Jewel has been with us for 41 hours, with two nights and one full day so far. And I'm happy to report that it's going great! Outside seems to be consciously separate from inside (although I'm still restricting movement in the house, probably for a couple more days), and Jewel is pretty well integrated into our routine. She seems to be comfortable here...I'm thrilled with that!

Nights have been serene. She gets closed in a crate late at night when I'm ready for bed and I have yet to hear a peep from her all night long. In fact, I'm jealous of how deeply she seems to sleep! This morning Mardy had to go out around 2 AM, and as near as I can tell Jewel didn't even look up. Izzi decided to spend the night outside (of the three she is most built for the cold, so as it gets warmer I think she's more comfortable out there).

Yesterday afternoon we took her for our first walk together. This was a chance for Jewel to meet the first of Carol's 23 dogs, Ivy. They met in my garage, did the requisite butt sniffing, and then we were off. No aggression or hostility at all. Ivy is kind of a growler but a very friendly dog, so we were wondering how they'd do. No worries! Mardy also came along, but Izzi, who tends to stray a bit too far, stayed home.

We walked the Ester trails east of Henderson, maybe four miles, a fairly leisurely walk. Jewel clearly prefers to stay on packed trails, stopping quickly when she ventured off the trail. That might have been because she was on my 16' Flexileash. It looks like she'll be on a leash for a while for walks. She comes when called, but usually pretty slowly. We'll work on that in coming weeks. But she clearly enjoyed being out and sniffing all the new and interesting scents that a moderately-used trail contains. When Mardy found a treed squirrel and started explaining the facts of life in the dog-squirrel nature of the world in loud barks, Jewel would quickly pick up the pace and try to tear off my arm. All in all, it was a delightful evening on a beautiful day with four hot women (it was quite warm). I think that it will do Jewel a lot of good to get lots of exercise.

My dog yard is setup with four-foot field fencing, not high enough to keep Jewel in. (It's not high enough to keep Izzi in either, but she has learned to stay put.) And with the snowpack, it's probably only two feet in a few places. I have a couple of poles where I can chain dogs out, so it's served my needs up to now. (And given Jewel's known preferences I want to avoid chaining her out until we trust each other more.) I'll probably need to make some changes, but for now I accompany Jewel outside with her on a Flexileash. It's a nice way to spend some quality time with her, and she pees and poops just fine on the leash.

I expect that next week I'll start taking Jewel with me on errands to town. I'll have to see how good a car dog she is, and whether she is patient enough to wait for me.

Jewel is eating, but not as much as I'd like. I'll probably move her to Annamaet blue (I just went to red for the summer for my other dogs) to get more in her for the volume she's eating. With Carol's reassurance, I'm not real worried for now, and will let Jewel eat as much as she wants and regulate her own intake. I'd love to see her put on a few pounds.

Jewel is becoming a member of the family. I can't tell you how happy I am about that!