Fast Friends

We were a bit concerned about how Bailey and Coco the guinea pig would react to each other.  When we were buying our puppy supplies at the pet store we asked the manager. He said bichon shih tzus are not hunting or 'rat terriers', rather they are guard dogs.  Ha!  Funny to think that our 4.7 lbs pup is a fierce protector.   Anyway, it actually took awhile for the two animals to notice each other.  When they did, they went nose-to-nose and that was all it took to be fast friends.

The transition to a family of 6 (Todd, me, the kids and the two pets; we're not including the fish as we don't get too attached) has been much easier than expected.  I guess there's something to be said about having low expectations.  Bailey is turning out to be a smart little dog.  She has figured out how to ring a bell hung on our back door knob when she has to go out to relieve herself.  She knows 'sit', 'treat' and we're working on 'shake a paw', among other tricks. The biggest accomplishment has been her sleeping.  When she was with her dog family, she didn't sleep in a crate.  That lifestyle came to an abrupt halt when she joined us.  The first few weeks were sleepless and admittedly hell (worse than having a newborn).  I am proud to say that she is pretty silent at night (she barks only when she needs to go to the bathroom) and she amazed us tonight by going to her crate for a nap.  Smart puppy.

Pretty low maintenance

Random pictures