My Girls

Aren't they sweet?

Things are going well as far as adjustment goes. Our older dog, Sam, is getting used to the new puppy. She even let Maggie nap with her last night!

My Sam is about as good a dog as you can get. She's such a sweetheart and will do anything to please us. She loves my sons desperately and is such a good sport about some of the things they do to her. (She's been stepped on, sat on, laid on, poked, pulled, you get the idea.) Still she never does anything more but look at them, then lay her head back down.

She certainly does not fit the horrible stereotypical image of the Rottweiler. Granted, I know, there are mean Rotties out there, and that's unfortunate. They have to be trained to be that way. Rottweiler natural temperament and personality is loving, sweet, and loyal.

And believe me, she's exactly those things.

Oh, and an affection whore. Yup, I said it. She will literally nudge and bully her way into trying to sit on my lap, and she loves to come over and rest her head on my shoulder (her way of giving me a hug.) I've had several dogs in my lifetime and my Sam is the best dog I've ever had, hands down. I'll miss her when she passes.

We were worried about what bringing a new puppy into the household would do to Sam. I expected the growling and the aloofness toward the puppy, both of which we've seen. But I didn't expect her to start to like her so early. That so makes me happy. Being that Sam is 10 years old with some health issues, I'm glad to see that this didn't stress her to where she'd start to fail.

I warned my husband and sons that if Sam's health suffered because of the new puppy, or if they just couldn't get along, we'd have to find another home for Maggie. Sam's been with me since she was just a baby and has a well established place in my heart, the hearts of my husband and sons, and in our home. Nothing will threaten that position. The puppy, however, is not as indispensable as Sam and would certainly adjust to a new family if necessary.

Fortunately, things are going better than I'd hoped and I think Maggie has found herself a home here.