The First Day

Glen had told me that my first day with Duncan was going to be his worst. A new home is a stressful situation for any dog, but for one that is as frightened and shy as Duncan it's that much more difficult. When Glen left I settled down to watch a movie and spend a quiet day, hoping to let Duncan adjust on his own time. He did some pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room for a while, and watched the door to see if Glen was coming back. A short time later I was able to pick him up and put him on the sofa to let him know that it was ok for him to be there. From then on he jumped up and down from his new "safe spot" freely. He followed me any time I got up to go to the kitchen or to the bathroom, and then jumped back up on the sofa when I settled down again in the living room.

Later that afternoon my Mom and Dad stopped by and brought their dog Hannah with them. Hannah often comes to visit and likes to see Gracie, though she's not sure how to play with a cat. Gracie mostly ignores her and begs "Grandma and Grandpa" for attention instead. We took Hannah directly to the back yard foregoing the house so that she and Duncan could meet in the open. I let Duncan out the back door and they began to sniff each other immediately. Hannah was thrilled. She loves to make new friends and immediately wanted Duncan to play with her. Duncan is used to being with other dogs as he has been around them his whole life - first in the puppy mill, and then in his foster home with many other fur siblings. And although he seemed to enjoy and be relaxed by Hannah's presence, he was not quite ready to play. He was having a rough day after all. We let the two of the sniff around the backyard and each other for awhile before brining them back inside. Then we were surprised as Duncan jumped right up next to my Dad on the sofa. He didn't seek out his attention, but we were surprised that he was comfortable enough to even do that much. Glen had told me that his wife thought Duncan liked him more than her, but he thought it was because he spent more time with Duncan. This made me wonder though if his "care giver" in the puppy mill had been a woman. He seemed much less timid and afraid that he was going to be struck when a man was petting him than a woman. There's a strike against me I guess.

When the three of them left I put Duncan in his kennel as I had an appointment scheduled. He went in without any problems, and when I returned home I let him out to the back yard again for the last time that day. It was the first time I would have to try to get him into the house by myself. I was able to prop the door open and "herd" him in fairly easily though. When it was time to go to bed that night I moved Duncan's kennel into the bedroom to sleep close to Gracie and I. He is kennel trained and is used to being in his kennel at night and when his people are away, so I had no problems with him. Gracie jumped up on the bed and settled down. Though she does not cuddle with me, she usually sleeps close by. So the three of us ended our first day together.