nadya really enjoys running in the yard with Malachi. He can't quite keep up with her, although he does get a bit closer to her than he does any of the Greyhounds. This morning he was trying to teach her how to play his version of basketball. I was so tired of giving Malachi regular doggie toys just to have him bring them back to me in several shredded pieces within the first five minutes, that I finally gave him a basketball to play with. Yup. A regulation, mahogony colored, nubbly textured, black striped basketball. It took about 15 minutes for him to puncture it with a tooth, but to date, it's the longest lasting toy in my house. It's kind of soft now so he can pick it up in his mouth and carry it around the yard.
He kept bumping Nadya with it this morning and trying to get her to take it from him. Even though her mouth is big enough to make it almost all the way around his neck, she just couldn't seem to pick up that ball. After two tries I think she decided that it was beneath her dignity anyway, so she took off for a spin around the yard. Malachi watched her for a few seconds with this big round ball hanging out of his mouth, sighed, dropped the ball on the porch and took off after her.
She has learned how to stalk the other dogs from Tia. Tia, who just turned three in June has more energy than she knows what to do with and is my big kisser. She showed Nadya how to get another dog to run with her by slinking around and staring at the
other dog while slowly walking toward him. Nadya has become almost as good at this as Tia. She's a quick study.
For now, she is sacked out, tired from her run with Malachi this morning. She stands a little better to be brushed now, (only a little better), and comes charging over to us for lovin's and huggin's. Even in the yard! Although she still seems pretty shy around Sara. I guess Sara is a bit faster and louder than Harry and me, but she's making progress. Actually they both are! I can't express enough how much that one obedience class did for her. She goes again on Wednesday if it doesn't rain. I can't wait.
~Wednesday, July 5, 2000~
Snugglin' for lovin's and her first bath
Here's the ,morning routine: As soon as I get up, I let the greyhounds out of the bedroom. All but Woody charge down the steps, (Woody waits at the top for a kiss from me before going down.)
I let the greys out and find my shoes. Then I let Nadya out of her crate and we go outside with the rest of the crew. I watch her run around the yard with the girls for a few laps, unless Tia gets too rough. Then I yell at Tia to "BE NICE!" and then yell at Tia again. (She's young and chooses not to hear very well.)
Then Nadya and I go inside to start breakfast for everyone. Once inside I let Malachi out of his crate to play with Nadya some more while I prepare breakfast. All get about 3 cups of dry kibble with water and Safflower oil and a couple tablespoons of yogurt. Nadya also gets a spoonful each of cottage cheese and sour cream.
Gotta fatten this girl up a bit!
This morning started out pretty much the same as every other morning. Nadya and I walked outside with the rest of the crew and she took off across the yard as usual. I just stood watching and wondering what she's thinking, (as usual), and then it happened!
Nadya ran back to me and jumped straight up into the air right in front of me! She took a spin around my legs and hopped up again! Her head must have been a good six feet in the air. She was trying to play with ME! She's never done that before! She plays with the other dogs like that and has been doing so since she got here, but this time she wanted to play with ME!
I wasn't quite sure what to do, since I am not about to race laps around the yard and bite her on the neck and bunny hop over the high grass, so instead I crouched down and clapped my hands and squealed with delight. She took a few more turns around me and snuggled up close for some lovin's This morning I am ecstatic! Nadya loves me! That was something I wasn't too sure of yesterday.
You see, I had given her her first bath. At least her first one here in my house and from me. I was afraid to do that since I was sure she would take a few steps backward from the wonderful progrss she'd been making in trusting me. Every time I brush her, she quits talking to me for at least a few hours. I just knew that a bath would be traumatic, but the stench was getting a bit much for even me to take, so I decided that she would go in the tub yesterday no matter how insulted she might get.
Once out of the tub, she didn't know how to shake off so we towel dried her as best we could. Downstairs, Sara held her and I combed out her tail and pants and then brushed her the way Deb and Eileen had shown me. She is now sparkling white and fluffy as a marshmallow, but still has a bit of that nasty aroma. But with a bath AND a brushing, she decided that Sara and I were the enemy and she started to revert back to her same self as when she got here. She avoided any contact with any of us and ducked into her crate when ever any of us even looked at her. I was afraid that it was just too traumatic for her and she would NEVER forgive me. But this morning, I found that she was just having a sighthound hissy fit last night and now all is back on track.
