Heidi Comes Home

Wow yesterday was such an adventure!  We went all the way up to Sheffield to pick up our new dog-daughter, Heidi.  Sheffield isn't really that close to London, and public transportation was the only way we could get there and back.  If you can avoid it, taking a puppy on a train really isn't a good time and I would not recommend it!  We picked Heidi up around 2:30 and she said good-bye to her old family and hello to us, who promptly shoved her into a pet carrier, which she's never been in before, carried her away from her remaining bros and sisters, then brought her outside where it was freezing!  Cruel and unusual punishment?  Heidi sure seemed to think so!  She was screaming bloody murder about the whole ordeal.  I have never heard a puppy protest so much.  I mean she howled, yelped and whined for a good twenty minutes on the train platform.  Needless to say we were getting dirty looks.  But Nick and I are big fans of Cesar Millan, and we were trying very hard to listen to his advice and not comfort her.

Of course, this meant we were chastised as evil puppy parents by other passengers on the train.  "Aren't you going to let her out, I can't bear to hear her cry!" "You're taking her all the way to London?  I hope you let her out of the cage on the way.  Do you even have a garden?!"  Yes biznatch, mind your own business - we have a garden and we're not abusing her!  Ok, I didn't actually respond like that, but jeez, I can't even imagine how annoying it must be to raise children if people have so many opinions on puppy parenting!

Glamor shots?

She actually calmed down and slept quite a bit on the train journeys.  It was when we got off the train and we carried her around outside she got wound up again.  I tried to take her out of her crate between trains to use the potty, as some...well meaning people suggested - but she was terrified!  I pulled her out and set her down on the ground and she sat there, tail between her legs, shaking and looking like there was no hope left in the world.

Even the walk home was traumatizing because for some reason everyone was setting off fireworks!  Talk about one very freaked out little puppy.  But we finally managed to get her home and I am pleased to say I don't think she has any permanent scars from her ordeal.  She seemed a bit spooked by the garden at first, probably because of the fireworks, and we had a lot of trouble getting her to go potty outside, but shes calmed down a lot now and much to our delight is getting the hang of this potty training thing.

She has also conquered her fear of the ever-so-frightening... step into the kitchen!  One small step for a puppy, one giant leap for dog-kind.  I hope you like the pictures of her. I had a tough time getting her to sit still!