Introducing Torque!

Torque

There's a new puppy in the family!

Torque (8-week-old French Bulldog) and I got home yesterday evening about 5:30 p.m.

I was pretty darn tired after driving more than nine hours and stressing through the border crossing. All I really wanted to do was drag all my crap into the house and fall into bed. Not even a remote option. I had a puppy to introduce to our three resident nutjobs.

I wasn't really worried about Tango. He's always been a hostile little **** and it was a pretty safe bet his reaction would be to bark his fool head off, lunge at the puppy and try to teach him who was boss. Which sounds scarier than it is, since Tango has about half a dozen teeth in his head and no jaw strength at all. I was right - he barked, chased and growled. Torque basically laughed at him, said "you funny!" and chased after him for more.

Booker and Torque

Teddy was a concern. He's definitely my boy and there was a chance he'd get jealous, decide to hate Torque, or, if we weren't incredibly watchful, do some damage. At first, I thought my fears were coming true. Teddy was incredibly noisy, barking and trying to chase Torque. It turns out that my big boy is just pretty much socially inept. Within half an hour he was play-bowing, waving his paws at Torque, and generally being incredibly adorable and charming. We have to remind him to play nice, but they're well on their way to being best buddies.

Booker was the one who didn't meet expectations. He's an energetic, two-year-old who lives to play. And yet, he seemed a bit lost when confronted with a puppy a third his size. He didn't seem to know what to make of him at all; circling, sniffing. Intrigued, but not ready to engage. By this morning he figured it out - Torque is his new playmate.