Little pup is interacting with me more and more. This is good because I was beginning to worry that I’d adopted a real dud. I realize now that he just needs time to come out of his shell.

Now he enjoys a little cuddling and will play with a toy that I’m holding. He wants to chew on my hand but I’m discouraging that.

We are developing a routine. It’s as much for me as it is for him. As soon as I’m awake I take him out for what passes for a little walk. As soon as he’s done his business we go inside where he has breakfast. Then I make coffee. We play a little. He naps.

My grandchildren visited yesterday. He wasn’t ready to play with them yet but he allowed himself to be petted. My son put him down on the ground and he ran behind the rhododendron. It was not a simple project to get him out.

Eloy, who doesn’t have a proper name yet, spends a great deal of time hiding under furniture. Sometimes he allows himself to be cuddled, but he seems to prefer hanging out in locations in which he has close cover over his head. Those are not places where humans can easily stroke his fuzzy fur.

We’re still getting to know each other. He’s only mildly interested in me so far. I’m looking forward to the day when he wags his tail when I come near. So far, I’m happy when he does try to get away from me.

I wonder, Have I got myself a lemon? Is this dog gonna break my heart? At least he seems pretty mellow in general. He’s not hyper or destructive.

I gave him a biscuit yesterday and he hid his head behind a chair to chew it. We spent some time yesterday kind of learning what it means to go for a walk. That only means strolling along the fence that goes around the pool. Eloy sits or lies down quite often during these little walks. It’s pretty cute, but I can’t wait until I can take him for a real walk.

There’s a deck chair he enjoys hiding under when we’re in the pool area. It’s the only one he’ll sit under. I tie the lease around the arm rest but Eloy isn’t going anywhere. He just likes to chill.

After his flight from Puerto Rico, Eloy was picked up in Boston by Jessica who is fostering Eloy’s brother, Levi. The flight was delayed and Eloy didn’t arrive in Vermont until 10:00pm, just as I was getting extremely tired.

He was handed off to me in a McDonalds parking lot and I held him as my dad drove us home. He was calm and quiet. I tried giving him a chance to do his business before bringing him inside, but he was too scared to be on the grass. He just looked for a place to hide and headed for a bush. So we went inside instead. He met my mom first.

I brought him upstairs and put him in his bed. He was definitely looking for a hiding place. I covered him with a blanket and this settled him down. Eventually he willingly came out to take a sip of water. I offered him a little bowl of puppy chow and he demolished it with gusto. Then went back into his bed.

I was so tired. His bed was on top of my bed and Eloy leaned his head and paws out to put them on my leg. I kept a hand on his body in the bed. Well, I fell asleep and forgot all about him until morning when I woke up and found his bed empty.

He was hiding under the bed. There was a bunch of poop on the carpet and a pee spot too. To be expected! Poor guy was in a crate all day yesterday! We’ll be outside all day today so not to worry.

Right now Eloy is enjoying his spot under the bed, stretched out on his side relaxing. I’m letting him stay there as I drink coffee and psych myself up for the day. We are confined to home for two weeks in order to allow Eloy to adjust to his new station in life. That’s an agreement we made with the rescue organization.

Eloy is bigger than I expected him to be. I want him to stop growing right now, but I think he’s going to be huge.

Nina passed over two years ago and I’m finally getting a new pup. Eloy is his current name but I’m working on coming up with a new one. I had wanted a girl but I’m happy that the rescue organization was able to find me this pup in Puerto Rico. I couldn’t be fussy. He needs a flight to the States so I am just waiting for the moment when he can stick to my side. So many walks to take. So much housetraining to do. So much food to buy. Eloy! Vamanos!