…a puppy named Fiona.
It is hard to remember when Fee WASN’T here (although I do seem to remember it being quieter!). She has invaded…. I mean, settled in nicely. Miss Fiona is so smart that it requires a new level of understanding just to keep up with her. This could be a bad thing.
She is quick to learn what the other dogs teach (like…let’s bark at Mac when he is into something, or hey, how about a hole right here?!) but does pick up many things on her own.
She will put paws up on whatever she can reach, just to make sure there is not some treasure that MUST be hers to investigate. Last night she decided it was 2 stuffed sheep on a stand in the living room and she kept barking at them — must have been something they said. You should have seen her eyes last night when Mac decided to clean a bowl left in the sink. They clearly lit up and her expression was priceless (”hey, I didn’t know we could do that!”) Alas, she is not tall enough for that yet.
She will bring us a toy and drop it at our feet, waiting for us to play. She loves to fetch (at least a few times before she moves on to something else) and doesn’t care what it is, as long as we throw it for her. If we ignore her, we get a one-bark warning [g].
She has learned that if people are eating and watching tv, you wait till they get up then check their chairs! Sometimes if you are lucky you find crumbs, and if you can flip the cushions, you may find all kinds of things! She got that in one day of watching Mac. It’s a public service.
After the initial “ignoring her very existence period,” Maddie has decided that Fee is hers. No sharing, no one else allowed to play with her, that’s it. They will wrestle and play for a while then stand in front of me with “that” look — we want to do this outside. So off they go outside to continue the game. Sometimes one of them will grab a stick or frisbee and wave it in front of the other (Maddie ’s FAVORITE game in the world). Again, this goes on for a while till they tire of that and then move on to the next thing…DIGGING. (That is not my favorite thing). Fee has taken to digging in a big way. She will come in with black face and feet, very proud of herself. They now have a “fort” way in the back yard that I MUST check out before they dig to China… or South Portland, whichever comes first.
Fee is doing well on the grooming table. She will stand and let me brush her and clean up what needs to be cleaned, do her nails and ears… all the fun stuff. I do a little stacking and she will hold for a few seconds — normal for her age. We also work on “stand” when she gets a treat, but I don’t think she has made the connection yet (although I always make sure she is standing first). Of course, Maddie is so smart that all I have to say is either “stand” or “fix your feet” and she comes running. LOL. Maddie has one of the biggest vocabularies of any dog I have had.
When we first got Fee, I tried not to do too many of the “oh she is just like her Dad” things. I wanted her to be her, not a copy of someone else. No worries on that count! She does do things that remind me of Traveler, but also Mac and Mira, and other times she reminds me of Gracie and Cher. Now some of them live here, some don’t, and Mira and Cher have moved on altogether, so it’s not like she can copy what they do. Fiona is truly a little bit of all of our Beardies. And then she is herself…. feisty, spirited, sweet, lovely, silly, and probably more than I bargained for.
But aren’t they all?
We are off to shows tomorrow and she will go along for the ride so to speak (poor dear can make it an hour before her food revisits — she won’t be happy about not eating in the morning). She has been doing a fabulous job at shows, learning to walk nicely on lead, greeting everyone, and showing an interest in just about everything. She hangs out in the ex-pen, watching all that goes on, a perfect little Beardie girl. It is good experience for her, hearing all of the hair dryers, the noise, the barking, and all that goes along with being a “show girl.” I think she will adapt to that easily, just as she has everything else….
Off to see what the Precious Gem is into now. Her newest thing is trying to get the lining off the box spring from under the bed. No chewing on chairs or getting into toilet paper for her anymore- she is moving on to bigger and better things.
Save me….
Val