Saturday, November 27, 2010

Things Zarita is Learning

1. I am not allowed to roughhouse indoors.
2. Iggy does not want to play with me. Not in the house or in the yard or on a train.
3. You don't get to change packs during the walk.

I have Zarita because her foster parents are going on vacation.

She's only 8 months old, so she has lots of energy to burn off with daily walks and playtimes. Last night (without a walk) I tried to keep her close by putting a leash on her while I watched a movie. When the leash went slack, I reached down to pet her for finally relaxing. But all I had was part of a leash. Zarita was happily trotting off to find Iggy. So much for that lazy human idea.

No matter how many puppy bounces she made, Iggy refused to look at her. So she kept Ginny busy, and then made a whole bunch of friends at the dog park this morning. It took us a long time to get around the loop. Zarita wanted to go home with everyone she met. Toward the end, I think she began to realize that all dogs stay with the packs they come with.

Because it's the weekend, I don't know what Zarita will be like without one-on-one attention, but this is what I know so far:

Housetraining: she had one accident shortly after arriving. It wasn't an accident, really - she had a drink and then squatted on the mat by the door. I yelled, hey! and she immediately stopped. If she could talk, she would have said, 'My keen doggy nose tells me this mat has been peed on at least 7 times by 7 different doggies. How was I to know?'

Hardiness: In spite of being tiny and delicate (20 pounds) she's tough. She loves to romp in the snow and stays outside with Ginny for long stretches.

Independence: She's confident with other dogs and people, just loves everyone. She isn't clingy - right now she's about ten feet away, stretched out on the floor. If I leave the room, she will get up and follow me, but with no sense of hurry. This is very good for only having been here for 24 hours.

Crating: She slept on the main floor in a crate last night, and fussed for a short time when I first put her in. She woke up at some point during the night, but I think she was just nervous because she was sleeping through the night at her previous foster home. I expect she won't need to be crated at night in her forever home. She likes to lay on Ginny's bed (in our bedroom) and I think she would be fine there.

Leash Walking: She treats the leash as a minor irritation ('I'm going really fast but nothing is happening!) She is easy to train though--very responsive, and always trying to figure out what you want.

Cats: Jack the Cat isn't a good indicator because he likes dogs and won't run away from them. But Zarita seems normal around him--curious and 'sniffy' but no aggression.

I hope Zarita is chosen by a family with children and/or companion dog(s), because she loves everyone and it would be a shame to waste all that love on one person. Although tiny, she's smart like a big dog, and I can't imagine that she would ever bite anyone. A very sweet, gentle little girl with soft-like-a-bunny fur.

If you have any questions about her or would like to meet her in person, please feel free to leave me a message here or contact me through Pawsitive Match.

1 comment:

scrosby2 said...

Hi Maggie,
I think I missed you at the adopt-athon. I filled out an application with pawsitive match the other day for Zarita, and I'd love a chance to come meet her!
Sarah (9981784)