La Casa del Cuatro

Observant folks may have noticed some changes around the blog. The “About Me” section, the sidebar, the header, and a recent post have all indicated some pretty big changes happening I have four dogs now.

The two new kids on the block are inherited dogs, not chosen dogs; they belong to my fiance. We don't all live together just yet, but the plan is to merge households in June. There's a bit of work to be done before this happens, which is good news for you, my dear readers, as it gives me blog fodder.

Like an angel.

Lola is a three-and-a-half-year-old basset hound. She is as sweet as the day is long, and I'm simply enamored of her. She's a special dog, holding a place in my fiance's heart the way Maisy does in mine; she carried him through a cross-country move and some lonely times.

Although Lola hasn't had much training, she doesn't need much, either. She's a very typical pet dog without a lot of issues. Except she's afraid of cats. And I have a cat. This, of course, is a pretty big barrier to us all living together, so it's something I've had to start working on. But more on this soon.

Cats love boxes. Napi loves boxes. Therefore, Napi is a cat?

Napi (short for Napoleon) is an almost two-year-old chihuahua (mix?). My fiance rescued him in the most literal way possible: he saw the neighbors beating Napi, so he went over to them and said, “You don't like your dog. Either give him to me and I'll find him a home, or I'm calling the police.” They gave him the dog, and my fiance found him a home... at his house. That wasn't the plan, but I guess foster failing runs in the family.

Napi is reactive, especially towards men, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to surmise why. So far, we've started working on some management (Napi doesn't get to go to the dog park with the rest of us anymore), but soon I'll begin training him in earnest. I can't say that I was eager to have another reactive dog, but Napi is sweet and funny, and I'm glad to have him in my life.

I'm sure future posts will discuss how we've been integrating the family in preparation for living together, but I'll address the burning question now: how does everyone get along? The answer is: surprisingly well. Pyg and Napi are actually really well matched. They have similar play styles, and it's been a relief to be able to get the boys together to play during this long winter. Lola enjoys playing too, although due to her size, she finds it hard to keep up with the younger, more agile boys.

And Maisy? Well, Maisy will forever be the socially awkward only child that she's always been. She tolerates the other dogs just fine, but given a choice, she will play ball with one of the humans. For the most part, she ignores the others and does her own thing, but since it's working for everyone, I've got no complaints.