salish, four weeks
Meet our new fae-puppy Salish (Say-lish).
She is a Chinook breed. We brought her home on June 20th. We named her after the lodge we spent our honeymoon in {Salish Lodge}. That place holds so much meaning to both my husband and I and being in that magical space was the beginning of us dreaming about living in the Pacific Northwest. The Salish tribe is a group of American Indians inhabiting the Pacific Northwest of the US and British Columbia. We have always felt drawn to that name and the Chinook breed has Native American roots and we feel deeply connected to both the PNW and BC, Canada. It just seemed to fit.
How Salish came into our life was serendipitous and magical. We had been talking for some time about Cedar having a companion. A doggie spirit that could bring him calm and comfort, safe and cozy during those times when he felt overwhelm. Someone to love him unconditionally when he feels misunderstood. We knew the process of finding this soul for Cedar would be organic just as us finding Cedar was organic to us.
My husband and I are never ones to watch the television by flipping channels. We record our favorite shows and watch them sometimes at night when we are able. One time we decided to see what live television was like now (ha!) and we stumbled upon that reality show "Too Cute!" on the Animal Planet. There was a segment on Chinook puppies and we were so moved by their temperament and rarity. We had thought we were going to wait for a puppy from the humane society or the pound but there was something about the Chinook breed that was pulling at us in a spiritual way. I sent my sister a text about the Chinooks and she wrote back "we JUST watched that show too and said they sound perfect for our Cedar!"
I always listen deeply to those kind of serendipitous signs and immediately did research on local breeders. We found Rain Mountain Chinooks, which is not too far away. I sent an email to the breeder, Ginger and told her all about our story and Cedar and how we feel he needs a companion. She was planning on taking a break for a bit but our story moved her deeply and one of her favorite mama's and Sire's were available to breed. The Sire is a service dog and that peaked our interest.
Her process of choosing which pup suits which family is full of intention and intuition. We fill out a large amount of paperwork about our specific needs and she takes every detail into consideration. Because we lived close enough, we were able to visit about five times, so she was able to get to know Cedar a bit beyond just my blog. When our litter was born, on our first visit at 4 weeks old, it was Salish that was the only pup to approach Cedar and feel safe enough to climb on his lap, even though Cedar was unsure and flopping around with energy. When Cedar felt overwhelmed and asked to sit in the car parked in front of her ranch, Salish followed him toward the gate...every single time he did this on each visit.
Ginger could see that we were getting a bit attached but she continued to remind us that she was going to take the puppies for temperament evaluations and have one of her friends that specializes in children on the spectrum and with SPD to come evaluate the litter for Cedar. So throughout this entire process, we constantly told each other to keep an open mind and not get attached and to surrender and trust. There were about three puppies we were drawn to but Salish seemed to be most drawn to Cedar.
At about 9 weeks old, the puppies went for their professional temperament evaluations, as well as being evaluated at home specifically set up for Cedar. One particular puppy showed high intelligence. They all called her "The Thinking Dog". Our puppy had been chosen for us but Ginger kept it as a surprise. Then a few days after the evaluations was when we were able to visit and find out which one was ours. I called Ginger when we were on the way and she said "I will have a blanket set out on the grass outside of the gate and will bring out your new puppy." There was so much anticipation. The fluttering in my chest and the warmth all over my body reminded me so much of when we were driving to the hospital with our birth parents the day Cedar was born.
We pulled up and sat on the blanket and out she came...with Salish in her arms and it was so beautiful and emotional. I had a feeling down deep that she was the one...and really, she chose Cedar. She truly chose Cedar.
salish, 9 weeks
minutes after we learned she was ours
A week later, at 10 weeks old, we picked her up and it has been such a life altering experience for our family. The morning before my marmie called with lots of puppy wisdom and I'm so happy my sister was in town so she could be with us the first few days and this week (our first week with Salish), my mother in law is visiting and is also helping us with the training and care. Its been so wonderful to share it with my family!
She is so very soulful and mellow and intuitive and tolerant and intelligent and affectionate. She's already picked up potty training in a week and is so emotionally in tune with us. We have had a really intense week with Cedar as transitions are difficult for him and she is so in tune with his needs. She is learning when to leave him be and learning when to make him giggle and cuddle close. Just today Salish came in with a flower in her mouth and gave it to Cedar. I'm not kidding!!
We are reading up a lot of training, as well as taking a puppy kindergarten class (starting tonight!) but we are finding that just like with raising our Cedar, our intuition is guiding us with our Salish.
Mmmmm...puppy medicine.
Here are a few images of the ride home:
a wee nervous on the drive
she tried my sister's lap. her sweater brings salish's eyes out!
One the first day home, Cedar adorned her with a feather and began telling her stories:
My favorite of all is our morning cuddles:
ps. {Fae}rie Tale Friday will begin in two weeks I've been wanting to be very present for family visiting and transitions for Cedar, so have had to be mindful of my energy and time. I'm excited to begin that journey with all of you!
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