The new addition... aka What was I thinking?!

Well, Handhills Jewel aka Gem arrived yesterday on a flight that was 45 minutes late due to thunderstorms AND with the cargo ramps closing not once, but twice due to lightning. A rather auspicious entrance for such a small being. Although a little wilted and wet, but none the worse for wear, she happily wagged her tail as they presented us with her crate. What a darling girl! 

She is everything that Vickie said she was... bold, outgoing, social, fearless... in short, perfect.

What I didn't bargain for was the 3 older dogs rather intense reactions to the new arrival. Piper, who is a notorious puppy hater, acted just as I thought.. growled, postured, showed teeth and started packing his bags. Memos have since begun in earnest from him about Gem's lack of decorum. Ceilidh had the most intense reaction... growled, postured, targeted, showed teeth and was overall a major bitch. And due to her epilepsy history, hypervigilance and stress level, her neurologist has been consulted. Seeker was somewhat puzzled at first, but settled down quite nicely today into his big brother role. While Gem is appropriate with the adult dogs, Seeker was very appropriate with her, unlike Piper and Ceilidh. He doesn't allow her to jump in his face, but she trails after him through the yard, adoration on her little face. Thank you Seeker... I hope that it is just a matter of time and Gem growing up for things to settle down. Fingers crossed...

Here comes the "What was I thinking?!" part of this. Its been over 4 years since we've had a puppy here. Seeker was relatively well-received by Gage and Ceilidh, but he and Piper had issues once Seeker lost his puppy license. Gem has been accepted by only Seeker, which I have to be okay with for the moment. I expect once Gem grows up a bit, loses the razor sharp puppy teeth and kisses the very ground that Piper trods upon, Piper will come around. Ceilidh? Well, I just don't know yet. What was I thinking? I know exactly what I was thinking... Piper is 8 years old now and by the time Gem is ready for competition, he'll be 10 years knocking on 11's door. It was time to begin raising and training the next generation. But for us, it won't be an easy or uneventful road I'm afraid. And in truth, I didn't think it WOULD be easy. They are 3 very individual personalities and temperaments which handle change in very different ways. This, I would venture to say, is a HUGE change.

Piper hates change in any way, shape or form. Change for him is something as simple as Spring cleaning which disrupts the normal flow of things. Ceilidh is also resistant to change, even moreso than Piper. Hard to believe, but it's true. Seeker is the go-with-the-flow boy at our home. He sees change as a new adventure. Gem? Well, we'll have to see how she feels about change as she grows up. I hope she is as pliable as Seeker, enjoying each new adventure whole-heartedly. She already has more frequent flyers miles than anyone in the house for sure.

So, for now, we will take one day at a time. We will socialize, socialize, socialize the daylights out of Gem in hopes that she will be able to embrace each new situation happily and as stress free as possible. We will pray that Ceilidh comes around with time... We will also pray that Piper unpacks and decides that Gem isn't an alien sent to take over... And as for Seeker, well we'll pray that he remains the even-tempered, doting big brother that is set to teach Gem all about how wonderful a good roll in wet grass can really be...