We have been on the fence for a few months now about adopting another dog. After losing our beloved Sophie earlier this year, we didn’t want to rush into anything and we definitely didn’t want a rebound dog.
But …. life with just one fur baby didn’t seem quite the same and Shenanigan seemed mopey and under-stimulated. He began to be very finicky about eating and we were worried about him. So, what could be the solution to all this? Rebel!
We adopted her from Lost Our Home Pet Foundation (her name was originally Wilma). I had started volunteering there a few months ago and she seemed too timid to last long in a hectic shelter environment. I’ve always had a thing for the shy guys, the ferals or the almost-ferals. It turns out Rebel is an almost-feral because once we got her home, she was terrified of the stairs and any new noise (the TV) or movement (the sliding door) seemed to shrink her into herself a little bit. She thought her reflection in the mirror was alternately a friend or an enemy.
Our solution worked for Shenanigan though – he’s been playing with her a little bit (which is actually a lot for him, he was afraid to play with Sophie as she could be kind of rough) and exploring the yard a lot more and eating all his food – it’s like he is showing off for his new little sister.
A package of (gross) lunch meat turkey later and she knows how to use the stairs. She is settling in and her shyness is starting to fade away a little bit and revealing a goofy and sweet personality. It’s never a dull day at the Living Analog abode. Cheers! CT
Living Analog 
Congrats on your beautiful pup! Both dogs seem to be getting along well in such a short period of time.
Thanks! We’re excited to adopt “new girl”. Our older dog, Shenanigan, is pretty mellow and non-dominant so he integrates well with other dogs and always has – when we lived in St. Louis, we fostered dogs for Stray Rescue (usually ferals) and he was great at teaching them the rules of the house and yard. Have a great day and thank you so much for commenting! Cheers – CT
Yay! I love Rebel.
Thanks Brooke! It’s kind of a nod to David Bowie – we discussed naming her Bowie but that seemed a little too manly! Cheers – CT
Welcome to your furever home, Rebel! Great name. You guys seem to have a dog-color scheme going on that works well with the desert;)
It’s true, we may be a little selective when it comes to fur color … with the floor being tan carpets upstairs and reddish-brown tile downstairs, a reddish-tan furball seems to blend in the best 🙂 Have a great weekend! Cheers – CT