Freedom!!

Yesterday, I did some reading online about parvo quarantine, and I came across a site that said the quarantine period is usually two weeks. The shelter told me the quarantine was 3-4 weeks. Kira had been treated over 2 weeks ago, so I was hoping that 3-4 weeks was excessive. I asked the shelter to test a sample of her poop to see if it was clear of parvo--and what do you know, the test came back negative. No more parvo!! Dog walks and dog parks, here we come!

I've been raring to socialize Kira because I think Cabana is the only dog she's ever had positive interactions with. I took Kira to my favorite fields, knowing it would be fairly quiet in the afternoon. I didn't take Cabana so I could focus on Kira, since I didn't really know how she was going to respond. The first dog we saw was a little chihuahua on leash. Kira barked tentatively at him, backing up somewhat fearfully. This seems to be Kira's usual reaction--she barks whenever she's scared.

The man with the chihuahua left soon afterward, leaving us with a big empty field. I thought, hmmm, how am I going to socialize Kira with no other dogs or people around? Then, lo and behold, up drove the Nine Dog Lady! Talk about a one-stop dog socialization opportunity!

The Nine Dog Lady is self-explanatory--she's a lady with 9 dogs. Yes, 9 dogs. Ranging from an Irish wolfhound down to a 3-pound chihuahua. As you can imagine, the Nine Dog Lady is slightly eccentric. (She's holding Kira's drag line just for the photo--Kira kept trying to stay close to me, which I'm not complaining about, but it made it difficult to get a photo of her with the other dogs.) I had seen her at the park a couple times, and then, the next time I went to our veterinarian's office, there she was again. She volunteers at the vet's office, probably in order to get a discount on the services needed to keep 9 dogs healthy!

Have you ever seen such bling-y dog collars? Even the 3-pound chihuahua has these jewel-encrusted collars that probably weigh as much as the dog itself.

Kira did GREAT with all 9 dogs. No more barking! I have high hopes for this sweet puppy. She's on her way to being a confident, well-balanced dog.

After dinner tonight, I took Cabana and Kira to the fields together. The few times Kira has ridden in the car, she has whined almost constantly. I've tried singing to her, turning on the radio, having her sit in different places, all with no luck. But I should have known--she's perfectly happy in the car when Cabana is with her. I think she needs to go to a family with another dog--don't you?