I wasn't the only one who fell for Nadine's adorable mug. I started posting pictures of her on Facebook and a lot of love was thrown at Nadine immediately. My friend Katie accidentally gave Nadine her first nickname when she left out the "n" in her name: Nadie. Nearly everyone gushed over this crazy pup with the wonky face. A few also seemed to think I was nuts. I wasn't denying it.
After four days, Nadine was just barely coming out of her shell. I still hadn't heard a peep from her - no barking or crying at all. I blocked off the hallway and bathroom, as the only tiled areas in the house that I didn't mind getting peed on, and she lived there while I was at work. It was not the best arrangement, but I sure was glad I had never got around to bringing all those boxes of donations to Brown Elephant - they were the perfect containment field! I think Scotty would be proud.
I was anti-crating for her because I really didn't think she'd take it all that well. She had spent a lifetime in a crate at the puppy mill and I wanted to give her a new freedom. That said, I was starting to think a crate might be the only way I could housebreak her, given my work schedule. We were into day four and she was still not seeing the great outdoors as her chamber pot.
Nadine had her first vet appointment that weekend, so we trekked up to get her tires kicked. Unlike me, who walks everywhere, Nadine was not into self-locomotion. I carried her pretty much the entire mile and a half. On the way, a woman walking a small dog saw me carrying Nadine said to me, "Walked too far, huh?" Over-estimations of attainable distances must happen a lot with people and their little dogs. I also had to accept that people were going to give me and my dog many funny looks in our new life together. After all, shih tzus are toy dogs and there is a bit of a stereotype of toy dog owners. Of being a little crazy. Not as crazy as those parents on Toddlers & Tiaras, but perhaps with the potential.
In any case, most people that day and ever since only stop me on the street to fawn over Nadine and not make fun of her. Everyone at the vet office loved Nadine from the minute we walked in too. When I had made her appointment, I explained her history over the phone and the receptionist told me the vet would wave her exam fee because she was a rescue dog. With that, I had a good feeling about this place. I met the vet tech and primary vet and liked them both and Nadine seemed to as well. It was apparent during the exam that Nadine was used to being poked and prodded. The only thing she shied away from was the teeth exam. I continued to be amazed at how calm and docile she was.
She was going to need a follow-up shot from the series she had at Anti-Cruelty Society and a preliminary examination of her teeth, which I already knew from ACS would need a serious cleaning. They also told me I would have to get a sample of her urine because they couldn't get any. She had emptied out in my hallway that morning and there was nothing left. There's no way around it - getting a pee sample from your dog is like catching your skirt in your tights during intermission and walking back to your seat in the front row. Embarrassing. Just another reason to avoid thongs, in my opinion. We walked out with her box of heartworm meds, flea meds, and a syringe for sucking up pee.
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