Last Sunday, Evelyn got into the dehydrated raw cat food bag. Recall my spectacularly failed effort to convert Chester to a lover of the raw diet. Well, I had set a bag of Sojos for cats out of the pantry to either give away or return to the store….like a fool.
While I was working in the backyard, Evelyn discovered its riches.
I came in to check on her (because she was the only one not trailing me around the yard), and found her fully engaged in a private smorgasbord of dehydrated deliciousness as the contents of the bag were all over the living room floor.
She, of course, drank a ton of water, after that. And her little belly bulged.
She slept like a rock.
The next morning, she had gained half a pound!
The rest of the week, she fluctuated between 12-12.5lbs, and seems to be holding strong there despite being fed the same or greater as the other 2 dogs who are twice her weight. She has a lot of healing to do. She is building muscle mass. See?
I also made a few fundamental observations about Evelyn during Week 2.
- She is definitely a puppy.
Her energy level is much higher than Pearl’s. Pearl is 4, enjoys a good stroll, is interactive, and loves to play tug & fetch with her favorite pink flamingo. But Evelyn needs more activity than that. She rolls on her back, wiggling for affection, and gurgling in a friendly please-rub-my-tummy kind of way. Her gray muzzle and status as a mama dog belie her true age, which has got to be no more than 2.
2. She is a Miss Bossy Pants.
Evelyn has Alpha Female tattooed on her DNA. Consequently, she has picked a couple of fights here and there, even with Truman, the most laid-back dog in the history of dogs.
The fights have come most often while the three are lined up watching me prepare their meals. Pearl’s excitement is something I’d grown accustomed to, and hadn’t bothered to correct it because it made ME feel good that she was so excited about her food. #truth
Evelyn doesn’t appreciate the degree of excitement in Pearl’s state of mind and has set out to modify it. But that’s a problem because if I let her do the correcting, she is assuming the dominant role in the house, which is not where we need to be. #whostheboss?
More on that later…
3. She is not deaf.
Period. She can hear just fine. She comes when I call or whistle for her. Pearl has never learned to respond to my whistle, and Truman is deaf so it’s lost on him. But Evelyn picked it up after a day or two. She’s very smart.
All in all, we’re still making progress. Stay tuned!
pugs & kisses,
The HOL Dog 