Been apartment hunting since I last posted, and my stuff packed up till I finished moving in yesterday. New place has no unsecured wifi in range of even a larger-antenna'd Rosewill RNX-N180UBE USB wifi or the X31's built-in wifi, and I'm not signing up for any of the expensive available services in the area ($40+ / month just to connect to the internet?
), so I have to walk or park within range of the Mcdonalds or one of hte other places in the area with wifi for any internet connection.
Apartments that:
--will take big dogs (St Bernard sized)
--are not more expensive than my house to rent (which is only $775/month for a corner lot with big yard!)
--are not more than 10 miles from my work
--are not in an area full of violent crime
--have at least one path/road to them that I can ride CrazyBike2 on without being run over by insane traffic and/or have to ride at <5MPH because of huge potholes or other horrible road conditions
--haven't got slumlords for landlords
--didn't require a 12month lease (I should be able to move back to my house by end of year)
are kinda hard to find.
I found only one that had a place available before late August or September at the earliest, which wouldn't have helped me much, given my deteriorating emotional state. A couple would have had something by December or January, which would be completely useless. Quite a few might have had something, but never returned my calls (and in some cases emails, too) and were never at the office when i physically came by even when their posted hours showed they should be. (well, a couple of times there was someone there, but they were swamped with lots of people, and I ended up having ot leave before I could talk to them)
But the very first place i found that met the requirements turned out to be the only one, and even had a ground floor place with all tile floors (good both for doggie oopsies if any, and to park CrazyBike2 inside to prevent theft or damage to batteries/etc from heat/sun).
Anyway, once i had the place and lease signed, I arranged to re-visit the St Bernard rescues and see which one of the dogs would work out best. Last Saturday I went up there and Tiny picked herself, reacting to me like she hadn't done with others that had been there to see her over the years (she's been with them for ~5 years, I think it is). So we arranged for her to be brought to the apartment once i was all moved in and when i'd have a couple days off in a row to be there with her, so she could adjust to the new place, and not being with any of the others--i'ts quite a change for her, and none of us knew how she'd react to it.
So far she's doing pretty well, but is still nervous, and a little jumpy at noises and such, especially when we're out walking around the apartment grounds (which I can only do with her early in the morning or late in the evening, as she will overheat very quickly otherwise, plus the ground is pretty hot for her little paws).
Mostly she prefers sleeping on the cool tile floor, but she did snuggle up in the bed a couple of times last night before she got too warm and went back to the floor after an hour or two, each time.
She's pretty independent, but definitely wants attention when she asks for it. If I approach and she rolls over, it's belly-rub time, and if I'm not getting the right spots she'll wave a front paw to let me know. She's not as drooly as some, but she does have a little bit. And not a lot of loose fur when I brush her (which she needs every day, at least)--less actually than Bonnie the border collie always had. She doesn't really slurp kisses either, though she will sniff noses a little, and nuzzle. She doesn't paw at me either.
She either doesnt' yet know a lot of commands or else just doesn't yet feel comfortable enough to respond to me, or else I haven't figured out all her signals yet (well, that's definitely true--she's got a different body language than most of the dogs I've had before, but she is actually closer to Bonnie like that than any other). She walks on a leash well, though I'm still working with her on leaving it loose and not walking too fast for my gimpy gait.
So far she hasn't barked at anyone or anything, either, and hasn't actually tried to chase the numerous cats in the area while we're out walking, though she definitely would like to if she wasn't on a leash, she hasn't pulled to try to do it.
As for me, I'm feeling MUUUUCH better with her here; it's almost like some huge weight has lifted off of me just knowing she is right there, even if she's not in the room with me--heck, even knowing she is going to be there when I get back from McDonalds (where i'm posting this from real quick, before I go back to see how she's doing without me there, after being there 24 hours).
I*am* a little anxious about being away from her, and I do feel a little anxiety about her being there alone, since i don't even know the place myself yet very well, having only been here a day myself before she arrived. But so far neither feeling is overwhelming, and I don't feel like I'm going to explode or cry or die, which is how I have felt quite a lot before I moved in and she arrived.
I don't know how things at work will be, because I'll be nearly an hour away from her then, instead of right across the street, but I'll just have to see about that and deal with it as it happens.
I didn't have the horrible nightmares last night, or during any of my little naps during the day today, so that's a good sign. I did still have some bad dreams, but they were all related to the actual move and the change in "home" I'm going thru, and didn't star dogs on fire or anything like that, which is what my usual nightmares are about.
So, for now, things are going ok, although I won't be on the web much until I can figure out a way to get wifi connection at the apartment itself.