First night

We got through the first night!  Can’t say it was the easiest thing in the world, we slept in the bedroom and let the dogs sleep in their crates at the bottom of the steps.  Bailey whined a few times throughout the night for awhile.  That was hard to listen to.  BUT we made it through.  Woke up earlier than we normally do on Sundays so I could let the girls out and then Mike and I took them for a walk and let them just be by each other outside of the house for awhile.

After we came back in and let them be around each other in the house, we had naptime again.  I needed it. 3 hours of sleep last night wasn’t enough!

One thing I’m wondering about is whether we are doing the right thing as far as how we’re letting them interact.  How much of Bailey’s weariness is because of Delilah and how much is because of her life change?  Delilah is doing great and you can tell she wants to be Bailey’s friend.  She loves snuggles and pets.  I can’t wait to get to know her better so I can say more.  It’s weird how living with a dog, you start to learn how they feel, what they need, what they’re thinking.  So it’s easier to talk about Bailey because I know her better.  I can say this is the weirdest dog introduction Bailey has been through and I know she’s confused.  Normally we go from introduction to play pretty quick, with the dogs we’ve dog sat and the dogs we have puppy play dates with, and then usually they’re off leash in the house after a good play session outside.  Now, is that necessarily the right way?  I don’t know, but it’s always worked.

I only have a little bit of time before Delilah’s food should be all digested and we can go for a walk and have the girls spend some time together again, so I guess I’ll tell you a little more about our story and hope that I don’t make Mike mad by telling it.

Yesterday I told you that I would tell you about why Delilah’s story spoke to us so much.  As you know from my post yesterday, Delilah has three legs.  Her front right paw was amputated after animal control turned her over to MOGS.  They didn’t really know what happened to her leg, but evidently it was hit by something and the bone fractured.  The bone had healed by the time MOGS got her, but the splinter from the bone had fractured her nerve and caused the leg to curl back on itself and there was nothing that could be done to fix it.

That story is enough to pull at anyone’s heart strings.

So now for Mike’s story.  On January 1, 2011 when leaving a bar with some friends, Mike was shot by a random stranger.  He was shot once in the back and the bullet severed his jugular and he almost bled to death.  As he was running away from the guy, he shot him in the elbow.  That story is really condensed, there’s a lot more to it, but I think it Mike wants to tell you about it, he’ll comment.  Ironically the life critical shot was in the back, but the shot in the elbow has given him the most trouble.  He’s been through numerous surgeries trying to get functionality back.  Because of the nerve damage, he will never have feeling back, but he does have a lot of functionality thanks to some great surgeons and patience on Mike’s part.

So their stories are similar… both have had serious nerve damage in their right arms and they both didn’t deserve it.  Is a similar story enough of a reason to adopt a dog?  Probably not.  You know what else it is?  The loyalty.  Mike was looking at German Shepherds because of their loyalty.  One of the best things about Mike is how much he loves and appreciates family.  I don’t know if its because he understands how much it hurts to lose one of the people you care about most in the world, but I know that he is super loyal himself.  Loyal and caring and patient.  Sometimes more than you think you deserve, but it helps you find the best in you.  He deserves a dog with those same characteristics.

As hard as the next month may be, getting these girls used to each other and integrated into our family will be worth it.  We’re going to do what it takes to do this right because Delilah is part of our family now and we don’t give up on family.