Our new adopted quadruped mammal

On Tuesday I checked my email and read about a Cavachon in a Humane Society shelter in northern New Jersey. We've been looking for one of these dogs for months, and were about to resort to paying a breeder over $1000 for a puppy. But wouldn't it be great to help a doggie who needs a home, and save money to boot? So we kept waiting and our patience paid off:


He's between 2 and 3 years old, and his previous owner named him Rocky. We changed his name to Duncan. He was brought to the shelter because his human parents were working too much, leaving him alone 10+ hours a day. He cried all day every day, and was becoming destructive. We don't have that problem, so he's perfect for us! Here he is an hour after I brought him into the house:


He's a bit timid and behaves as though he's probably gotten smacked in the past. Duncan is a very mellow boy. He loves to curl up behind my knees and rest his adorable chin on my ankles. There's almost nothing more endearing that a doggie could do! My mom's dog is a 3-year-old field trial labrador (HIGH energy) is just tormenting him. She wants to sniff him, mount him, and otherwise demonstrate her dominance. We have been able to keep her under control with close supervision, and by separating them when we're away. We'll start working with them both this weekend, with the aim to make them buddies -- on equal ground with no aggressive dominance and no fearful submission. It might take more than one weekend, but we'll get there. We have to!