4-4-07 Diary of Emma

Emma is the middle puppy. She is dining with two of her ten siblings. Reese, their mother looks on.

Emma is 8 weeks old in this photograph taken at her birth home of Copper Ridge Rhodesians. She had many things to contemplate that day.

Emma comes home tomorrow, April 5, 2007. The car ride from North Scottsdale to Gilbert will take approximately an hour. I know this experience will be life changing for her, mostly because she truly loves her mother, Reese, and doesn't really know us, yet. I know the day will be fun and go quickly for Emma, it is the night that concerns me.

I have a large dog wire kennel all set up in the master bedroom where my husband and I sleep. It is also where both cats and Pippin, the little Sheltie sleep. My hope is to calm Emma while in the restless stage, and not let her mood escalate to the frantic stage. I have learned some of the Tellington Touch techniques, and plan to use them to help her calm down during the night, if need be. There is a plan for play during the evening, and a nice dinner, after all, a tired, well-fed puppy sleeps all night, so they say.

Emma is eating The Honest Kitchen brand Embark with Natural Solutions kibble by Van Patton, three times per day. We already feed our dogs The Honest Kitchen brand, so adding the kibble brand is easy. We have arranged our schedules so that she will be able to eat and play mid-day. We use distilled water from our own distillation unit, so everyone has clean water to drink. I also like to give the dogs raw, whole carrots to chew on, and a little peanut butter inside a Kong for time in the kennel. I think she will have a good diet to grow up on, not too much protein, as most of the processed puppy foods provide.

Tomorrow, we will do the paperwork transferring information about Emma, payment for her, and plan for her future health. Emma has an identification chip in her, instead of a tattoo, and I will need to register that number to us. She has a veterinarian appointment Friday for a check-up and a "getting to know your doctor" visit. She will also visit our groomer's shop, just to get acquainted. Car rides and play times away from home are part of our plan for her socialization.

I think we are ready for Emma to come home. The house is puppy proofed, there are plans for the other animal introductions, she has a bed that is safe and secure, good food to eat, clean water to drink, and a loving family that is very excited about her arrival. I will let you know how it goes.