At Home With Rosie

On Monday, I posted about a new addition to our family here at the Fortress of Ineptitude. 

How important is this new addition to our family here at the Fortress of Ineptitude? 

Monday is Doctor Who Day here on the blog. 

I gave Monday's post instead  to the new addition to our family here at the Fortress of Ineptitude. 

I know this is a recipe for anarchy.  Yes, Monday is Doctor Who Day here on the blog and not Hey We Got A Dog Day here on the blog.  I know the world is marching towards a dystopian apocalyptic hellscape but now is not the time to be disregarding the rules and structure of this blog all willy-nilly. 

But still, we have a new addition to our family here at the Fortress of Ineptitude. 

How, you may ask if you've gotten this far, are things going with the new addition to our family here at the Fortress of Ineptitude?

Pretty well, actually.  

Below is a quick pic of Rosie resting on my daughter Randie.  

Rosie is still quite reserved and shy. She will still duck her head down reflexively if you approach to pet her on the head. But once the effort is made, Rosie will allow her head to be petted or scratched. 

She's still very recalcitrant to go through a doorway.  She has finally learned to go out and come back in through the front door without being carried but Randie still has to carry her to her room when it's time for bed.  

But Rosie is starting to make herself at home. Yesterday for the first time. Rosie made her way over to where Andrea sits while she's working from home and laid by her feet for a long time. 

Rosie will climb up into the old comfy chair by Randie's precious recliner and sit quietly watching Randie work on her laptop or go to the sleep on her back with a low gentle snore.  

While Rosie pads around the house in a very quiet and reserved manner, she can be very active outside, rolling around in the grass and running about the yard.

Rosie had a very good run on Monday and gave Randie and I a very bad scare. 

While outside Monday afternoon rolling around in the grass, Rosie somehow worked the latch loose connecting her leash to her collar. And she was off and running. 

Efforts to corral Rosie became a neighborhood endeavor. Besides Randie and myself, at least 5 neighbors took part in the great Rosie chase.  

While our neighborhood is a quiet place, our housing development adjoins a heavily trafficked road and our biggest fear was Rosie would bolt out into traffic. Rosie made it to the edge of the road but we were successful in herding her back into our neighborhood away from the road.  

But the chase was not over. Behind the row of houses where we live is a farm property. Rosie scurried under the barb wire fence and ran across a wide open field. Along with two of our neighbors, Randie and I successfully got across the fence in pursuit. 

Honestly demands I re-write that last sentence. 

Along with two of our neighbors, Randie successfully got across the fence in pursuit while I fell down on the other side.  

(Randie later told me she predicted I would fall down trying to get over the fence. She has no faith in her father's physical dexterity. And she is wise to feel that way.)  

After running back and forth across the damn field, the four of us finally cornered Rosie. One of the neighbors, a young woman Randie used to know from high school, was able to get close enough to  slip her fingers around Rosie's collar.  Randie hooked the leash once more and our grand chase was finally over.

Whew!  

We bought a new leash with a stronger clasp that Rosie couldn't wiggle loose when she wants to wiggle in the grass. 

Let me take this moment to say that I am glad to have Rosie has part of our family. But damn she is costing me a lot of money. I have over three visits to Pets-Mart spent nearly $300.00 on our dog. 

And she's not officially our dog yet. Technically, she is in our foster care for two weeks. If we elect to keep her...  

No, Randie is not going to like that phrasing.   

WHEN we elect to keep her, I'll have to pay another $200 to the SCPA.   

But as much as I might complain about the money spent, Rosie has proven her value to our home and family in the last few days in ways that are beyond mere numerical calculation. 

Rosie has brought a renewal of life and spirit that we were sorely lacking even before the enforced isolation brought on by the pandemic quarantine.  

We have felt a sense of joy and pride as Rosie lifts in her head up more in curiosity and affection instead of holding it down as if in fear.