February 2016
I have adopted this little brown puppy (photo at left of her at 6 months of age) when she was at the age of 2.5 months on Valentine's Day 2016 from the Grainger County Humane Society, a small and poorly funded animal shelter.

Apparently a black and white Border Collie & Bird Dog mix (photo at right) was rescued while pregnant and this little puppy was the "runt" of the litter, having some difficulty after birth.

The black and white mother gave birth to all brown dogs so the father had to be a Rhodesian Ridgeback Boxer mix providing the dominant genes.

But at her very young age, she is playful and energetic. She also plays rather aggressively with Gypsy, and has no fear of "fighting" over a raw hide twist with the Belladonna.

Gypsy quickly took to her and started teaching her not only how to play, but how to fight for a bone or food, how to roughhouse with a toy and dig out the stuffing, how to work a chew stick with her back teeth, how to wrestle, how to fight her way out of a corner, and how to chase after a dog that steals her rawhide or food.

It is amazing to watch, and I realized she is teaching this little puppy survival skills, and doing so in an aggressive but loving way. Amazing!

Being a rescue dog, I have a special affinity for this little puppy. She is loving and eager. The connection that she has made with the Lady of the House (Gypsy) has been immediate and incredibly sweet, and the Belladonna is known for historically mothering, not only puppies, but also kittens and even chickens!

Videos of Scalia and her new mommy, Gypsy:
First Video | Second Video | Third Video | Fourth Video | Fifth Video

Photo Gallery of Scalia Antonia (these photos will enlarge when clicked) Valentine's Day 2016 Settling In Sleeping So Sweetly With Her New Mommy   This is precious aww! Nap Time Awwwww Me, The Lady of the House and Our Puppy Rest After Play Scalia Loves Her Oversized Pen Another Morning Nap Packnapping More Packnapping Under the Afghan Such a pretty little girl

Gypsy also has repeatedly gone to check on Scalia when I have put the puppy in the large pen for some nap/quiet time.

Gypsy will often lay on the floor in front of the pen looking at Scalia and will wait there until I let the puppy out.

The mothering instinct that was always so strong in the Belladonna is fully present in her behaviors now that Scalia has joined the household.

As Scalia grows over the next few months, she will be a wonderful addition, and I know she will provide Gypsy with plenty of activity!

June 2026
Scalia has been an incredible dog, and upon Gypsy's passing in 2020, she took her place beside my leg on the sofa every day as Gypsy had always done.

While I truly missed Gypsy, Scalia had learned how to be the 'lady of the house' from Gypsy and has performed that 'duty' admirably ever since.

Scalia had managed the other animals who have been in the house since Gypsy's passing and 'maintained order' among them. Scalia also carefully looks after Darla, who had so much difficulty for two years after her surgery to remove the defective sutures used during her 'spay' years earlier.

Now, in 2026, Scalia monitors and 'regulates' the, seemingly, non-stop play between Buddy and Ginger, allowing most of it to occur unabated, but when the roughhousing gets a bit much, Scalia will assert her 'authority' over them.

I have noticed that Scalia is having some stiffness in her hips, and that is a concern since she is only 10.5 years old at this point.

So in keeping with the same treatment I gave to Gypsy when she had many years of hip joint issues, I have purchased CBD oil for a small daily dosage, and that has seemed to have a positive effect for Scalia, making her a little more lively in her step, more like she used to be.

The portent of her possible hip issues does weigh on my mind, quite a bit.

After all, at only 10.5 years of age, it seems a little early for her to be having 'old age' issues, though I can see that the average life span for a Rhodesian Ridgeback is 10 to 12 years, with some living up to 14 years of age.

While Gypsy's siblings lived to be around 7-10 years before passing, Gypsy lived to be 14, due to removal of cancers and an extremely healthy diet I fed her the last seven years of her life.

Of course, Scalia has been on that very healthy died all of her life and has had no problems over these last 10 years, other than an occasional recurring ear infection that was finally resolved in 2024.

Yet, now at 10.5 years of age, with some obvious slowing down, some stiffness, and a more mellow nature, I am beginning to be a bit concerned.

She is still very excitable when treats or activities are arousing all of the dogs, and she still jumps down to run to check the door when a noise arouses the dogs' protective instincts, yet her calm time is more extensive and her slowness and stiffness seems to indicate a coming lethargy that I worry could be indicative of the approach of her day.

I pray she is not too quickly nearing that day, and with the CBD each morning, I am hopeful that her discomfort is relieved to allow her a few more years of happy and healthy life in my home.