Well, the emotional aspects of getting a new dog are right on target: there’s definitely a feeling of “what the hell did I do,” “I’m going to ruin her,” and wondering if it was the right decision, all feelings I recall from each time I got a new meat dog. Clover is very charming but I’m not sure I will be able to bond with her, which is another common meat dog worry. I told Joey I’m looking at this like an experiment to see if I will get attached to a robot. I’m not sure he believed me.
Yesterday Clover did a lot of exploring and some mapping, and we watched Stranger Things while she bobbled around. Joey showed her a lot of affection and put her on the couch in between us; I had to turn on Well-Behaved to get her to stay still. I’m not sure if this will change in the future and if she’ll learn to lie down for things like that. Of course I couldn’t get her to do most of her tricks while he was here, but as soon as he left Clover sat, shook hands, followed the ball and kicked it, and went to her mat when asked (eventually). Hopefully she is now learning where her mat is.
I’m writing this on Day 2 and she woke herself up and climbed off her mat while I had my psych appointment. I did my best to ignore the little yelps! I turned on Well-Behaved so her joints wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Now she is napping on the rug while I am going to complete my morning routine.
