Sisters

We have been considering a sister for Polly for quite some time as she loves the company of other dogs, so when I heard of a half-sibling litter close to home it seemed as if fate had taken a firm hand in our decision making. Polly's Dad had been mated with a very pretty and gentle golden girl, who, by a stroke of luck, lives only a short drive away from our home.  Let's just say, one thing led to another, the decision was at last taken and Polly's puppy sister Betty will shortly be coming to live with us!

To help acclimatize Polly to the inevitable changes in our home, I have set up Betty's crate and day bed ahead of her arrival and placed her new puppy toys in her bed.  Polly has shown great interest in this activity, sniffing everything very thoroughly; interestingly though, she hasn't yet attempted to play with Betty's toys.  Polly knows I always present her with her own new toys and then give her permission to play with them and as that hasn't yet happened with these particular toys I think she has already worked out they aren't hers to play with ... she's such a clever girl.

Betty's breeder has been very welcoming and helpful, which has meant I have been able to visit several times for cuddles and to enjoy Betty's developmental progress; it has been a great opportunity for me and Betty to become accustomed to one another before she comes home and so much fun!  Our little Betty is a sweet girl, curious and playful, but so far, not overly boisterous ... in fact, I'd say she's seems a very promising little sister personality-wise, for Polly.

So, pretty soon it will be back to basic puppy training for me and as soon as she is old enough to be fully inoculated, Betty will be heading to obedience school to train to be safe and sociable, while big sister Polly enjoys a Summer respite from school and some one-to-one 'Dad' time with my  husband Stuart. 

I am so looking forward to introducing Betty to Polly. Polly has met several puppies on our walks over the past few weeks and proved herself to be surprisingly gentle with them, so I am optimistic the initial sisterly meeting will be a fun, positive experience for both dogs before the the real work begins: toilet training, lead walking, manners at home, manners with other dogs ... yep, here we go again!

:-)