Hawk arrived!

Rachel and her sister picked up Hawk from Lisa today. He was a little anxious during the car ride home, but after he farted, he got a little more comfortable. When they brought him to the building, he was a little nervous of the elevator.

They brought Hawk inside, as I sat petting our cat. When Pharaoh first spotted him, Pharaoh tensed up and watched Hawk intensely. Hawk noticed Pharaoh, but then continued to explore the apartment. We kept Hawk on the leash to make sure he didn't lunge for Pharaoh, and then later disconnected it but kept a watch on them. Pharaoh made a few moans and hisses, and Hawk walked away. Pharaoh didn't run away into the bedroom though, like he did when he met his last greyhound.

We gave Hawk some water and 2 treats. He wasn't interested in the Greenie. We gave him his stuffed pink flamingo, but he didn't seem too interested in that either. I think he was just a little anxious about his new environment to focus on anything for too long. We showed him his bed, but he lied down on the floor instead.

I took Hawk on our first walk together. He peed a few times and pooped once. I didn't have to go at all. But more importantly, we bonded. It is strange walking a dog. With Hawk, I got a lot more attention from strangers than usual. Pre-Hawk, when I walked around the city, I just anonymously floated, trying not to draw attention. Tonight, I actually ignored people staring at us. I probably shouldn't do that as much again, and I should enjoy the attention and meeting new people. I met a man who said that for Hawk's first day in the city, he is doing very well. A few girls smiled at me. I heard whispers of "he's so big" and "he's so beautiful" ... I assume they were talking about Hawk and not me. A double-lab-owner walked and talked with me for two blocks. Walking a dog was such a foreign experience for me, so I'm planning on enjoying the newness of it until I become a little more jaded. It'll probably start to get old when I have to keep waking up at the crack of dawn so he can relieve himself.

The most interesting thing I discovered on our walk is that he doesn't like the metal cellar doors on the sidewalk. So I tried walking him across them as much as possible so he'd get used to them. We didn't meet any dogs on this trip... I didn't stop to let him. This will change though.

Now he is gated off in the bedroom to keep him out of the living room. Pharaoh's territory is the living room for now. Until we are comfortable with the dog/cat relationship, we plan on separating them when we are inattentive. Hawk is sleeping on his bed and blanket now as I write this. He isn't sleeping very soundly, though, being easily startled at every noise I make. Rachel is asleep. Abby is sleeping over tonight and she is asleep. I plan on working for a few more hours, trying not to let my thoughts wander to the wonderful future adventures with my new dog.