We didn’t plan on adopting a new dog as quickly as we did after our sweet Sammie passed away. Ok, so I was definitely keeping an even sharper eye out for strays than I usually do, but that was really it.

I decided to write a blog on the rescue groups in our area. I was checking the links to make sure that they connected correctly. I started casually looking at all of the pictures and reading the little paragraphs that each rescue group puts down for each dog. That’s when I saw Josie (her name was Missy then)….I had to meet her.

My husband, Denny and I had a trip planned, so I contacted the rescue group, Georgia Humane Society, asked them a few questions about Missy/Josie, and told them that we wouldn’t be back in town until the next week, but that we would like to meet her.

Josie’s story before the rescue group liberated her is unclear. A kind soul from Georgia Humane pulled Josie out of  Carrollton Animal Control a while before we met her. We do know that she had survived a terrible virus, Parvovirus, that she had been adopted by someone who decided for one reason or the other to return her, and, she’s a happy-go-lucky dog who got along great with the other dogs in her foster mom’s home.

When we met Josie a week and a half later in Newnan, GA, she met Jake and Gizmo with puppy-ish excitement. Jake didn’t know what to think and Gizmo didn’t seem too happy either. She was extremely rambunctious, but we wanted to give her a chance. Jake tends to be stand-offish with new dogs and Gizmo is a bit bossy, so we couldn’t judge this on a first time meeting in a Petsmart parking lot!  We decided to “Foster to Adopt,” giving us the option of changing our minds if she didn’t fit in or if she wasn’t good with the cats.

Josie was great in the car, very calm. It’s about an hour drive, but we decided to stop at my sister’s house (Laura Fields of  BabySteps ) in Powder Springs to see how Josie does with our 5 and 3 year old nieces. She was super sweet with Maddie and Grace and got along fine with Laura’s elderly sheltie, Buddy (RIP, Buddy). Big score for Josie!

When we got her home, we followed the “rules” of introducing a new dog to your home for the first time. First of all, we took her, Jake and Gizmo on a nice, long walk. For more “rules” of introducing your new dog to your home, try this link: Dog Rescue Network.

After our walk, we brought Josie inside to see how she did with the cats and how her manners were. She was a little exuberant, but she’s practically a puppy (1.5 years old), and in a new situation. Our first mistake was leaving out all of the dog toys. We had a large container full of toys that Jake and Gizmo were allowed to play with at their will.

Everything was ok the first couple of days, but we noticed that Josie was giving Jake some pretty sketchy and sideways looks, especially around toys. Then, Gizmo was kind of throwing around a toy and Josie “jumped” on him. She didn’t bite him hard enough to make any marks, but it was loud and kind of scary. A few more incidents occured, mostly with Jake.  Josie could have all of the toys, and Jake would be playing with one. She would leave hers, run to Jake and bite his neck and grab the toy and take it to the rest of her toys. The last time this happened was about two months ago and it was over, get this, a pair of shorts. That’s when we started reading up and trying to figure out where we went wrong so we could fix it! We were starting to think that we may have adopted the wrong dog….we were completely off base.

We decided to pick up all toys and only let the dogs play with them when Denny or I had the time to be completely involved with their playtime. We haven’t had another incident, it was that simple. In fact, Josie, Jake and Gizmo play together like crazy maniacs (without toys) and not an issue has arisen. Josie’s progress was amazing and continues to be.

Josie here with Gizmo. He and Jake are her best buds now!

Here is a list of some of the books that we read to help us:

The Loved Dog, by Tamara Geller

It’s Me or the Dog, by Victoria Stilwell

Mine! A Practical Guide To Resource Guarding in Dogs, by Jean Donaldson

Be the Pack Leader, by Cesar Millan

The Dog Listener, by Jan Fennell

“It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.” ~Unknown

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