A New Life Begins, oh the Joys! Making L J Gibbs Feel at Home

The Ridge

On Saturday, May 8^th, I could point out the number of times we were awake through the wee hours but that would be telling tales. We have a new baby in the house and here is a brief outline of our evening (whether you care or not!). 😊 Gibbs has been fed 2X a day, 9am and 9pm. That is what he is used to. We didn’t want to mess that up, it works for us. At least, we are going to try that routine.

First meal at home

Gibbs was out a couple of times by Bill picking him up and carrying him out. He is a real heavy little lump at 4.4 lbs. We weighed him. Each time out, he did some business and got praised well for it. So, at 9, Gibbs got a cup of the puppy kibble he is used to and he ate pretty good! I loved how he picked up the few pieces that he dropped over the edge of the dish before reaching in for more. After 15 minutes, we removed the dish and 15 minutes later, out he went.

Gibbs hasn't quite got the hang of helping us sort clothes yet

Yah, you! 💗

He didn’t drink much at all since we brought him home. At 11 we were falling asleep in our chairs; Gibbs was taking turns on our laps. We were sure enjoying the little cuddle bum. We no longer have a crate of any kind so I brought in a 12”high Rubbermaid tub and put a small blanket I’d knitted for Clemson to use up some old wool. It fit perfectly and he settled down on it. My mistake was putting Clemson’s soft blanket in there too.

Clemson's bed is still in excellent shape, Christmas gift in 2004
so Gibbs will be the second owner 😄

We plugged a night light in and went up to bed. Once, twice and almost a third time, the little sneak 

This picture was taken late morning but I wanted
you to see his sleeping arrangement for his first night
He bounced and climbed until he got out

had climbed up on the blanket and crept out. We heard him drinking and drinking. The first two times, we got up and chased him around the room, finally retrieving him from behind my chair, curled up for sleep. 😊 There is carpet back there. Hmmm. So, I removed the fuzzy blanket and we tried once more. I know Bill was up with him later and took him out for a piddle and poop.

A breakfast tortilla for me, yummy!

Next thing I know, I’m waking at 5:30 and feel a little wiggler behind me. Gibbs was on top of the covers between us. Oh-oh. What time did he come in? I asked my innocent bed-mate. “5, I got up, he was trying to get out, went out for a piddle…………” Ha ha, the rest is history but at least we made it through the night with ease. For a first night away from home, L J Gibbs did awesome! However, we needed either a higher bin or an actual crate.

He is such a calm little man

So, this morning, it was an early start although we all 3 fell back to sleep a few times and didn’t get up until 6:30. I drove in to Durham to clean the Mat and also do our 2 loads of laundry. The sky was very cloudy so I prepared to dry them in town. When I finished cleaning, the wash was done and Bill said there were some steady patches of blue sky. I brought them home to hang. In the meantime, Donna sent some information about a dog crate for sale.

The 2nd hand crate we found is the perfect size
We bought the water dispenser at Pet Valu
and that fills up the one end so the divider wasn't needed

We ate lunch a bit early and drove to Hanover to meet a young lady to make the purchase. It is perfect! We picked up a few supplies at Pet Valu and then drove to the 6 & 6 Auction site to pick up Bill’s bid wins. Gibbs went along for the drive, of course. He had an upset tummy and threw up on me a few times, mostly in my hand (love forgives). We knew there could be some stress over the first few days but after some good bowel movements thought he was fine. ☹

Look at me drinking from my new dish!

We were waiting for Daddy to get his
auction stuff

He loves the ride and slept most of the time, between his bouts. He’d whine a fair bit just before throwing up so I knew it was coming. Back home, he also had some diarrhea so figured it could only be stress. He didn’t eat a lot for his morning meal so he should be good and hungry tonight. He has drunk a lot today which makes me happy, dehydration is not good. It is purified water we are giving him so there is nothing different there either.

6 & 6 Auctions was a very busy place
Lots and lots of equipment for buyers to pick up

After payment was made, Bill stood in another line 
to get his small box
there were garden tractors, iron gates, a 5th wheel and so much more

I know this is a lot of chatter about our puppy so if you’re not into it, you are able to skip along. I want it as our record of Gibbs’ first days. We got home around 3 and Bill brought the crate inside. By this time, Gibbs was in his Rubbermaid tub sound asleep so we think he was feeling better with all the bad stuff out. 😊 We washed his new food dishes and his water dispenser. The latter went inside the crate for him giving him only enough room to sleep and turn around.

The Cherry bitter spray should stop the chewing
He has sharp little teeth so we'll give it a try
Chewy toy and treat next on the list

New dish on Clemson's feed mat

I made a cup of tea for myself and Bill and Gibbs had a snooze in the chair. So cute! I worked on a WordSearch and then found I couldn’t remain focused. Being awake those few extra times through the wee hours was taking a toll on me too. 

He likes his new crate
Thanks Auntie Donna for the tip!

He spent a lot of the evening between here and in our chairs
with us
Oooh, we love the cuddles!

I believe we’ll sleep good tonight now that we don’t have to worry about L J Gibbs getting hurt while wandering around in the dark. For supper, Bill and I had fish, fries and leftover rice and beans. A real mishmash but another dish got emptied from the fridge as well as the last two custard dishes.

Gibbs had an upsetting accident when his bowels let loose but
he ran out of the crate before it happened and right under
my uplifted chair
He is still a bit timid of us so keeps going further away
We get exercise crawling around and under things to get him 😂

It was good and Gibbs slept through the whole thing in his new crate. I think he likes it! After dishes, I worked on my blog before tying things up for the night. We watched one of his movies at 7 as it was a mystery type with Yannick Bisson but at 9:30 I was up in bed too tired for anything. This was another good day, getting some additional things for our pup and us all getting used to each other. It’s working out well. When he’s out on ‘the loose’ he still runs behind our chairs and at one point, he slipped under my foot rest for a nap. What a little character!

Supper was tasty

The sky cleared up, of course, before night fall

Good night!
Thank you for all the best wishes.
Our family is complete again. 💓

Thank you for your visit. Your comments are always great to read.