Kristen Marie, Congratulations on becoming a goat owner! Glad to hear the clarification on your dogs' livestock chasing- another example of how printed words can pack a whollop of misunderstanding. It seems to me if you taught your dogs to leave the rabbits alone, you can employ the same tactics by the goat fence/enclosure and get them 'goat friendly.' If you catch them barking or harassing the goats, yell NO and make it an unpleasant association for them. A bucket of water, squirt of water from a hose will get the idea across. Our visiting neighbor dogs (I KNOW people think neighbor dogs should be under control, but this is the way of life here and everyone is tolerant of the arrangement,) are half Great Pyr. and always lope and bark down the fenceline when it's goat feeding time, and the goats dutifully return to the barn (as if they would skip a meal!) They are unbothered as they have learned the fence is protective and the dogs know the fun stops when the goats arrive at the barn to get fed. Our first golden retriever was such a good goat nanny! When we got the little bottle fed kids, we'd tell her "get the goats" and she would so daintily grasp their little collars with her gentle teeth and escort them over to us. As they grew, 'get the goat' got a little trickier until they were full grown and well north of 100 lbs while she was only 65lb. She'd look at us with eyes that said " You're kidding, right?" But still, would go to them, daintily get their collars, hop on two legs, hobble or sidewind them back to us. No one ever got hurt and we enjoyed their cooperative efforts to get goat chores done. Enjoy the squirmy, springy antics of the youngsters especially! There is nothing like a baby goat for frolicking and sheer celebration of 4 legs and muscles.

Jamie, gorgeous plants. Thistledown has some real beautys. I ended up ordering another batch, but less than the first order. He even sent a freebie. Don't forget to leave feedback on Gardenwatchdog.com. He's a really nice guy, very generous, and honest. Your hoyas are good-looking, too. All your plants are. The first looks like a variegated Haworthia. I bought a similar plant on Ebay, same colors, thinner leaves, it's called Aloe 'wansley' variegated..very tiny. I'll have to snap pics. Thanks for turning me on to Thistledown. Let me know how your Fukien Tea works out. HD usually has them available. Do you know if it's evergreen or decidious? I love your CC..It's a true red. Walmart here I come. lol. Actually, I'd like a variegated CC, but they're hard to find. One seller on Ebay is selling a variegated 'cutting' for, are you ready? 49.99!! Right, I'll take 10, lol. Kim, why does Pilea freak out your b/f??? lol..that's hysterical. I'd understand if it was a 'Man-Eating-Plant,' lol, but a Pilea??? I just bought a variegated Euphorbia 'paddle plant.' The green are okay, but this guy is veryyyy pretty. Toni

We adopted a husky while I was pregnant. We had her for 5 months before DS was born, during which time she grew very attached to me. We also have a cat (well, at 25 lbs, he may be a second dog) who can be a little mean. Luckily, so far everything has worked out. We were a bit concerned because she had been abused, but she is absolutely wonderful with him. We did the things you've mentioned -- sent a blanket home, had DH carry DS into the house, etc. She was curious about him the first day home, but she was PISSED at me for having left her for 2 days. Luckily she didn't do anything but give me the cold shoulder for a while. DS is now 19 months old, and our dog is still wonderful with him. She's a little protective, actually -- she'll get between the stroller and someone who approaches us on the street; she gets upset if he cries, or she'll look at me like if it were her kid, she'd get to that crib faster than me! Food may be another big issue, especially if your dog is used to table scraps. Try putting your hand in/around the bowl when the dog's eating to see how she responds. If she's the least bit snappy, you may have to feed her when the baby naps, especially after baby is mobile. One of DS's favorite haunts when he started to crawl was the dog bowls -- to splash or check out the food (we try to empty the dish if she doesn't finish b/c the food can be a choking hazard in addition to being downright gross). And our DS also loves to feed the dog from his chair, so if that's something that's going to annoy you, make sure you don't let the dog or the baby develop that habit after you start on solid foods. For us, the problem began with cheerios at about 8 or 9 months. I've tried to make it a point to integrate the dog and the baby. We have a jogging stroller, and most days I'll take both of them on hour long walks. I think it helps the dog to just see DS as an addition to her life, rather than competition. We practice petting gently. When DS was old enough to sit up & reach for the animals, we would take his hand, help him pet them, and say gentle. Now if he gets a little rough, all we have to do is tell him to be gentle. That's pretty much all I can think of. We've got great pictures of DS crawling all over the animals and giving them hugs. Congrats.

if you have any sort of fenced in area, away from home, such as a baseball diamond at the local school, you can turn the new little guy loose and walk your boy over to the fence. let them get acquainted through the fence, the new dog will not feel "threatened" if he knows he can back away at will. once they have become acquainted, you can take your guy into the fence, still on leash, and let them sniff each other. if you can do this a few times, even better. it's always a good idea to introduce new dogs on neutral ground and really, it's best if it can be done SAFELY with both of them off leash. at least, this has always been my personal experience. it goes without saying, favorite treats go a long way in helping both dogs through the initial "getting to know each other" period. pop a treat in their mouths when they are being good, reinforce their good behavior and you'll be off to a great start. i lost my female corgi to cancer in june. i recently brought another rescue great dane into the pack and did intros this way. everything worked out perfectly and she has settled in as if she's been here forever. just because the new little guy reacted the way he did doesn't mean he wouldn't work out. if you do decide to bring him home, you should crate him at first until he gets used to your other dog and your routine. also, most rescues won't let dogs go until they are neutered/spayed and that's a good thing! good luck, i bet he'd LOVE to come live with you! :)