No, not the baby! Thank heavens, the baby seems to be content to wait these last 8 weeks out! This Ewald has fur. Introducing...drum roll please....Rocky Balboa!
Our newest little addition is half Shih Tzu, half mini poodle...making him a Shih Poo. Yes, that is really what they're called. You can't make this kind of thing up! He's very endearing and very cuddly, with a personality that is already very distinct from Indy's. He's SUPER dramatic...he thinks nothing of wailing and crying when he doesn't get his way. However, he's also pretty much fearless. For instance, he started managing all the steps in our house on the first day he came home...just screaming the entire time he went down them. It was hilarious. He launches himself from incredible heights (for a puppy) and likes to RUN to his food bowl and dive in head first. He also doesn't mind climbing into the bowl entirely in pursuit of food. He likes to cuddle and he worships Indiana Jones...as evidenced by his constant harassment of Indy's ears and tail.
Indy seems to be liking "his" new dog, for the most part. He definitely does get irritated with him at times, but he also really enjoys playing with him. They roll around together, chase each other, and nap together, which is really sweet. Indy is also a great big brother, and is really showing Rocky the ropes as far as house training and walking on the leash. Rocky picked up on both of those things very quickly.
His most problematic trait to date is his tendency to dislike sleeping all night in his crate. The last few nights have gone much better in that regard than the first few! We discovered that the key SEEMS to be a night light...if he can see where he is and see us, he doesn't seem to protest as much. He gets up once at night to go out, and I take care of that so that Tim can sleep. Rocky used to protest going back into his crate very loudly and at great length, which was not at all OK with us. Being jerked out of sleep in the middle of the night by piercing yowls and yelps is not calculated to win many hearts. But, as I said, recent nights have shown some improvement, which is really all you can ask for!
We do love our little Rock Star already and I'm really glad that we decided to go ahead and take the plunge. I think most of our circle thinks we're absolutely insane, but it honestly is working out for the best for Indiana Jones. And the fact that we love the little guy too is just a bonus.
Some pics of the rascal...his face looks so solemn in repose, in great contrast to his personality...
