I'd like to introduce you to Rosie, our twelve-week-old Tibetan terrier puppy. My family's first puppy.
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| Tiny puplet the day we bought her home. |
We bought this bundle of fluff home two weeks ago today, and it's fair to say she's been keeping us on our toes ever since. I actually think the last two weeks have been a bigger adjustment for us than they have been for her! She made herself at home within ten minutes, as if nothing had happened, and seems to be growing more confident and content every day.
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| Looking in to the garden for the first time. |
Don't let that adorable little face fool you, though; she's a little terror, and loves getting up to all kinds of mischief. She's in to everything, loves playing tug of war with the clothes you're wearing (or whatever she can get her hands on), and still loves playing with her teeth, no matter how loud you make a yelp / ouch noise. We've had plenty of accidents, destruction attempts, separation anxiety, and sleepless nights, with her crying so relentlessly that my Dad ended up sleeping on the sofa beside her for the first four nights as only another face would settle her.
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| Taking a two hour nap beside me on day two. Cutest nap partner ever. |
The first week or so was far from easy, and had us questioning whether we'd made a mistake in taking on a puppy, but thankfully, we've made good progress, and life has been so much easier this last week. She now sleeps through the night for a good eight hours (thanks to
this genius heart beat toy), is coming along well with the house-training, is nipping less, and has learnt to sit, stay, and lie down. Once she's had a few puppy classes, and a little more training, I think we'll be laughing. It's been a whole new learning curve for all of us, but I think we're doing well for first-time dog owners.
It's only been two weeks, but I'm already finding it hard to imagine life without her. She might be a handful but she's an adorable little thing, and you can never stay mad at her for long. I mean, look at that face- it's impossible to hate her! She's the cutest little fur-ball ever. She's so affectionate and loving, loves to smother us with kisses, curl up beside us when she sleeps, and likes to be around people all the time.
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| Cutest bed-head ever! |
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| Draw me like one of your French girls. |
Here are a few facts about her that I've picked up on over the last two weeks...
Observations (10-12 weeks old)
♥ Likes giving lots of kisses- particularly on the mouth, face, and neck, and usually adds in a few puppy bites for good measure. I swear she's a vampire-dog.
♥ Often sleeps on her back with her front legs rigid by her sides like a corpse.
♥ Whines when I take my painkillers in front of her and won't give her any, because she thinks they're treats. (I wish!)
♥ Has white eyelashes on the white side of her face, and black eyelashes on the black side.
♥ Has cute little black spots around her mouth, which give her the most quizzical expression and make her look like she has a little Hitler moustache.
♥ Loves chasing her tail, and can actually catch it.
♥ Runs like a greyhound in the garden... until the vocal terrier next door barks, a plane goes over, or a big gust of wind frightens her back in to the house.
♥ Tries to eat everything she finds- flowers, plants, stones, my hair, shoes, twigs, the carpet, paper, soil, the skirting boards, next door's parasol that blew in to our garden during a storm... (Don't worry, she's always supervised and discouraged).
♥ Loves playing with all of the toys we've given her, and goes crazy for the ones that squeak or taste of bacon.
♥ Managed to successfully jump on to the sofas by day two. Getting her to stay off them is taking a lot longer!
♥ Sounds just like a distressed baby when she cries.
♥ Actually scared my sister's big German shepherd on to the sofa last Sunday when they first met because she was zooming around so playfully. (She tried to hide behind my brother-in-law who was sat there). I wish I'd been there to see it; everybody said it was hilarious.
♥ Has already learned to sit and stay, and has just about mastered lie down. She now sits down all the time without being asked and stares up at me like 'I've sat down, Mum, where's my treat?'
♥ Began responding to her name last weekend, although she doesn't come running when you call her just yet.
♥ Looks like a different breed of dog from every angle. She mostly looks like a cross between an old English sheepdog, a Jack Russell, a Labrador, and a teddy bear.
♥ Her coat is already about an inch long, and becoming more peppered with black and grey stripes by the day. Who knows what her adult coat will be like!
♥ Gets confused when she hears dogs barking on the TV, and tries to look behind the TV to find them.
♥ I wanted to call her Maisy, Mowgli, or Skye, but the family weren't all on board.
♥ Other names that made the short list: Poppy, Daisy, Minnie, Duffy, Penny, and Panda.
♥ We don't think the name Rosie suits her, but she learnt it before we could decide on a new one, so it had to stay!
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| Beautiful girl. |
Oh, and for those of you who might not have heard of the breed... a Tibetan terrier is a medium-sized long-haired breed that resemble small old English sheepdogs when their fur is long, and large shi-tzus when their coats are clipped short. They need daily grooming and regular hair cuts, so they are a high-maintenance breed, but they do make fantastic companion dogs and are very intelligent animals. Tibetan monks have kept them as companions, watchdogs, and sheepdogs for thousands of years! You're looking at a 12-14 year plus commitment with a Tibetan terrier, so all I can say is if you're thinking of adding a TT (or any new puppy / dog) to your family, do plenty of research first and always think it through!
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| Discovering the bird-bath for the first time last Saturday. |
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| Look at that little tongue! |
Hope you enjoyed the puppy spam!
Do you have any adorable little doglets?
