Sabrina has arrived!!!

**mlc4140** · 2nd July 2006, 03:41 AM

Sabrina Rhilee Jo has arrived finally, it seems like it took forever. Oh how we have fallen in love with her already. What a sweethart. Here are a few pictures and I will post more later.

**Mary** · 2nd July 2006, 01:20 PM

She is so sweet. What a face. Congrats!

**nlg679** · 2nd July 2006, 02:00 PM

She is BEAUTIFUL! Such a feminine face!
Have fun!

Nancy
NJ

**Nicki** · 2nd July 2006, 04:16 PM

Oh you are going to have such fun with her, she looks beautiful but full of mischief too, just how they should be!!

**mlc4140** · 2nd July 2006, 04:19 PM

Thank you everyone. We just love her to death. She even slept thru the night last night. Maybe just pure luck, and it won't last but I couldn't believe it. No accidents yet either. She wines and I take her out and she goes. Its going great. Now if I could keep from chasing the cats!!LOL She can't figure out why they don't want to play with her yet.

**RockNRollCav** · 2nd July 2006, 06:14 PM

How incredibly adorable! You must be the proudest puppy-parents on the block!

**judy** · 2nd July 2006, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by mlc4140

Thank you everyone. We just love her to death. She even slept thru the night last night. Maybe just pure luck, and it won't last but I couldn't believe it. No accidents yet either. She wines and I take her out and she goes. Its going great. Now if I could keep from chasing the cats!!LOL She can't figure out why they don't want to play with her yet.

congratulations on finally getting her home. great pictures! i love the one on your avatar, have enjoyed seeing that one every time. how great to have more photos. i love the little circles around her sweet eyes. looking forward to more pix.

i brought zack home on 1/28 and he still doesn't understand why the cat just doesn't enjoy being rushed at, deliberately bumped into and wanting to rough house. he easily learned various rules i taught him, don't do this, don't do that, he's been very cooperative, but with Fluffy, that was the big exception. the feelings of wanting her to play with him overwhelm him, and i was wasting my breath when i told him to stop. he would stop for few minutes or hours, but would always do it again like he had no idea it was not OK. eventually, i bit him on the nose (not hard but accompanied by an angry growling sound) which i read in a book to try if words/growls are not making the point, and he's been way better since then (to my surprise--i was surprised it worked, the change was immediate and has lasted), he still lunges at her occasionally but with visible sense of inhibition, less intensity, clearly now setting some limits on himself, and has now begun substituting licking her on the ear, which she likes, for bonking her with his nose like before.
but he still just aches for her to play like a puppy, and her very presence always excites him. that's how i knew he was sick last week. he showed no interest in her.

i would not recommend owners biting their dogs

i was desperate to find some way of protecting my poor elderly arthritic cat, and preventing zack from getting scratched.
At the time, i hadn't yet realized that i could use time out, like with a child. If i had it to do over, i would just put him some place where it's no fun and boring and lonely, for up to 5 minutes. i've found that works well.
(i would not use the crate as a time out because i don't want to use that as a place he doesn't want to go for comfort).

i would love to hear from others who had this situation who successfully persuaded their dog to stop harrassing the cat, and how they did it. i wonder how many puppies get injured in these situations. fluffy has more threatened zack than actually attacked him, whacking him lightly with her paw while hissing, but i can't be sure she would never be driven too far or cornered, and really try to hurt him.