REading these is helping soothe my temper. I spent a lovely afternoon, together with dogs, at a dear friend's house. Said friend has two dogs and too many cats to count. She and husband promptly fell totally in love with Chloe (my friend already loves Holly)- Chloes's gorgeous little white puppia hoodie may have had something to do with that. Her husband rolled his eyes, but my friend was positively besotted.
..Anyway, after this lovely afternoon, I decided to go home via my grandmother's, as she hadn't seen the puppy. Now, for a woman who usually hates anything on four legs, my grandmother truly adores Holly, and I was rather hoping she would love Chloe just as much.
Big mistake. Grandmother did not have one positive word to say about Chloe. Chloe didn't have as nice a face as Holly, she said. There was something wrong with Chloe's jaw. Oh, didn't you notice how undershot her jaw was when you first saw the pup a month ago? (No, I don't think I did. I honestly don't remember thinking, oh- her jaw isn't right- and if I'm honest, it was one of the first things I noticed on Monday.) Chloe has a cheeky face, my grandmother said. She'll be a menace, she said. This wasn't said jokingly. When Chloe, being only a baby, tried to dive for Holly's sweeties, my grandmother gave the puppy a look of total disgust and told Holly she'd have to stand up for herself. (Holly was more interestedin the sweetie).
Now I feel really upset on Chloe's behalf. Considering how young she is, she's a good, sweet, dear little pup. Sure, she's cheeky and fearless- but Holly's timidity was abnormal, not Chloe's gumption! And Chloe's so responsive! I admit I'm not keen on the undershot jaw myself and devoutly hope that it will reduce or disappear altogether as she grows- but even at the worst, I've seen some adorable Cavaliers who are undershot. It's not the end of the world, and it doesn't mean the breeders didn't do their job right. All the same, I think I'll ask if anything can be done to try and encourage Chloe's adult teeth to grow in correctly.
All in all, I am severely ticked off. My poor little puppy! She's asleep now- they both are, and they're both so good. It's not fair abusing Chloe because she's not Holly. I think, in the end, that's what it comes down to. Holly was so tiny, and so beautiful, and so vulnerable- a compelling combination. Chloe is a gorgeous, mischievous bundle of fun- but she's not Holly. :roll: :roll:
*deep breath* I'm sure you'll be glad to know that my rant is done!