Two New Fur Babies

After Harlie passed we both knew we wanted to get another puppy again before too long. Our home felt so empty and lonely without her running around. Robbie wanted to get another dog right away but I needed a little time first. I started looking into a GSD rescue group to try and adopt our next pup. I also contacted the breeder we got Harlie from to see if they were going to have any new litters soon (they were going to have 2 new litters end of Aug/early Sept)--we both wanted to stick with German Shepherds. We had decided to for sure get a puppy from where we got Harlie from cuz her mom was having puppies and I wanted to get one so it would be Harlie's sibling. While waiting I also found a pup on a rescue page that tugged on my heart so I showed her to Robbie and we talked about the option of getting two dogs. When we had Harlie, Robbie had always wanted to get a 2nd dog but at the time I didn't. I was happy just having Harlie and she loved being spoiled and getting all the attention lol. Now that she was gone however, I was open to the idea of getting two so that whenever we had to leave them they weren't alone (that was what I hated about leaving Harlie when we'd go somewhere cuz she was home alone). Robbie was down for the idea of getting two right away close together as well so I proceeded with the rescue.

Stralia

The rescue we went through is called Southeast German Shepherd Rescue "SGSR" and is all volunteer based. It took us about 5 weeks total from the time I submitted an application until the time we got approved to adopt. When we were approved there were 3 dogs we were interested in but I was drawn to one puppy in particular (named "Jasmine"). Things didn't work out with the original dog I liked and another of the 3 we were interested in but it was all meant to be with "Jasmine". It seemed liked the perfect fit and we met her and were instantly in love! We took her home on a 2 week trial period on Labor Day 2016 but knew instantly we were gonna adopt her. We finalized everything and renamed her Stralia (she was just about  3 years old). She instantly fit right into our home and it was so wonderful having a pup in the house again! Stralia was a lot different then Harlie in that she barked a lot, loved to get into things, and had a lot more energy but she was super sweet and snugly and we loved her right away!

Trixie

We brought Stralia's little sister Trixie home about a month after Stralia on Oct 19, 2016--she was only 7 weeks old at the time. Trixie looked a lot like Harlie and was so tiny. She has so many similar traits to Harlie but is also so different then Harlie! Trix is more mild mannered and rarely ever leaves my side (just like Harlie) but she is very vocal/whining and more sassy then Harlie was. We have experienced a lot of firsts with little Trixie.

• 1) She was so sad/whined a lot the first couple days we had her home. I think having Stralia here really helped her! She missed her family so much and having another pup seemed to help her adjust to life with us easier.
• 2) She HATED her kennel! We couldn't get her to go in it on her own or sleep in it for quite awhile. We tried to let her whine/bark it out in the kennel but she wouldn't stop so after 20-30 mins we'd have to get her out cuz we couldn't sleep with all the noise. Slowly we got her more used to it by feeding her and giving her treats in the kennel and letting her come and go on her own during the day (not closing her in it). I am so happy to say she has gotten used to it and a lot of times prefers to sleep in it now! It makes our lives easier too.
• 3) She has bad separation anxiety (especially from me). It was really bad early on. She hated being left home with Stralia and would go ballistic whining/barking for 10+ mins whenever we'd get home. The first couple days I'd have Robbie help watch her so I could workout or shower when he'd get home from work and Trixie would freak out barking and doing everything she could to get out of his arms to come with me. She is doing a lot better now but it has taken awhile to get her used to everything and she still doesn't like being away from me.
• 4) She had such a hard time with potty training. Thankfully she wouldn't really go poop in the house but she'd pee all the time. She'd do well and go if I took her outside but she'd also still go inside whenever she had to. It was so hard trying to train and correct her because she wouldn't ever give a sign that she had to go (with Harlie & Stralia it was easy to correct cuz they had tell signs when they'd start sniffing around and looking for a spot to potty)--with Trixie she wouldn't give any kind of warning she'd be playing or sitting and all of a sudden just pee out of nowhere. And since she wouldn't sleep in her kennel it was really frustrating at nighttime cuz she'd have multiple accidents. It was so frustrating and I was pretty much at my wits end with what to do to train her! Finally after about a month of having her something seemed to click and she started going to the back door when she needed to go out and hold her bladder all night. I am now so excited to say she is pretty mcuh completely potty trained! She will still have an occasional pee accident is its been too long and you squeeze her picking her up or when Robbie gets home and she gets too excited (Harlie did this all the time too lol) but the accidents are few and far between now which is such a huge blessing!

Our little girls are growing so fast and are gorgeous! They are the very best of friends and absolutely love each other. With Harlie I was always happy just having her but these two definitely seemed like they both needed a fur sibling. Stralia came from a foster home with 3 full grown Shepherd mixes and loves any dog/person she sees--she always wants to play with other dogs! She plays constantly with our neighbors dog everyday through the fence so I could tell she really missed having other dogs to play with. And Trixie was so sad without her family the first couple days that I think having a sister really helped her adjust too.

Stralia adjusted so well with adding Trixie to the family! She wanted everything to do with Trix from day 1 and loves to play with her all day! She has been the best big sister--she is so sweet and gentle with Trixie. I was worried early on that Stralia would be to rough with Trix since she's still a puppy herself and has so much energy but she's been great and gentle with her! She lets her bit and climb on her and she doesn't care. Stralia hasn't ever gotten jealous of our split attention or sharing her toys. The only time she gets possessive is if Trixie tries to take treats from her lol. Stralia has been super cuddly the last few days and I'm not sure if its just her sensing there is another baby (human) coming or if she's just taking advantage of times Trixie isn't cuddling with me but either way I'll take it! I love my sweet, sweet girls!

Stralia is now 6 months old and last time she was weighed at the vet she was 36lbs. She has become daddy's girl/shadow now that Trix never leaves my side lol. Trixie is now 3 months and is about 19lbs last we checked. She is my little velcro pup. My favorite is when they both cuddle to sleep with each other (usually its Trixie initiating it by laying next to Stralia). They are a handful at times but I wouldn't have it any other way! I love my two little girls and I love that they have each other too :)