grrrrr

So. Zach is here.

He trembled and cried for the first half-hour of our trip home, then fell into a deep sleep in my arms for the next hour or so. He missed the rainstorm on the ferry. He missed the beautiful mists rising in Discovery Bay. And when we got home, he was so excited he missed his opportunity to pee outside. Luckily for me, he peed on my kitchen rug, which cleans up nicely in the washing machine.

Inti wasn't sure about him at all, but didn't so much as curl her lip. She's pretty fluent in dog talk now, after spending 18 months on the beach with the neighborhood gang. Before she learned the lingo, she'd go from annoyed to snarling and snapping. Now she goes from annoyed to growl. Zach understands it. Last night she didn't want him too close.

The cat is not amused in the least. She's fully armed, so she can take care of herself. Zach has only tried to puppy-play with her, but he is bilssfully unaware of what might befall him should he push her too far.

He doesn't like the crate. At all. But it was only about 20 minutes of whining, punctuated by periodic shrieking, until he dropped off to sleep and slept pretty much through the night. Inti took up residence on the bed, out of insecurity, I'm thinking.

hobbitt had to get up super early this morning for a long dental appointment. That got Zach awake and screaming to be released, which got me up, robed, and carrying him out the door for a much-needed morning pee, prior to 8 a.m. I fed both the mutts, after which Zach promptly crapped on the carpet under the dining room table, which got me on the floor with the Little Green Machine, also prior to 8 a.m. (Okay, each bodily function gets one mistake in this house. Now I know what he needs. Though he's not completely trustworthy about his potty habits, he does understand what's what. I just need to be vigilant.) I wanted to go back to bed for a bit, but didn't want to deal with the whining from the crate, so I allowed him on the bed with me. He fell asleep on my shins. Inti wasn't entirely pleased, and though she kept him away from her, she didn't otherwise interfere.

So anyway, I'm up, I've had my shower and coffee, and now I'm being battered by two slobber-soaked dogs, one of whom keeps running off with things like the tag from under my desk chair, receipts, the key to my file drawer, and pretty much anything else he can get his puppy-breath, needle-toothed mouth on. They're wrestling. They're romping, together. I think they're friends now.

He's an assertive little wanker. I'm going to have to be on top of my game to be the pack leader with him. For now I have Inti's help. And I'm calling on a higher power to ensure that he doesn't get too much bigger.

In a little while I'm going to introduce him to the beach, after which I'm going to try to take a nice long nap.