New Dog....yes, Finally!

[tx_cowgirl]

So, a friend of mine(who also happened to be one of my clients, and a coworker) recently moved into a much smaller place and is in a bit of a financial rut, and found she had to rehome one of her dogs. She's a Weimaraner, unusually small(maybe 40-50 pounds?), and 3 years old. From working with her I'm thinking she'll be great for blood trailing, and her temperament seems to be good for Mud and Z. Tonight's the first night so we'll see. She's very good at heeding messages from other dogs, which is great for both of my dogs. Z gives her lots of calming signals and she instantly responds. Mud curls her lip at her when she's too pushy, and she backs off right away. Mud hasn't even snapped at her yet, and normally Mud is a bit snappy with new dogs until they get their pecking order sorted out.

She is very smart, and very trainable(although she does remind me of the "Simple Dog" from that Hyperbole and a Half comic, lol). She's smart in her own way. ^^
So currently her name is Freya(fray-uh), which really just isn't my cup of tea. A little about her personality:
She's a little on the crazy side
She's protective
She's very responsive to body language from people and animals
She's confident and curious
She's very petite for a Weimaraner
She has a face like a frog. (The pictures don't show it so well...)
She smiles...the corners of her mouth tuck up a lot higher than most dogs when they open their mouths, she looks like she's really smiling.

Names I have come up with:
Shyloh
Riley was her name before she was Freya. (Poor dog is going to have had 3 names and she's only 3 years old. I'm her third owner.)
Willow
Spring
June
Roam(searched synonyms for "nomadic" since she's found three homes...came up with this)
Gypsy
Dryft/Dryfter (just thought it was different...)

Been searching Google for a while now, lol. Any other ideas anyone???

These pictures were some her previous owner had; haven't had a chance to take any just yet.

 

[Anneke]

I love the smile!!!! She is georgeous!!!!

 

[sara]

Awe TX, you finally found one! She's GORGEOUS!!! I actually like Dryft, alot. It's very different. Dryfter is alittle too masculine for my taste, but Dryft works, and suits her situation.

 

[charmedwolf]

She's adorable, Tx!! I'm glad this fits in so well with your pack already. I like the name Dryft or Gypsy and I agree with Sara, Dryfter is a tad too masculine for her.

 

[mewzard]

Beautiful girl! I like Dryft, it's unusual. Love the smile!

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Well, maybe she'll be Dryft then. Still thinking about it. Anyone else have other ideas??
She's going to get a BlackDog Balance Harness, just have to decide on a color. I used to laugh at people who color-coded their dogs, but I've noticed nearly everything I get Mudflap is turquoise/blue, and nearly everything I get Z is burgundy/red. Lol. Freya has the weird Weim color so lots of colors just look really stupid on her. I think the green or purple would look okay. She's also eventually going to get a tracking harness.

 

[tigerlily46514]

OHMIDAWG! YOU DID IT! YOU FINALLY, REALLY DID IT!! OH, HEARTIEST CONGRADULATIONS!!!!
WHAT A FACE!!
WHAT A CUTIE PIE!!
she sounds just perfect for your current pack!!

Can't wait to hear more of the pack's first interactions!

you know me, i love thinking up dog names, i too, like Drift, however, unusual names like that, you always do have to repeat it many many times for each and every human who asks, but, still, i do like unusual names (my guy mostly named Buddy, not me, ha ha, my guy did NOT orginally 'want' a new dog, so i acquiesed to every whim he had, to get a new dog into our home, thus, the "Buddy" name...sigh).

Is it too late? i will think up some names, but, i like Roam and Willow, too. Roam wasn't built in a day, and it kind of reminds me of roan, and her coloring is unique shade....(although, not like a roan).

I also very very much like Gypsy, has nice sound, fits, and would be unique noise for dog to sort out as HER name....kind of goes with her eyes, too.

 

[tigerlily46514]

i went looking for names that meant one who move a lot, but, kept coming up with Gypsy! ha ha. She could be Gypsy Rose, for that cute red nose??

then i just sat and looked at the new dog, tried to pick name based her appearance, and i find her eyes quite remarkable, they almost seem to glow or light up a bit...
Topaz...
amber
jade

then i tried to think of a name that shows off that smile, but, couldn't think up one that sounded feminine...who is known for smiling a lot?? (besides my dad). i couldn't think of a female known for her smile...that Hall and Oats song, "Sara, smiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile." Sara is good smiley name!!

or "Smile a lil smile for me, Rose Marie"...

i like Gypsy Rose, and Gyp or Gypsy for short.
that's it, that's all i got, but, a dog that cute, you could name Dirt, (would go nicely with Mud, ha ha)
and she'd still be too cute!!

I vote for PURPLE or GREEN for Gypsy's color, since Z already has the red/rose colored stuff....

ANYWAY, ENJOY, i'm so so happy for you, Tx!! WHOOOOOOOT!! We'll want lots of updates!!!

 

[tigerlily46514]

i can't wait to see new photo of all the dogs lined up together!!

 

[tigerlily46514]

is her tail docked?

 

[tx_cowgirl]

I reeeaaallly like Willow, but it doesn't fit her at all. Willow seems like a calm and serious dog, and Freya is the complete opposite. She's a nutcase; crazy little thing! Lol. ^^ I do so love the crazy ones.
Right now I'm stuck between Dryft and Gypsy, unless a better idea comes up.
Yes, her tail is docked. I think she may have come from a backyard breeder, due to her very small size and other odd conformational features. Her original owner I think had said she bought her from a guy sitting on the side of the road or something with a sign that said, "Weimaraner Puppies." With that family, although they did love her and took care of her, she was not spayed and ended up having puppies with a local stray when she was two. The family still has one of her pups, and they moved from their country home into the city. So naturally, crazy little Riley was just too much for their new city life. That's how my friend ended up with her, where she became Freya. Then my friend moved into a smaller place for financial reasons and had to rehome Freya. And here she is now. Poor thing is fixing to get yet another name. She's going in probably next week to get spayed.

I want to take a picture of the three of them so bad, but so far everyone's not settled in yet so it will have to wait. And yes, her eyes are really something!!!

Zeke is the first one we introduced, as I was less concerned with him but I'm not really sure why. At first he was scared of her, as he usually is of new dogs(but, he used to be fear aggressive, so better!), and eventually got a little curious. He's just very, very, very unsure of himself. She follows him around constantly; she wants to be friends so badly. He's never had a dog that was very friendly and also left him alone when he tells them to. Like a puppy with adult dogs, she licks other dogs muzzles a lot. Z, being so unsure of himself, hasn't gotten used to this yet and doesn't know what to make of it. So mostly, for now, he ignores her. Once in a while he will decide maybe she's interesting, and he will follow her around a while. I think he's a bit confused with the no tail thing too, lol! "You look like you want to play but what kind of a dog has no tail?????" In time I think the two of them will be good friends. The more he sees Mud interact with her the better he is.
Mud was better than I thought, as she is usually a bit snappy with new dogs. She's actually been playing with Gypsy/Dryft/? off and on all day! After Z saw them playing a couple times, Zeke actually gave G/D/? kisses! And after that back to being not so sure. Mud and Gypsy/Dryft/? seem to really like each other.

Gypsy/Dryft/? is not sure what to make of the horses yet. One of my horses, Spirit, really loves dogs and is extremely curious. She keeps trying to investigate and really wants to meet this new dog, but Gypsy/Dryft isn't so sure. ^^ Lol. She loooooves my cat, Elli, and Elli loves her. Mudflap likes to do the Border Collie thing and stalk her around the house, only actually playing with her occasionally. Nick, my Chihuahua plays with her sometimes, but for the most part Elli doesn't have a canine playmate. And she loooves dogs. So Gypsy/Dryft is just perfect for her.

I was hoping if I kept referring to her as one of those names, one would stick and I would decide which one fits.
But I'm only more confused because I like both names so much.

 

[tigerlily46514]

lol on Z and new dog has no tail thing! hee hee! I loved that post, read it twice, hope you keep us all updated on how it goes! Sounds great! That Z is such a character!! I always get a chuckle out of Z stories!

I don't think Buddy can see that well, our vet said although buddy's vision seemed fine to her, she said it's unlikely buddy sees as well as we do, which surprised me. She said most dogs don't see as well as most humans as far as distance goes, (i think it was long distance) but, i've never looked it up to see if that is true. Buddy often does NOT recognize his own canine pals on walks, til long after *i* have, except for his schnauzer pal who has no tail, THAT dog, Buddy recognizes right away, even a block or more away, "oh, it's cooper! yay!" All his other, more ordinary looking friends with tails, Buddy has to get a lot closer to know, "ohhhh, it IS my friend after all, yay!" sigh.

so cute about the cat and the new dog becoming fast pals, ha ha!! That's so cute about Spirit wanting to meet "D/G/?", so cute. There are 3 horses down the street, one of them loves dogs, too. When the horse sees Buddy, he always ambles right over for a hello, and Buddy crouches down, and leaps up and barks at the horse...... and the horse stands there, and always looks at Buddy with a face that reads, "you nut, what are you barking for..." too funny.

so cute how Z follows Mud's cue!! adorable!!

 

[jackienmutts]

Oh, I'm so happy for you!! I'll throw my vote in for Dryft - I love that name, and that spelling too - altho she'll be "dryftin' no more". It sounds like she'll be a good fit for your family. See, I knew the right dog would come along, and you had to be ready ... and you were. How come I didn't know about Nick? Have you been keeping him a secret?

 

[Anneke]

I have been thinking about the names. I like Dryft very much.
I haven't been able to come up with something else, that I think would fit her.

It's great how she seems to wiggle her way into your family!

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Jackie-
Lol, Nick is no secret; I had pictures of him in my gallery in the old website format. He's my mom's dog. 10 year old Teacup Chihuahua.
Haha, Tigerlily mentioned having to repeat myself when people ask her name......I have a dog named MUDFLAP, I'm used to repeating myself! xD Lol. ^^ Still trying to decide on Gypsy or Dryft. I really really like both of them and they both fit her. LOL I guess I could compromise and she could be Dryftin' Gyspy. ^^ But I still don't know what I would actually call her. Decisions, decisions.

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Dryft is definitely my favorite, I loooove it.
But...the more time I spend with her the more Gypsy fits her.
So she is officially Gypsy. And a future dog will be Dryft.

Gypsy and Mud finally had a tiff today. Not sure what started it; I was making lunch and looked out the window and they were fighting. It lasted all of 3 seconds, the time it took me to see it and hurry to the door. It ended before I even opened the door. No biggie. Least it's over with. Tail wags and playing soon after.
She and Mud are going to be really good buddies, which I didn't expect. They've been playing a lot, which is great for Zeke. He's getting better with her too.

 

[katz]

She is beautiful.

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Thank you!!

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Gypsy and Zeke were rough housing in the yard today for about 15 minutes! Everyone is getting along GREAT. She is the perfect fit for our little family.
Mud has been playing with her almost since day one, so they are doing great too. It was really nice to finally see Zeke play with Gypsy. She's been trying so hard to get him to play with her. I'm happy Mud and Zeke like her so much.
Gypsy is going to have two very specific tasks--blood trailing and antler shed hunting. Can't wait to get started! She has a loooot of prerequisites to complete, lol...recall being one of them!

 

[jackienmutts]

So glad your family pieces are fitting together so nicely . That's always hard - you bring in a new member, and no matter how hard we try to match stuff up, it's still a crap-shoot, and entirely up to the dogs to really make that decision as to whether or not the transition will be a smooth one. Sounds like yours is going about as well as any could. Glad the spat was tiny - just little bubbles that they have to work out I guess - and the fact that it was over so quickly speaks volumes. Whew!

Big goals for Gypsy - good luck on the recall . Guess ya gotta crawl before you can walk, huh?