We’d only been home for one full day when we packed up the dogs and a bunch of dog beds to drive to Kirsten’s house! A mix of excitement and trepidation kept me jumping in my seat for the hour long drive. We’d be mixing 2 packs of dogs together for a total of 6 canines, add to that 2 cats and my worry about Adia’s prey drive - there was bound to be chaos.
With their leashes attached I let the dogs out of the car and walked towards the back yard. Kirsten appeared with Atlas - a giant, black Great Dane. So far so good. Then Tilly, the Jack Russell, and Murphy, the cocker spaniel came out, also on leash. We walked around for a couple of minutes without any issue so decided it was time to ‘release the hounds’.
Everyone got on well (mostly). Spike was very excited and ran around happily. I think he was happy to have some cousins that were his size (not counting Atlas of course). Thankfully he wasn’t worried about Atlas as he has gentle body language (well, mostly, more about that later).
Adia was excited but not overly crazy.
The next hurdle was bringing them all into the house. First Kirsten made sure that Twinkie the tiniest Chi and the 2 cats were carefully secured away. Then they all charged into the house in a scramble. My pups sniffed around curiously. Time to introduce Twinkie. No problem. Adia didn’t see her as anything other than a curiously small dog.
As we settled in with tea some of the dogs settled down (Spike was quick to find a bed out of the frey), while Adia walked and walked. There was a scuffle between Tilly and Spike over a bone (note to self, keep bones and toys away for now). Atlas was attracted to Adia and tried to hump her.
Overall I’d say that it went rather well. They’ll need a few more times together before they all settle down, especially Adia - she didn’t settle down until the next morning.
In all of this chaos, I had time to give Kirsten and Nissa a quick hug, welcoming them to Canada!
After supper we introduced the cats. Adia was curious but thankfully not in a ‘must kill’ sort of way. In fact, after a few swats by a tiny kitty paw, she was a bit scared. I kept the muzzle on her for a few minutes and then she dragged a leash for a short while. We kept an eye on her all night but she was good.
It’s so wonderful to have Kirsten’s family here! 😍
We took Kirsten into the city to pick up their new car and then I went back with Kirsten to their place. We met Carm this morning for breakfast at the ½ way point.
I’ve got a cold... I made it through the cruise so I guess that's good, but tonight I'll break out the brandy to mix with a hot lemon & honey drink.
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