Alright, back to Jada.
Let's see...I guess my whole reason for writing about Jada in the first place was to just emphasize how different it is to be around a dog like Mattie after getting used to being around a dog like Jada. Mattie doesn't really like to play fetch with either a ball or a stuffed animal kind of toy. It was a struggle to get her to play tug-of-war with a rope toy with me just a handful of times. Mainly, Mattie just likes to follow you around and be pet. Sometimes I find this upsetting because I was used to such a high energy and playful dog, but then I realize that it's probably a good thing Mattie isn't so high energy because it makes it much easier to care for her.
Another positive thing about Mattie that is very different from Jada is that Mattie isn't very vocal. She growls or barks when she sees other people walking their dogs out of our 3rd floor window, but other than that she pretty much expresses herself through panting or "sighing." I love Jada, but I would worry about bothering the neighbors if I had a dog who barked every time someone was at the door, sometimes when cars passed by, to get my attention, etc.
(Ahh! I really didn't do a good job of planning these 2 entries about Jada, so I'm sorry they are so sporadic. I probably should have written about this before anything else!)
When I first met Jada, she intimidated the hell out of me. (Pardon the expression). I first started hanging out with Leon in a group setting, so Jada was suddenly exposed to about 3 or 4 new faces at once. This can be difficult for dogs who are territorial. I remember Jada sniffing everyone as we filed in through the front door to make sure we were "okay." If she smelled anything interesting, she did a great job of impeding you from entering her home until she was 100% satisfied that you would not present any immediate threat.
To be continued…(I just have so much to say and so little time! Maybe I'll put some more pictures or a video up in the next entry)
