Puppy Mama

The girls love to watch all kinds of dog shows, such as "Too Cute", in which there is a new litter of puppies to follow. One day they had the volume up higher than usual, which sent poor Angel looking for puppies. She kept jumping up on the tv and sniffing all around it. Then she went around to the kitchen side (shared wall) and started looking in there. I felt so bad for her that we turned the volume off entirely. She then sat a few feet away from the tv and actually appeared to be watching the puppies. Poor thing. Maybe I humanize her too much, but I can't help but think she's missing her babies. When Nancy came with Angel, she also brought one of the puppies, which she chose to keep for herself. She assured me that it was best for Angel and the puppy to be separated. I guess I just don't know a lot about these things!

Angel: Ottoman Stealer

No one is putting his/her feet up these days, and it's all because of Angel. Shortly after moving in with us, Angel began jumping up on the ottoman whenever we would put our feet on it. One day I was moving furniture around and set the ottoman over by the window until I could move the chair. After I finished what I was doing, I turned around and she was curled up on it sleeping peacefully. She spent the next hour or so sitting on the ottoman, looking out the window. I didn't have the heart to move it back, so until I find her a better "perch", she has claimed our precious ottoman! The other day I caught my poor husband with his feet on an overturned laundry basket. I would say Angel has us wrapped around her tiny little paws! That ottoman has given her much joy and entertainment as she watches all of the wildlife from the window. We know she's a dog, but she has so many "cat" tendencies that when she's in the window, we often call her "kitty"!

Mr. Schnitzel

Angel has lots of toys of her own, but she seems to like the girls' stuffed animals a bit better! She'll sneak upstairs, then come racing back down with something of theirs, usually the same stuffed dog. She's obsessed with "Mr.Schnitzel", a webkinz schnauzer. She loves to chew its feet and ears and carries it around everywhere. Obviously, she now owns Mr. Schnitzel! The other day she started pulling stuffing out of it, so Natalie took it away from her, concerned that she would swallow it. The sad look in Angel's eyes sent Nat running for the sewing kit! She quickly set to work, sewing up Angel's best buddy, and Angel took a front row seat. She watched her intently and waited patiently for the last stitch to be done. Finally, Mr. Schnitzel was ready to play, and Angel carried him back to the living room and began chewing on him all over again.

Angel Walks on Water

On the Saturday after we got Angel, I was still letting her run off leash since she was so attached to me, she didn't want to get too far from me anyway. We loved watching her run in huge fast circles, just totally free! (This was before she discovered the turkeys, chipmunks, squirrels, butterflies, etc...) Well, I had taken her out and was letting her run when I lost track of her momentarily. I knew she didn't go far, in fact, I knew she had gone under the deck. Steve told me where she was, so I began running around the pool to go to the side of the deck where Angel was. Well, I was running so fast around the pool that I wasn't watching where I was going. The next thing I knew, I went head over heels over some plants, taking a dive behind the pool. As always, I cracked up at my own idiocy, and was giggling hysterically. Well, by then Angel had come looking for me, and went up on the deck. She could hear me laughing but she couldn't see me, so she stayed up on the deck trying to figure out where I went. Meanwhile, Steve went back to his business of raking or whatever he was doing. I finally stopped laughing and popped my head up over the pool. Angel spotted me instantly and before I could stop her, she shot toward me over the pool cover! I panicked, and immediately went from laughing to crying, as I pictured the worst...her weighing the cover down and sinking. I prepared to throw myself over the side, but she made it to me safely and I grabbed her in a flash, hugging her to me and crying like an idiot! Steve just laughed at me, knowing she couldn't possibly weigh the cover down, and he was ready to jump in just in case. Now that the pool is open, she is kept away from the pool deck! Judging by her reaction to her first bath, I don't think she wants to tangle with the water too much! Oh, the adventures we've had already with Miss Angel, our curious, daring, superdog who can walk on water!

Having a Ball

Sunny days are for playing! Angel loves any type of ball--even if it's twice her size! We call her "circus dog" when she's in this mode. She "performs" all kinds of tricks, providing us with great entertainment! It's so hilarious to watch her "attack" the ball, slide over the top, then turn and push the ball with her belly. I can just hear the Big Top music, can't you? I wish we could just give her the freedom to run without the training lead, but I'm a bit nervous to do that. The "honeymoon" period is over and she isn't listening to me as well as she did that first week! She's more interested in chasing anything that moves than listening to my commands. So, for now, we just let her run with the 30 foot lead, or we run alongside her. She's still getting great exercise, but I know she'd like to be free to run like crazy. We'll get there. It's a work in progress. Our goal right now is to keep her safe and teach her the boundaries. However, we live in the woods where there are no boundaries! Here she is "havin' a ball!"

Dreaming

There is no better way to spend a rainy day than cuddling up and dreaming about chipmunks!

Our First Days With Miss A

Angel is so photogenic! I just love following her around and taking her picture. She's getting used to my "paparazzi" ways, and i'm pretty sure she poses for me now! This picture was taken one day when the girls (Natalie, 14 and Serena 12) were out playing guitar and singing in the backyard. Angel curled up in the grass and went to sleep! It was so sweet. She really is the cutest dog ever, right?? Of course she is. You know it! She gets constant attention here. Serena told me just a bit ago that she thinks Angel gets more attention than she does! So, I had to go over and ruffle her pretty brown curls and baby talk "ooh, you're just soooo cute, oh yes you are, sweet girl" Yeah, she's over it now! When Angel came, it had been almost a year since we lost our beloved pooch, Sophie, a 15 year old sweet Bearded Collie mix. (a rescue, of course!) Our hearts were broken, and we weren't sure we could handle going through it all over again. It was my husband Steve who said what would ultimately change my mind. He was the one who had to take her to the vet and say goodbye, and I knew his heart was broken just as much as mine. He was the one who had initially driven her home from the shelter and she sat on his lap the entire ride home. They were fast and best friends from day one. To have to let her go was the hardest thing he had ever had to do. But he looked at me that day and said, "I would live this week all over again just to have that kind of love all over again." And so came Angel. When she first came in the door, I was smitten with her cuteness, especially her beautiful soulful eyes. However, when her first interaction with us was a growl (and a pretty scary one at that!), I wasn't sure what to think. Would we win her over? Were we the best family for her? Would she stop growling and running away from us? It was so hard, but mostly we felt for her. Knowing her "mom" had just left her, with one of her puppies, no less! I was nearly in tears myself, and Angel wouldn't let me near her to console her. Finally I laid on the floor of the living room and slowly but surely, she approached me cautiously, but curiously. I spoke softly to her, "it's okay, baby." Finally she curled up beside me and went to sleep! I thought, "wow, I've really got the touch!" Until I got up to leave the room and when I came back, she growled and barked ferociously at me all over again. And so we started over. I picked her up and laid on the couch with her and she went to sleep with me stroking her head. She then would let the girls hold her and pet her. I thought the battle was won! And then there was Steve. Steve, her new daddy, whom she did not like at all! He's such a marshmallow, my husband, the favorite of babies and puppies alike! It was a bit of a letdown to be dissed by her, considering he picked Angel out! He was patient, though, claiming it didn't bother him and that he would wait for her to get used to him in her own time. I, however, knew it had to be bugging him. After all, he was looking to bond with a new dog too. That first night she seemed to bond with him. He stayed up until 1:30 in the morning, holding her and rubbing her belly. All of the sudden, she jumped from the couch, ran to the door and started whining. She remembered Nancy leaving her. It was so sad. She wouldn't let Steve near her, and so he came to bed, letting Angel go wherever she felt comfortable. We're still not sure where she slept that night. Probably in one of the chairs, since that's where she sat barking ferociously the next morning! That next day was a Friday and Angel helped me take the kids to school. She loved the ride in the car and sat on my lap nearly the whole time. Score! When we got back, I pretty much devoted a whole day to bonding with her. She would crawl up on my lap and sit for hours. We went through lots of treats! Lots of kisses and belly rubs, as I quickly learned that once she accepts you, she gives you her belly!! Yay, belly! As the girls and I bonded more and more with Angel, it became clear that she really was becoming really happy and settled here. So I knew I needed to help her with her relationship with the Alpha Male! Each day when Steve walked in the door, she wanted to rip his head off. Instead, I picked her up, placed her in his arms and he spent time talking softly to her and giving her treats. In fact, I used to tape the treat bag to the door so he could have it in his hand when he walked in! Whatever works, right? Long story short (ahem, oops), they are now on almost best buds terms! She no longer barks or growls at him, and she approaches him now instead of him always going to her! She sleeps between us each night and he takes her out first thing in the morning. It's all good, really. Just a long process. I've learned to just love her and help her to adjust. We have some stranger issues and I'll be talking about that next time. I've gone on way long enough!! a Sweet Dreams!

Starring Miss Angel

Welcome to the family, Angel! She's been with us since April 26th and I have many stories to share about her time with us. She has been a wonderful addition to our family, and I hope to share all about her here for anyone interested in adopting rescue pets. There are challenges for sure, but the love outweighs them all! check out www.petfinder.com if you're looking for that special pet to change your life!