We adopted Rainey on 12-17-10, and she is adapting to her new home very well. As recommended on the website, we picked up Rainey from her foster mom Kathy and then "introduced" Rainey to her new canine brother, Mojo, at a neutral site, which was the doggie daycare we take them to a few times a week. Mojo is a black and tan, and we've had him since he was 5 weeks old. At first he was a bit apprehensive about Rainey, especially when she drove home in the car with us. You see, Mojo is positive he is a four legged person, and you could just see him wondering why there was "a dog" in his car with him. Upon arrival, Rainey made herself right at home and really tried hard to play with Mojo. Mojo was still not taking well to his new sister and having "a dog" in his house.
My wife and I were starting to wonder if we made a mistake bringing another dog into "Mojo's home," when on the third night, we had a big breakthrough. I was playing with Mojo where I cover him with an old blanket and we "wrestle." Well, while Mojo was covered, Rainey decided to join in, and before he got out from under the blanket I moved away and Mojo and Rainey started wrestling, Mojo then got out and saw it was Rainey he was playing with. I guess then Mojo figured Rainey wasn't so bad, and they started playing and chasing each other. They did that for over 2 hours and have basically been inseparable ever since. Thus for anyone that is considering rescuing a coonhound, don't be discouraged if the dogs aren't best friends at first, it may take some time.
Mojo and Rainey love going to the dog park and cage free doggie daycare together. They spend countless hours playing together and Rainey's "happy go lucky, never met a stranger" personality has even helped Mojo overcome some of his skittishness to other dogs and people. Rainey continues to put on weight. She eats like a horse though we are working hard not to overfeed her. We got her a "portion pacer ball" for her food bowl, and that helps out a lot to keep her from eating too fast. We're also teaching her to be less possessive about her food, toys, bones, etc., and she’s learning quickly. We are also doing other training sit, down, and come. She is a genuine delight for all of us and a perfect fit for our family.
Thanks again for all you guys do, Rainey is very happy (and spoiled) in her new forever home.
Todd and Chris