By the time I finished cleaning up the puke and took the little one out of the truck for her first walk (which turned out to be more a "stand" as she hesitated in moving once again), I thought perhaps her name began with a "T". It would be dainty, feminine. And the weird way the human mind works, perhaps I associated "T" with anything or anyone tiny. My neighbor saw her and said she thought her name would be something like Delilah; something very feminine and proper. And then, in a flash of inspiration, I looked into those soft brown eyes, and I called her "Edie." It seemed to suit her. I didn't expect her to respond to since I had just conjured it up, but it made it less awkward when I tried to get her attention and had nothing to call her.
Speaking of getting her attention, there is a very big difference one needs to consider when walking dogs of different sizes: their weight. When Edie stuck her nose near something to possibly take a taste instead of just sniff, I gave the leash a yank (since just calling her name would be useless). However, I was used to being up against fifty pounds of canine force, and although I didn't think I jerked it that hard, the poor girl practically took flight across the sidewalk toward me.
I apologized to her, and we continued on our uneventful walk. I think perhaps the harness was throwing her off. She walked with a swagger, and very slowly as if the weight of the world dragged her down. After twenty minutes she still hadn't peed so we went inside anyway.
She truly is an exceptionally cute little girl. Her papers listed her as a stray, but with her white coat so white and her back end looking recently groomed and cut, I had a feeling she might have gone into heat and taken off from her yard, and her owners just didn't bother posting her bail.
However, she's clearly not house-trained, as was evident when she squatted in the middle of the living room and when I approached her and took her outside she simply looked up at me confused. Apparently my carpet resembles a toilet in the eyes of canines recently.
Little Edie spent most of the time on my lap. She does crouch down low and show her belly when I approach her, but then she seems to enjoy the belly scratch. I tried to feed her, but she wasn't interested--except for the bread. Since I assumed she had an empty stomach after releasing its content in my truck, I gave her some bread. However, I didn't know how much food was too much for a dog that small. I only had large bite dog food, and I took the time to cut them into smaller pieces, but even those seemed too big for her tiny mouth.
She played for a brief moment, and I was delighted by her enthusiasm. She ran a bit and attacked a toy, and seemed to be having a good time. Then she ran off into the hallway. I let three seconds pass before I rose up from the floor to confirm my suspicion: that she was squatting in the hallway taking a piss.
Maybe she was just a lap dog previous to her incarceration. She had no boundaries like those who have never been in a home: strutting into the bathroom and investigating the bathtub, putting feet on the kitchen chairs, peeing inside with no regret. And yet with her timid nature, I couldn't see how she possibly could have survived as a stray. Although, I was wholly embarrassed when out for a walk she began to growl at a shih tzu down the street. When it was evident she wasn't going to let it go and the other dog wouldn't move, I picked her up to walk past, apologized to the owner, and found out that little tough girl here just threatened a blind dog.
But aside from that one incident, she was sweet as could be. She was curious about people too. When Ruth came to pick her up yesterday morning, Edie went up to her for a sniff, and then collapsed on her side to get some belly rubs. I was confident she'd do fine wherever she went. I've heard that life is easier if you're pretty; I imagine it's the same whether you're a pretty human or a pretty dog.
I was surprised though, that when Ruth went to put a teeny tiny collar on her that Edie retreated toward me, climbed into my lap, and stared at Ruth, looking as if she knew where she was safe.
"Oh wow, she's bonded to you. You're clearly hers," Ruth stated.
I assured her that Edie would bond with whomever loved her and carried her around all day. I placed the collar around her neck and she seemed fine with it. It was so odd; I hadn't put a collar on a dog in forever. It was a lot lighter than the harness, and when Ruth led Edie outside to her car, she certainly did truck along a lot faster than when she had the harness on.
Edie was fine getting into the car and I wished her well. Ruth was going to hold onto her for a few hours and then she and a few others would head down south to their fosters.
Later in the afternoon I got an email from Ruth telling me it was hard to say good bye to Edie after only a day with her. Edie's a heartbreaker, that's for sure. She spent the afternoon on Ruth's lap in various locations: the car, the coffee house, the hairdressers... Little dogs are easy to spoil, and Ruth sensed this dog had been spoiled indeed. I don't know if she had been in the past, but she certainly did seem to feel entitled to it. But maybe that just comes with being unbelievably adorable.
I have no doubt she'll find a forever home right quick. She'll bat her long eyelashes, show her little belly, and snuggle up to her new guardians, and any flaws she may have will seem so insignificant it won't matter at all. Yup, being cute certainly is an advantage no matter what species you belong to.
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