The vet is 99% sure she is a Lhasa Apso and is 5 years old. Her previous owner passed away so my parents swooped in and grabbed her. They had been tinkering with getting a dog, but weren't sure they wanted to deal with a puppy. They also took into consideration that both of their grand-dogs, Lucy and Sophie, are not so keen on sharing their attention. But after meeting this sweet girl they fell in love and now she is part of the family.
James is a BIG fan of Ella and loves to scream out her name when he sees her. Having her here for a few days has been a huge bonus for him - what kid wouldn't want 2 dogs?! They bonded pretty quickly and I have a feeling James is going to be very sad when she leaves.
As for Lucy...it's been a slower process. They were first introduced a few weeks back at the dog park. Ella's trainer suggested that we bring the girls to a neutral place so there was no fighting over territory. I wasn't there - but Ed said it went well. Lucy spent most of the time running around with the other dogs while Ella stayed by my Mom's side. We took it as a win. :)
The next encounter was at a training session at PetSmart. Ella's trainer offered to give them a private lesson and teach us some techniques on how to socialize them. They again got along which again was a win in our book.
Last test was at my parent's house and this was the big one. Lucy had lived there for a few months when we first moved down and felt very territorial about the place. Per the trainer's instruction, we had them meet out front on leash first. Next step was to move them into the backyard and let them run around. Luckily, things went well. Lucy behaved. Ella behaved. James behaved. All was good.
We took the ultimate plunge this week by having Ella stay with us at our house. We followed the same formula as we did at my parent's house: meet outside on leash + run around in the backyard = 2 happy puppies that are not biting each other's heads off. And it has stayed that way...for the most part. There have been some angry words over treats and when it is an appropriate time to play. Luckily they are both small enough that when they do get into a scuffle, we can quickly scoop one of them up and remove them from the situation. Over all, they are new besties.
I think Ella has had fun being here, but will be very happy when her Mommy and Daddy come home. She is a huge Mama's girl and loves to lay on her lap. Ed and I provide a decent substitution, but it's not quite the same.
I'll tell you one thing, she will miss the excitement and pace of our house versus back home. We keep her going all day long which is something she is not used to. I have a feeling that once she gets home, she will sleep for 3 days straight.
Welcome to the family, Ella!!! xoxo
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