Little Sister

In January we added to our “family” by welcoming Dorie into our home.  

Lydia, our 3-year-old toy Aussie, is pretty dominant, and so while we had wanted a second dog for a while, the timing needed to be right and the personality of the new dog carefully chosen so it would be a good fit.  I also was not keen on spending another year training a puppy.  So we hesitated a long time, almost long enough that the door of opportunity had closed.

Still, Lydia needed a playmate.  She loved her days at doggie daycare back in Washington, and the more dogs the better.  I’m pretty energetic and spend a lot of time with her, but still I am not enough.  She gets bored and lonely.

In October we moved into my parents’ upstairs in Chandler while waiting for our new house in Prescott to be finished.  And they have two big dogs.  Lydia was in heaven, not sure though about poor Tessie who was badgered relentlessly by Lydia to play.  But for the most part, it was a great experience.  And Lydia got used to living with other dogs.  Tommy the big male was a gentle but firm leader who sometimes had to remind Lydia of her manners.  She’s smart, she respects Tommy, and learned well.

So in early January we realized it was now or never.  A new dog could become part of the pack when Lydia was not the leader.  And then we could move to a house that is new for both.  So casually, we looked a little, not expecting anything, and fine if it didn’t.  Larry really wanted another toy aussie, a girl.  We had looked in the past out of curiosity and realized that a young dog (not a puppy) is very rare and often very expensive.  And we had just bought a house and were facing big expenses like curtains and landscaping.

And there she was!  A breeder in northern AZ was looking for a home for her 10-month-old little girl.  She had held onto her for longer because she was small and timid, and was now ready to let her go, to the right home, for a modest price.  We drove a few hours north and met halfway in Seligman, and returned home with Dorie.

There have been some challenges, of course.  Dorie is afraid to eat around other dogs and needs to be separated, for now.  We’ve had to retrain Lydia not to bark when people come to the door.  And for several weeks Dorie wouldn’t play with Lydia, which was really frustrating for her and we did worry that they might never be good friends.  But now, they only stop playing to eat or sleep!  Best buddies.

And in case you were wondering, yes, they are named after musical terms.  The Lydian mode is a major scale with a raised fourth scale degree.  And the Dorian mode is a natural minor scale with a raised sixth scale degree.  You can ask me at your lesson to demonstrate.  ☺️

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