Meet Stola

ICYMI on Instagram, we have some news:

This is Stola.

She’s a 7-month-old pitty who came from the Fort Wayne Pit Bull Coalition and joined our family about a week ago.

How did this all come about?

Well, it started when Penny fully discovered her playful side. For nine or 10 months, she was still learning the ropes, developing confidence, and finding her way to dig into play. She never picked up toys, never played tug or fetch, never skittered around the house. Recently, she started to try playing when she met a dog while out on a walk. Then she’d play bow, pounce, and jump around with her friend.

So, we thought she probably needed a dog friend.

Then, in the last month, she started trying to get the cats or the girls to play with her. Neither the cats nor the girls were fans.

She definitely needed a dog friend.

We took her to meet Stola a week ago Saturday, and they hit it off pretty well from the get-go. We brought her home and… that leads me to the FAQs I’ve gotten on Instagram, plus some of the challenges we’re facing with this pupper.

First, the FAQs:

1. What’s the story with her name? She came named. Everyone keeps asking me where it came from. I’m not sure if the rescue named her or her foster family. I can definitely reach out and ask, but I love that it’s unique!
2. How old is she? She’s just about seven months old. Definitely in that adolescent stage.
3. Where did she come from? The little bit we know is that she was pulled from a yucky situation with another deaf puppy (oh, wait… did I mention Stola is also deaf??) but the owners didn’t realize the dogs were deaf! She went into rescue and then to a foster home where they took incredible care of her until we came along.
4. Are she and Penny getting along? Yes. Definitely yes. For the most part. See the challenges below. (:
5. Does she get along with the cats? This is weird, but she and Ripley seem to have reached an agreement, but… for whatever reason, Stola will not stop chasing Newt. And Newt has had it. Stola has a few scratches on her nose. We’re working on this. The good news is that Stola does not seem to know how to go up or down stairs. So, we’re not going to teach her and allow the cats to have upstairs access to themselves with freedom to come and go as they please without Stola following them.

Now, the challenges:

1. Chasing Newt. We have management in place but now need to work on changing that behavior. At 13, Newt deserves her peace and her routines.
2. Penny’s hoarding. If you’ve seen some of the reels I’ve posted (like this one and this one), you’ve seen Penny tuck away treats and toys. Well, turns out, she doesn’t want to share the dental bones she’s hidden. So, for the time being, she only has one out / hidden, and it’s upstairs where Stola doesn’t go.
3. Quirky communication. Okay, this one might end up being a long explanation, and I am absolutely open to any ideas or suggestions you might have in the comments!
   They play super rudely. They both do. They stand on top of each other. A lot of neck biting or trying to put their heads on each other’s shoulders. Plus, Penny sort of “moms” Stola, especially at night. She’ll start licking her from nose to tail and pushing her over with a forceful shove to get at her underside.
   And while many people fall back on the old advice to “let them work it out,” I’ve never been a fan of that in the first place, but with communication challenges–they can’t hear each other’s warning growls or yelps, for instance–I’m even more adamant to intervene when I think they’re not handling themselves well.
   I acknowledge one week isn’t long. We have plenty of time to sort all this out, but I don’t want them starting off on the wrong foot (er, paw?) either. So, for now, we’re doing lots of rotating between rooms, crates, x-pens, and so on. (If anyone’s interested in how we organize and systematize this, please let me know and I’m happy to write out a post on our routine!)

Stola is SUPER cuddly. She loves to dive-bomb into your lap. In the evenings, after the girls are in bed, she snuggles up super close and snores. Loudly. It’s really cute.

We’ve been calling her a “pocket hippo” because she’s so small and yet manages to move through the house like a full-sized hippo. She enjoys walks but not so much wearing a coat (but it’s too cold not to, so she’ll get used to it).

Violet adores her. She is utterly smitten and will happily throw a toy for her for ages. She thinks it’s hilarious when Stola grabs someone’s snow boot from the mat and races around the house with it. Astrid likes Stola enough. She liked her more before Stola chewed up a couple of Barbies. Ha.

Overall, things are going very well–better than I would’ve expected in just one week. We’re doing fairly well with house training, though the snow storms and impending polar vortex are not helping with those efforts. The cat management plan is pretty solid.

Next up working through these quirky behaviors and communication barriers. And, truly, if anyone has ideas or suggestions, please do share them in the comments!

There you have it! After the last two posts I wrote about considerations for a second dog, here we are: Welcome, sweet Stola!