We waited for the groomer to do the necessary stuff like bathing, cutting of nails, trimming of fur and cleaning of ears for Rossi before taking her back. After the grooming was done, Hubby carried Rossi in his arms gently. Her appearance had changed from the last time we seen her. At 11 weeks now, she had grown up. Previously, her ears were slightly drooping downwards. Now, they stood erect, showing the potential graceful "butterfly" ears she would have in her progression to adulthood.
Hubby held her gently in one arm, as she was so small and light. Initially, she was trembling uncontrollably. This was normal, as she was leaving a familiar surrounding. We assured her by stroking her, telling her that it was okay, Daddy and Mummy would take good care of her. Then we brought her over to our friends who were waiting for us outside the Pets' Supplies Store. When our friends saw her, they were delighted. They began stroking her and helped to put her little mind at ease. Adorable little Mocha, her very first friend, was also introduced to her. Slowly, Rossi stopped trembling and was more relaxed.
We bought a couple of things from the pets supplies shop and proceeded to take her home in our friend's car. As we were afraid that she might get nauseous and vomit in the car, hubby placed a big plastic bag directly below her while I held a towel close by to wipe her mouth if she did vomit.
The car ride began. We were alert and ready for her at anytime. As the car moved, our heartbeat accelerated. We did not want to be caught unaware if she vomitted. It was quite a long way home too.
Throughout the car journey, we tried to keep her occupied by talking to her. Our friends helped too, by petting her and getting her to socialize with Mocha.
To our amazement, Rossi remained calm and showed no signs of nauseousness, other than appearing to doze off and we quickly roused her to stay awake. When we reached home and got off the car, Rossi was fine! We were very proud of our little gal!
"R"-Day is finally here!
Yes! Today's the day our baby gal comes home!
Thinking back, when we had to wait for another month or so before bringing her home, the wait felt so draggy to me. Each day, the minutes seemed to crawl into hours like a lazy snail. It looked like it would be a long while before Rossi would join us.
But strangely, now, when Rossi is ready to go home, it feels like time has passed me in a blink of an eye. How ironic...Time had appeared to slow down previously, but all of a sudden, time seemed to speed up like a racing horse dashing for the finishing line.
Alright, I got to finish some office work now and go off at mid-day to fetch Rossi, so that's all for now. Ciao!
The arrival of "R"-Day is drawing closer than ever.
In a matter of hours, Rossi will be coming home.
Around this time tomorrow, our buddies and adorable little doggie friend, Mocha will be with us to fetch Rossi back. Rossi is such a lucky little gal to have so many of us welcoming her home!
I have also specially bought a pretty pinky doggie bag for her to rest during the journey home tommorrow. As some puppies might have the tendency to experience motion sickness, we would be putting a couple of thick towels into the bag,just in case she feels nauseous. I do hope she could withstand the trip home somehow.
It was a busy night yesterday. My hubby was washing our clothes, bedsheets etc + hanging them up and changing our bedsheets, while I was putting + throwing away some books, magazines and unwanted stuff to clear up some space. Tonight, we will be mopping & vacuuming the floor + doing some last minute cleaning up. We wanted to ensure our more important household tasks are done, so that we can devote our time over the weekend to orientate Rossi with her new surrounding and ease her entry into our little family.
I am concerned as to how well she would be able to adjust to her environment and how long she would take to get comfy with it. In any case, she is still a baby and she doesn't know us yet. Standing from the viewpoint of her innocent little mind, she would be walking away from everything she knows and suddenly venturing into a foreign territory with people she is unfamiliar with. How scary and stressful it must be for her...
Then for the first few nights, it is possible that she might whine / cry in her new sleeping area. But to our knowlege, it would be best if we just leave her alone to whine / cry, as she would get used to it gradually and stop her whines / cries. I just hope I would somehow have the will power to ignore her whines / cries. Or rather, I hope my hubby would be able to restrain me if I show any telltale sign of wanting to baby her.
Well, I think all in all, time is the factor. Given ample time, she should be able to get used to her new home nicely, but it is definitely more difficult for her at the begining. I just could'nt help feeling worried for her, especially when I am a first-time owner and do not have firsthand experience in having a dog.
Hubby and I just have to work together and do our best to help our little gal settle in. With patience and love, I believe we can do it.
Hubby and I made a firm decision to get Rossi. We made the necessary arrangements and would be bringing her home this coming Friday.
Before this, we got a whole lot of preparation to do, which began from getting neccessities like her crate, bedding, playpen, bath products, food to miscellaneous stuff like her toys, treats, etc, etc. We were compiling the list of things to prepare and the list extended whenever we thought of anything we missed out. Besides this, there was a whole lot of reading up to do on how to housebreak, housetrain, maintain and groom her, etc etc. (We are first-time doggie owners, so it is important for us do our "homework" to equip ourselves with the essential knowledge in caring for our Rossi.)
In another four days, Rossi will be coming home. Her coming home also means that the actual task of taking care begins and the knowledge we have acquired would be put into use. However, head knowlege versus actual hands-on experience can be two entirely different issues. It is easy to obtain a variety of information from convenient sources like the Internet and books, but putting this knowledge to task might prove to be a lot more difficult than we imagine.
On our side, we are mentally prepared to work through the difficult phase with Rossi, especially in the first few months. When we are able to settle her down at our home, it would be easier for us to care for her for the rest of her days with us.
We are counting down...Tuesday...Wednesday...Thursday...And KABOOM!!!
Its FRIDAY!! And Rossi will be Home!
"Rossi sweetie, Mummy can't wait for you to be back! Mummy hopes you will be a sweet little gal who loves Daddy and Mummy. And we love you too!"
Throughout the car journey, we tried to keep her occupied by talking to her. Our friends helped too, by petting her and getting her to socialize with Mocha.
