Puppy Love: Valentine's Daisy Edition

Here it is, Valentine's Day, and I am completely remiss for not posting sooner about the new pup, Daisy. She came home to live with Paul and me (and Roomie) on New Year's Eve, making it 6 weeks that she has been part of our little household. I mentioned her in my 2011 Year In Review post, but that's been about it.

When I first saw Daisy at the pound, I pretty much knew she'd end up coming home with us. This was her mug shot, and a few pictures of her from the pound:

At the pound, they called her Chula, but I have no problem with the idea of changing a dog's name from its pound name to something that you think will better suit its new life with you.  After much deliberation, I decided on Daisy. I didn't have a specific reason; it just seemed right.

Then I learned something that pretty much brought tears to my eyes. I got the following email from Mom:

Happy your new puppy is adjusting well.  Daisy was the name of my little black dog as a little girl.  She lived a long life, passing at an old age when I was in college.  We got her from Aunt Elsie when I was little, little.

I can't say I had never ever heard that story before, in my whole entire life, but I also can't say that I have any conscious memory of it, either. So, it pretty much cemented the name, in the best possible way.

Daisy had to go straight from the pound to the clinic where she was fixed and got her shots - they require that for adoption, and it's all covered in the $122 fee they charge at the L.A. city pound. Here she is in the car on the way home from the clinic, on New Year's Eve:

She made herself right at home!

The Monday after New Year's, I took her to our regular vet for her first checkup. She did great!

Paul photobombed while I was taking pictures.

The only thing the vet really had any comment about was that he didn't think she was really 2 years old, which is what they said at the pound.  Even though dogs can still have a lot of puppy energy at 2, she definitely seems younger than 2.  He based his opinion on the condition of her teeth.

She's been settling in pretty well.  The pound also said she had been an outdoor dog in her previous life, but I had her house trained in less than a week. She is learning her basic commands, like sit-stay, sit-stay-ok, how to sing for a treat (at which Paul excels), and how to act like a civilized creature when on leash.  That last one is the most challenging, but she's gradually showing improvement.

I'll leave you with the video I made, just fooling around with iMovie, of her demolishing an egg carton. Happy Valentine's Day, from Creatures of Prometheus!