h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

After I'd decided on this (Scooter) I had to wait several days before I could actually take him home. He wasn't neutered so they had to neuter him and we had to pay for it as well as give him shots. He was ready to come home after a couple of days.

HIs first ride in the car with me was clearly confusing to him. He didn't know where he was going or what was going to happen there. He'd just gotten attached to some of the volunteers at the shelter. The first couple of days with us, I'd say he was a bit depressed. The first night and for the first several days he had to be on me at almost all times. He sat on my shoulder with a large pillow while I watched TV. He slept on me.

This did not last. He likes to sit on my occasionally, but he's not really a lap dog and he doesn't like to touch me while we're sleeping anymore but he does usually sleep on the bed. He is allowed on the bed and all the furniture he chooses to be on.

When he first came in the house he ran around the whole house looking for the other dog. Shel hadn't been gone long and his stuff was still all over. His dogbeds still smelled strongly of him, I'm sure and his toys were around. Fortunately Scooter is not inclined to mark things. One of the weirder things about him. So he didn't show any interest in marking Shel's things, he just wanted to make find the other dog in house. It took him a while to be convinced that there was no other dog there.

After that he sat on the green chair for most of the evening just checking things out. He warmed up to me dad right away. And he slept on me.

In the morning I made the mistake of not putting him out first thing and he pooped on the carpet. I was getting him to play with a toy with me which he was right on top of, but he had to take care of business first. It did not bode well as housebreaking continues to elude us.

Harry did that when we first had him (the pooping) and I didn't make a big deal out of it. I scooped it up and took it up the garden where I wanted him to go, then I showed it him, not in any stern "bad dog" way. I encouraged him up the garden and tried to convey "This is really where I'd prefer this to be". And it did work. The weeing took a little longer but he sussed it in the end.

Deb

[Amy P]