Hailey

I still can't believe we did it. I can't believe I did it. We got a dog. We went with only the intention of looking but we ended up bringing her home. Really....how could we not? Her name is Hailey although this morning it was Dally. Madison renamed her and is ecstatic at the thought of having a dog. Kennedy has fun playing with her but she is not nearly as attached as Madison. Hailey is almost a year and a half old. They didn't know her actual birthday but that is what they think (and the vet confirmed that later in the day). She was living in a kennel in Custer. They got her to do some kind of detection training from a shelter in Idaho. Apparently she was too preoccupied by her sniff drive to concentrate enough for them so they put her up for adoption. They had her about 3-5 months. I don't think this dog has ever been a pet or in a home, it has never been around kids. All of this made me a little leery but she is absolutely as sweet as can be. She has been so great with the kids today and everything, really. We put her through a lot in her first day with us. Right after we got her we took her to the groomers. She spent a lot of time in a wooded area and on gravel at the kennel and she was dirty. They gave her a good wash and haircut. She has a lot of staining on the back of her legs but the vet said that would all grow out and be gone in a few months now that she is with us and not at the kennel. She also had some irritation on the tip of her tail that he said would go away now that she will be out of the crate and getting more exercise. She seems healthy for the most part, is now up to date on her shots and taking an antibiotic just to be on the safe side for her irritated tail. She'll be good as new soon.

Since I'm not in the know about where to take pets for grooming or vet care we had to wing it today and get her in wherever we could find an opening so we took her to PetSmart for her grooming. We killed two birds with one stone because we had some shopping to do. One would think this sort of shopping would be fun but I had a bit of a hard time when I saw the leash aisle. Really...I could not believe there was an entire aisle with leashes (both sides, by the way). We eventually found what we needed but not before I had a bit of a panic attack. Forget about a water and food dish...I had to finally walk away and say we would just use something at home for now. We got her a ball, one she couldn't chew up because we were told tennis balls would be chewed up in pieces by her in minutes. She likes to chew, sniff and play catch! She is a bird dog after all.

After that we went to buy some dog food and dog treats. When we went back to PetSmart to pick her up we bought her a comb and a new crate. They gave us an old (big) one when we got her but it really stunk and was rusty and gross. The smaller crate is much more her size anyway. She is a little underweight but the food they were feeding her at the kennel was not very good (according to vet). He thinks what we got will be much more nutritious for her. She won't get any taller but the vet said she will fill out and her shoulders will bulk up with muscle a bit.

After the grooming we took her home for a bit so she could see her new crib. She did a lot of sniffing and even more playing catch with Madison. I bet she threw that ball more than a hundred times for her today. Hailey could not get enough of it, she has boundless energy. She will keep us all on our toes and be good for us. Despite her energy she did find a little time to let us pet her.

After a bit of playtime it was time to take her to the vet. She did great. The vet confirmed she had been spayed which they thought at the kennel but couldn't confirm.

She loves this KONG ball.

She is QUICK!

After the vet we came home and had dinner. Hailey had her salmon and sweet potato dog food as well as her antibiotic wrapped in a ball of bread (she didn't want it in a spoonful of peanut butter...crazy dog!) and she got a acclimated to the inside of the house. I am still trying to adjust to slobbery water drips all over the entry way, the smell of dog in the house (I totally smell it but nobody else does), the dirty paw prints that I know are going to be everywhere and dog hair which I haven't noticed yet but it's only a matter of time. I've never been an animal person...ever so this is going to be a big adjustment for me, especially. I need to get over it, I know and I'm trying. I'll get there and so far so good. She is a sweet girl and I can't help but love her.

Now, our challenge is to learn how to actually have a dog. This dog never really went through any of the detection training because she wasn't ready and then they decided to put her up for adoption so she can sort of sit and that's it. Even if she could do other stuff we wouldn't know how to even get her to do it, we know almost nothing about dog training. She walks us and I was embarrassed in PetSmart when she was jerking and dragging me along. Family training classes are in our near future but we'll wait a week or two. We spent a small fortune today on her and the supplies we bought (as well as the vet and groomers) and she has been through so much today that I want to give her a little time to adjust to us and living in a house. She has been so good with the girls. We heard her bark only twice all day. Once was at the vet when a dog growled at her and the other time was outside this evening when the hydrangea branches were blowing in the wind (ha) outside when she went out for a potty break. We've got a lot to learn about having a dog, it will be a very interesting year for sure!