A New Cockeyed Critter on the Homestead

We got a puppy this week. She's just what we wanted. She's half pit bull and half German Shepherd/ Labrador mixed. We had specific qualities in mind when searching for a running mate/replacement for Nnyus.

• Female
• Pit bull mix
• Had to be a puppy that we could and Nnyus could train.

Pit bulls get a bad wrap from all the negative press about the breed. Personally, I've had experiences with both. Normally, when raised in a loving home, they are the goofiest, and most loving breed. They are good with children and fiercely protective. They are highly intelligent and are a working breed of dog.

On the converse side of the breed, I had a next door neighbor with two differently trained pit bulls. One was gentle. The only harm she would do was lick you to death. My three-year old daughter would roll all over her and have a blast.  If Jenn wasn't at home, she was at Mr. Howard's playing with this gentle giant (to her). There was no fence dividing the property in this old town (100+ year old houses) neighborhood. The children could go between the houses and play safely. Unheard of in this day and age, huh?

The other, was trained to hunt wild hogs. Mr. Howard had the dog caged and it was in his yard.This was a dog that I shot after he bit my young daughter's face. My daughter was too young to know the difference. I guess, I should have let it slide or at least given Mr. Howard the option, but I was so angry at this compact, killing machine.

Nnyus

This is why I don't mind pit bull mixes. There are different traits in their genetic make up.  Nnyus was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and heart worms three months ago. There are no treatments for either one. All that's left to do is love her and keep her comfortable until she passes or we put her to sleep. The reality is  a homestead needs a fairly large dog for security. So we started  looking for her replacement.

After several false starts, we finally found one. Please help us welcome...Kassity to our cockeyed critters!

Kassity

In Gaelic, Kassity means she whose full of love.

So far, she lives up to her name. 

It's been a few years since either of us have had a puppy this young. At just 9 weeks old, she's a bundle of energy.  We had slightly forgotten how tiring young ones are. The sticker shock alone at TSC for the largest bag of puppy food set me back $30. The price has doubled in just 5 years. As young as she is, she'll be on this rations for quite a while.

At 15 lbs now, she'll be bigger than Nnyus when full grown. Just look at her paws. I wish I could tell you she received a warm welcome from our other household animals. I can't. It was three hours  until Nnyus stopped grumbling and bristling at the young pup. By the end of the evening, they were rolling around and playing together. Herbie is still growling at her when she comes close. The cats are giving her a wide berth. I haven't seen or heard any of them slap Kassity yet, but we know it's coming. Cats have their way of training dogs on what they will and will not tolerate.

Kassity's training began as soon as she got out of the truck. She'd never worn and collar or put on a leash before. She's a smart little thing. Just 24 hours later, she's heeling to the leash.

 Now, the "look at me" and "come" training begins as well as fine tuning her toilet training. 

We've run into difficulties with the dog door. She has already figured it out after chasing after Nnyus a couple of times. Nnyus wants to take the puppy out and about the five acres she calls her territory ( only two are ours). The puppy is just too small, and new yet.

We had to install the baby gate across the stairs on the porch to stop Kassity from following her. So far, this adventurous puppy has discovered our rabbits, chickens, and the barn/workshop! "Ooh! What's that?" and she'll scamper off to investigate. Only to be side tracked by some new and glorious thing which catches her attention. Then, she'll streak back to us. Her tail wagging so hard it throws her off balance.

While many new pet owners get this or that for their new puppy, experience has taught us to keep it simple. Kassity's "toys" are simple an old knotted hand towel, a real bone, and a stuffed animal for a cuddly is all she needs. They will keep her entertained for at least 30 minutes. Even longer if we spread peanut butter inside the bone.

Kassity got her first nose pop from Momma Jo today. She disappeared from my sight for a few minutes and only a little jingle from the tags on her hand-me-down collar. I immediately sensed she was up to no good. That little scamp had found Mel's angora fiber spinning. She had the end in her mouth and was pulling about 5 feet of it from the spool. I took it away from her saying "Bad girk" and "No." I rolled the yarn back on the spools. I turned to walk out of the living room. I saw her out of the corner of my eye use her teeth and tongue pull the yarn off the spool again. She was so focused on her efforts, that when the two finger thump of the nose followed by "no!" took by surprise. Kassity has given the spinning wheel a wide berth ever since.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Jo