Expect the unexpected...

... or at least that's going to be my motto for the future!

Just as I was heading out to the vet to get Vespa registered and weighed, I got a call from the Puppy Supervisor. Odi's coming home! Sadly she failed one of the Guide Dogs stringent tests (it's minor but rules her out as a brood bitch), so after all that, she's coming back and staying with us while she goes through her next season and then 4 weeks after that she potentially goes to Forfar to get speyed. Which means she could be with us for a very long time.

And this just as I was coming to terms with not having a crossover and having wee Vespa here with no big dog to learn from. Now all I have to hope is that Odi doesn't teach him all her bad habits, or be too rough with him. Some hope for either of those not happening!

We've now had Vespa for 24 hours. Yesterday, after picking him up in Edinburgh, he was full of life and not the calm, sleepy pup I was hoping for, but on the plus side he seems very settled today and has slept quite a bit.

Vespa's first photo

I had to go to work last night as I had a group to run, so 3 hours after Vespa arrived I was off back up to Edinburgh to do my bit and didn't get home til 10.30. Mountain Man had spent the evening having a jolly good cuddle-fest and was quite tired from all that sitting about with a puppy on his lap!

We'd decided that I'd do the first night and I settled Vespa in his bed just after 11. Five minutes later he was crying so I went down and let him out then settled him again and lo and behold, he went to sleep. 2.5 hours later he cried again, so I got up and let him out and settled him and lo and behold etc etc. This went on til 7 am when I got up and thought I'd wake him so at least we'd start the day on my terms. Oh yes, and when I took him out he never once had a pee, but every time I went back upstairs I did (I know, too much information, but there you go!).

Today has gone well. He's eaten and played and done his business. He didn't like travelling to the vet and I'm hoping that isn't a sign of things to come, but he's put on weight since his last weigh-in when he was 3.79 kg and is now 4.3 kg (with his collar and Guide Dog tag on) so that's all good.

'You mean to say I have to carry this for the rest of my life?'

Mountain Man is on puppy duty again this evening while I go out bowling and then I think (hope) he's doing the overnight shift as I'm pretty tired, but then I am away on a course this weekend so not sure quite how fair it is for him to do 2 nights on the trot if I don't too... but then of course when he's away working on the Children In Need event I'll be on my own with the 2 pups for 10 days, so I take it back... perfectly fair!