INTRO TO ABBY!

We met Abby yesterday afternoon.

Me and Jack and Buddy are all delighted to have Abby at Hooligan House. Mom introduced us one by one. She had Abby in the front yard first, on her leash, and Dad brought me out there to meet her. We sniffed and sparred and sniffed and sparred and then Dad told me to go lie down and stay in the far part of the yard. I did.

He went in and got Jack and Jack was even more polite than I was. Jack doesn’t sniff another dog unless that dog starts the action. ‘Course, his real name is Gentleman Jack. Dad never lets the rest of us forget that. But Mom has some real good Hooligan stories about Jack from when he was young and before he got all obeedeeyense trained. Jack said hello to Abby and then he went over to his spot by the gate and lay down.

Buddy was kinda rambunctious and thought Abby was his new dog.. You know how it is; Buddy thought that her being there meant he had moved up in the Hooligan hierarchy. So he postured and growled at me and Jack until Mom squirted him in the face with vinegar water. That pretty much knocked the sense back into him. He went over to the flower bed and scratched off in protest, but he lay down like he was sposed to.

Sissy dutten like to be sniffed by any other dog and she dutten like to play with anydog except Jack and the Gkids’ dogs, so the parents just kinda bypassed that introduction. Sissy walked around Abby and Abby stood very still. I guess she was reading Sissy’s body language loud and clear. But it’s okay. Like Mom says, dogs don’t hafta get along with everydog they meet, they just hafta be polite.

And then there was Maggie. OH MY dOG.

Maggie is the princess, remember? She lost no time in letting Abby know it. Abby is juss a liddle girl, only about a year and a half old, and she hasent had any dog ettikett lessens yet. She didden know what the heck Maggie was growling and snarling about. Abby finally juss sat down and looked up at Mom. Mom squirted Maggie with the vinegar water, too.

Mom and Dad know better than to let Maggie be alone with a puppy because she would have bossed Abby around sumpen turrible and made Abby feel shy and unsure. Puppies, even older ones, go through deevellopmenttal stages where anything can scare them and ackshually give them a phobia for life. So Jack is the guy at our house who trains puppies.

Jack is what trainers like our Mom call a “neutral dog”. Jack knows from his gut what body language to use to talk to individdyouall dogs. He knows how to send calming messages to dogs that are nervous. He settled Abby right down after Maggie went back into the house.

Mom said Abby has typical terrier resilience and adaptability. That’s because as soon as Maggie went inside, Abby perked up and started playing with us boys while Sissy watched from the porch. Abby didden think twice about Princess Maggie. At least, not while we were playing tag. When we all went into the house, there was a slight kerfluffle over who the toys belong to. But I’ll get to that part later.

Oh, Mom says to tell you all that Abby is precious and sweet and HIGH OCTANE and Mom wishus she could keep Abby with us forever and ever. I think Abby loves Mom, too. Here’s a picshure of Abby cuddling Mom’s foot last night after us Hooligans went to bed.

Saturday, I’m going to have Abby all to myself to play with. I can’t wait!!!

AAARRROOOOOOOO!