There’s a New Kid in Town

After we lost our sweet little Tootsie Roll last year, there was a lot of discussion concerning a new dog.  We wanted to bring another dog into our home and thought it would be good for Sosa to have canine companionship.  However, Sosa doesn’t like all canines, so we knew it would have to be the “right dog”.

We quickly ruled out dogs with pushed-in noses because Sosa doesn’t like them.  We learned this when we had him in agility.  The owners of our training facility bred boxers and occasionally would bring them to our classes.  We can’t remember anything bad happening between Sosa and these dogs, but he just decided he didn’t like them.  We next saw this when a cute little pug puppy came to stay at our house while his family was on vacation.  He spent one week in our home, and Sosa never did warm up to him.  I know it’s probably not politically correct, but he just doesn’t like those pushed-in noses.

We next ruled out a puppy.  Sosa doesn’t mind an active dog but doesn’t like it when they want to play with him or get too much in his face.  We knew a puppy would just drive him crazy.

Male vs. female didn’t seem to matter.  For all his bluster, Sosa is pretty submissive, and definitely a momma’s boy.  His canine pals have been of both sexes.  He did, however, get along quite well with our Tootsie and Valentine, so females were somewhat preferred over males.

Then, we got the call.  A tech in our vet’s office had just started fostering a nice, 5-6 year old, female border collie.  The rescue group had just gotten her two days before from Chicago Animal Control, and no one knew anything about her history.  It was suspected that she had been used for breeding.  After Steve and I met her, we took the critical step of bringing Sosa to the vet’s office to meet her.  They sniffed each other out a bit, tails wagging, and then kind of ignored each other – a good sign.  After getting her spayed, we brought her home and named her “Flirt”, because she was one.  Flirt is adapting very well to her new home and seems to feel more comfortable every day.  She and Sosa have occasional altercations, but they are minor, and everyone seems to be getting along just fine.  We are having a lot of fun with Flirt, and I hope that Sosa someday see the wisdom of our decision.