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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

In Praise of a Nanny State

Nope, not going all political on you.

But our newest family member has gotten an official job title.


See this young lad?
Dylan Dog at the Beach House, January 6, 2013.

We adopted him the weekend that Hurricane Sandy blew in.

He came with baggage -- suitcases and trunks just stuffed with crazy.
Among Dylan's endearing quirks was not sleeping through the night.
Having a dog wake you two, three times a night,
to go out, gets old really fast.

Cue the newest player in this family drama:
Our own Mary Poppins.

Last Saturday, just 4 short days ago, we adopted this lady:

She is an 8-year old Ruby Cavalier.
A breeder got many, many puppies out of this sweet dog,
and then handed her to Rescue to find a forever home for her.

I admit it -- I am a sucker for older gals with saggy bellies.

Her given name, Emunah, which means "Faith" in Hebrew,
proved too cumbersome and hard to remember, so we have 
given this dog a brand new moniker:
Gilda.
She's a gorgeous redhead, like Rita Hayworth, who immortalized
the part of Gilda in the film noir movie of the same name.


Luckily, Cavalier Rescue placed her with the same foster "mom" who
had cared for Dylan, and she realized that we needed this mama dog.
"I may look all grown up, but inside I'm a little boy who needs a real Mama."
And we do.  Because guess who is sleeping through the night now?
Yes, all of us -- Gilda, Dylan, and Howard and I.

Gilda has taken on the role of Nanny to Dylan.
He follows her, gives her shy little kisses, snuggles up for naps, and
yesterday, he let her lick off a peanut-butter-filled spoon with him.

That's a first. 

So thank you, Foster Mom Adriane, for steering us to this
sweet little retired Mama, who is luxuriating
in the pampering and attention she was not used to getting.

Good news -- making progress on the de-Christmasing.
There may be pictures for tomorrow!  -- Cass


Because Gilda is most definitely
 a redhead, I'm linking
to the Rednesday blog party
at It's A Very Cherry World.  




PS  Thank you for all the great name suggestions for Emunah/Gilda.  I personally was very tempted
to name her "Golda Meir," but decided to go with glamour instead of political power!

23 comments:

  1. I'm a firm believer that dogs do much better as a pet when they have another dog around. Rowdy did fine alone for the first year, but when we added Izzy to the family he totally blossomed and is SUCH a happy boy now. They do EVERYTHING together... I mean, only having one dog is kind of like a human that lives alone. Everything is just so much more fun when you have a pal. :)) Happy to hear that Dylan is doing better and now has someone to snuggle with at night. xox

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  2. I think Dylan was lonely when he woke up so he had to check that you were still there. Now he has a friend right next to him. All good.
    Love the name. Suits her to a t.

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  3. They are both adorable. And how wonderful it is to know they are in a loving home now. Congrats on your latest family members!

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  4. Both are adorable and will do so well together.

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  5. First off, Your home is stunning!! I would love a proch like that!!
    And secondly, both new pups are so cute!!

    Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment about my friend, Anne Marie's home. i know she will appreciate it!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  6. I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy after reading todays post. Awesome! (((hugs)))

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  7. So good to hear, I teared up reading this post. I have two little rescue dogs, too, and bless your heart for giving both of them a new, loving home. Gilda does fit her so well.

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  8. I love Gilda's new name and it sounds like she just fit right in and has been a wonderful addition to the family. She is just gorgeous. I had plans of getting a Red for Miss Scarlet and I wanted a male and call him Rhett, yes I truly am a Southerner. We acquired our beagle, long story but I won't be getting a Red. I know I can come here and get my "fix" by enjoying your photos of Gilda.

    Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook

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  9. My heart just melted when I saw the pictures of Gilda. To think she gave life to so many precious little creatures and now needs a Forever Home...Gulp! She's gorgeous and I know Dylan is going to just love her. And you will get some much needed sleep!

    XO,
    Jane

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  10. Aww, I love them both. I'm sure they are happy to be in their new home. They sure look happy!

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  11. Gilda is beautiful. Love her hair(**

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  12. Glad that Gilda is helping out so well.

    M :)

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  13. So Sweet!! Luv them both. We need to rescue a buddy for Jack Beagle.

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  14. You are my hero....taking in not one but two rescue pups is just fabulous....and putting Dylan on Facebook well, thank you for making my day when I read his take on like with the uprights.....the redhead is adorable and what a pair they make....I would do anything to rescue a Pyrenees but just getting too old to picture myself 10 years from now or even 5 years from now getting up all night to take out a senior dog....so I applaud you for your kindness and love of these animals....

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  15. Cass,
    So happy to read that Gilda (great name!) and Dylan are getting along so well. Seems that old dogs can TEACH new tricks! There is a special place in heaven for people that give older dogs homes.
    Your Friend,
    Deborah

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  16. ahhhhhhhhhhhh how sweet Dylan looks and I know Gilda is happy to have a wonderful home

    I can't wait till I can financially afford 2 rescue dogs (pugs) Both my little pugs have gone onto doggie heaven

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  17. How wonderful that Gilda has a loving home. But how awful that when her "job" as a mother was done, so was her home life. How could someone treat a dog like that? She must feel like she is in heaven. You are wonderful to take these two dogs into your home and give them so much love. I look forward to seeing what they are up to! :)

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  18. What an amazing tale. Sweet Gilda saved the day (er. night) ...

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  19. Hi Cass:

    I got your comment regarding use of the captcha code on the comments. Recently, I was getting innundated with spam comments (100s a day)... I set up the comment moderations, but I was still getting them. It was taking up so much time for me to go through them and weed out the spam - I set up the Catcha and they completely stopped. I have tested / tried the captcha code myself on my site and was able to post a comment in 2 seconds with no issue - so I'm not sure why it was difficult for you.

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  20. Oh Cass, this is just the sweetest post. Thank you for this joy. I have been MIA and realize all this new sweet joy means the loss of your beloved Pup. Lovelovelove to you, Deb

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  21. Hi Cass! Oh, how sweet! How special to be picked to be the parents of Gilda, Congrats! She is beautiful, she reminds me of Lady on Disney's Lady and the Tramp. Dylan is looking as gorgeous as ever, his colors are so beautiful and his white is so white! Just beautiful! Have a great week! Gina

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Thank you for visiting That Old House; it's always exciting to find new comments -- they are treasured! Because of increasing spam, I have reluctantly eliminated "Anonymous" commenting. Legitimate anonymous commenters, please forgive me! You might try using "Open ID" instead. Blogger's spam software worked for a good long time, but, sadly, no longer.