Puppy's First 24 hours

Well we made it more than 24 hours and we still have 1 puppy and 2 kitties intact! Raelyn is settling right into her new home as she has made herself comfortable and already thinks she has the run of the place (much to the kitties chagrin).

We found out a few interesting facts about Raelyn today:
1. She can sleep through the night and hold it for more than 7 hours.
2. She LOVES water.
3. She gets very upset when the kitties and the dog in the mirror won't play with her.
4. She does NOT like to be left alone when she is wide awake.
5. She can't get enough ice cubes.
6. She is a natural on a leash.

So last night we prepared for the worst. We thought we would have a night full of whining with barking and have to get up every few hours to let her go potty, but it turned out she slept through the whole night without a peep! I was worried so I woke up at 7 (super early for me) to take her outside and feed her breakfast. Like Dale, Raelyn is not a morning dog. She was comfy and still didn't want to get out of her crate, so I had to pull her out. Crazy dog.

Both Dale and I left for work and she went right back in her crate ready to go back to sleep. I came home after teaching and she was super calm and mellow. Once out of her crate, we had her second great relieve (potty) of the day followed by lunch. While exploring the back patio, the lawn sprinklers turned on and she LOVED standing in the mist. Additionally, sometimes when she drinks from her water dish she tries to fit in all 4 feet. Needless to say, there is a quite a water mess when she is through. We are going to get a small plastic swimming pool for her to get her kicks.

While we were hanging out together during the day, Raelyn was wide awake and would want to play sometimes and other times just chill. We discovered that she has a loud frustration bark and whine which is prominently displayed when the kitties and the dog in the mirror will not play with her. If she is awake she needs to keep you in sight at all times or else all hell breaks lose, if she can't get to you. She isn't so good with her "alone time". She would go ballistic if I went around the corner and she couldn't get to me. Because she can't stand being by herself, she quickly understood a sort of "Come" as she'll trot right over to me if she can't see me and I call her. Pretty cute!

To distract her and get out some of her chewing energy, I found that ice cubes are a savior. She can't get enough and will chew on them all day if she had the chance.

After dinner this evening, we wanted to tire Raelyn out so hopefully she would sleep just as well tonight, so we took her for her first official walk. We went around the townhouse complex which is great because there are wide paved areas that she can trot along without being too distracted. She does great on a leash! She follows right with you and sometimes she'll take some of the leash in her mouth and prance around. It was a toss up between who had more fun Dale or the puppy!

Now the power switch has been turned to the off position and I think Raelyn will sleep well tonight! All-in-all a successful first day and we look forward to many more to come! :)