Too Cute

Natalie took this pic of Angel, doing her cute "begging" thing in the kitchen. Yes, we think her begging is cute. Her pooping is cute, her naughtiness is cute, yeah, we get it...she's spoiled! I guess I'm trying to make up for all the troubles she had in her past. Like I've said before, she doesn't seem to even think of them! We've been letting her get adjusted and comfortable, but some stricter training needs to happen pretty soon. I've let her off leash a few times and practiced calling her. Sometimes she comes, sometimes she doesn't! Those sneaky chipmunks chirp at her and get her all aflutter. She does some "naughty" things, but none of them are really all that naughty. She likes to take things out of the recycling bin and carry them into the living room for us to see when we get home. For some reason, she likes the sweettarts and cheez-it boxes! Me too, by the way. She used to chew on our shoes after we left, but never did any damage, just left them a bit soggy! She doesn't get into the trash or mess on the floor, so hey, who's complaining? My friends came back to swim again on Monday and Angel was a tiny bit better with them. She still isn't warming up to the 12 year old boy, though I think a few more visits would help with that. Either way, she's enjoying her life and we're enjoying her, so we'll work the kinks out as we go!

Top Dog

The girls and I found a brand new dog bed for Angel at a garage sale several weeks ago. Apparently the lady had purchased the bed for her daughter's ailing dog, and sadly the dog passed away the next day. I assured her that the bed was going to a very happy and deserving dog. On the same day, Steve and I bought her a chipmunk that squeaks, since Angel loves all the chipmunks around here and can never catch one. (thank goodness!) Angel climbed right in her new bed the moment we set it down. She curled right up in it as if to say, "thank you". Then she went and got her chipmunk and carried it into her new bed. She's like little orphan annie, enamored by every new thing that comes her way and appreciating every little thing we give her. I love knowing that she doesn't have to share her food, her toys, her bed, or her people with any other dogs anymore. This is not to say she'll never have a dog companion, but right now she's getting to know what it's like to be top dog! She has a Daddy Warbucks and a Grace of her own now. ")

Angel and Me

We've had Angel for almost three months, and the similarities between her and I are uncanny. First, we both have unruly hair and fluffy bottoms! We are both U of M fans, since we both look smashing in blue. We love our crunchy, salty snacks such as popcorn, doritos, and any kind of chip. We both love to watch mindless TV shows, but are known to sit up straight when Joyce Meyer is on. We both love Daddy, that's a given! She loves to sit outside and just be in nature, and of course, so do I! We both love bird-watching and we both hate snakes! Ice cream is our favorite dessert, napping is a favorite hobby, and playing is something we love to do together. Neither of us is real fond of strangers, though I'm much friendlier than she is with them. She loves belly rubs....that's where we differ. I prefer a back rub, but that's close enough. We both love to wake up the girls in the morning, though she's able to jump on the bed and I am not....at least I haven't tried yet. When Angel and I had a shaky first meeting, I was worried we'd never be friends. Today, almost three months later, we are inseparable friends. I just can't stop loving on her, and she never stops following me....unless someone is sharing ice cream with her. Traitor! :) I guess it's easy to love her when she's so sweet and loving, expecting nothing in return. If you never know the unconditional love of a pet, I really feel sorry for you. There is nothing like the greeting of a happy dog at the door at the end of the day. There is nothing like the first morning snuggle, or the snoring dog on your lap at night. When people are rough on you, your dog still loves you and makes you feel like the most important person on earth. Angel was a "shelter" dog. A fostered dog. An adopted dog, yet her tail wags as if she's the happiest dog on the planet. She's been able to let her past go, unlike us humans. She lives for today and hopes for tomorrow. I have learned a lot from that darling little fuzz bomb. I hope that others thinking about adopting a pet will take it one step further and actually make room in their lives for one. My life is much better for the room I've made for her, and I know her life will never be the same. I am so grateful to her last home for the efforts that were made to make sure she gave birth in a safe place, her puppies were cared for, and she was loved and kissed. Right on her "lips"!

Road Trip Pictures...finally!

Finally, the pics from our 4th of July Road trip! Angel saw her first parade, ate ice cream in the car (thanks to Serena), and enjoyed some time at the family cottage. She was so fun to have with us and rides like a champ in the car. Of course, she's on my lap all the time, and likes to stick her head out the window now and then. She gets a lot of smiles from the cars around us and makes us smile too!

Sunshine, Rainbows and Angel

Still no pics, sorry! Today I had a friend and her two kids over to swim. They were warned about Angel's personality and so they were prepared when they came. Well, no preparation would have been good enough! Angel was absolutely stinky with all of them, although they were perfectly patient and understanding with her. She just refused to be polite altogether, growling and barking the ENTIRE time they were here. I felt so bad for them, as they were just being so sweet to her. I tried everything and nothing worked. At one point I had to run into the house and when I did, I slipped in a very big puddle of Angel pee....something she rarely, if ever, does in the house. She was clearly terrified, and it was so sad. These are some of the nicest people I know and she was scared to death. It just wasn't a great day for either of us, although I loved having my guests here. I either had to hold her to get her to stop barking or put her in the house, where she barked and jumped on the door the whole time. I love her dearly, but I have to say, this was our worst day. I felt bad for her, that she can't relax around people. I felt bad for my guests, who had to put up with that barking for almost 4 hours. And I felt sorry for myself too, that I really couldn't be a good hostess with all that craziness going on. Angel is one of the best things in my life, and it just breaks my heart (and my sanity) to not know how to help her and not be able to afford a great trainer to come to the house. I'm guessing we would need to do that if she doesn't get any better. So, now we're figuring out why she was in so many shelters. I'm sure it wore their patience thin and maybe affected their neighbors and families. Well, she's finally in her forever home and she's not going anywhere! Come hell or high water, we will figure this out together. She deserves a chance, and that's exactly why we adopted her in the first place. It's not easy to adopt a pet, but I can see even more where it is so important to do just that. They deserve a chance and all the love in the world. They need someone to come along and say, "hey, you're not perfect and neither am I. Let's figure this out together". I hope more people find it in their hearts to adopt the pets who have issues and do what they can to help them out. At the end of the day when we snuggle up together, it makes it all worthwhile.

Just Checkin' In

I've been trying to post pictures of our road trip to the cottage, but it hasn't been working. So, I'll try to get the pictures of Angel's first parade and first trip to the cottage up soon! We've been keeping her calm lately due to the heat, but I can tell she is anxious to start running around again soon. She's been getting around more, meeting new people, and seems to be doing just a little better with strangers. Most people are so understanding and are so sweet to her, making it easier for her to relax. She was a lot of fun to take up north with us, and as soon as I can get this to work, I will post a bit more! :)

Gramps Gets the Belly

Angel required her first dogsitter on Saturday when we had to be out of town for the day. I worried the whole week about it, even though it was my dad! He has been trying to warm up to her for awhile now, and she's been getting better, so we asked him to come out and take care of her while we were gone. He called while we were on the road to tell us she was at the end of the leash! I told him, "you are amazing!" Steve couldn't get her on a leash without my help for a long time! Dad must be his own kind of "dog whisperer"! Anyway, Angel was hesitant at first and barked at him for a good 3 or 4 minutes before finally giving up. She finally started taking the treats gramps was offering, which is something she has a hard time resisting! (don't we all?) Before he knew it, Angel was letting him pet her head and then much to his surprise, she rolled over and offered him her belly! (hear the triumphant trumpets?) I was so happy for both of them and so relieved for myself. She doesn't warm up to people very well or very fast, and it's always stressful when people drop in unannounced. (which has been happening a lot lately!) The cutest thing was the note my dad left us on the counter. It read-- "Had a good day. We have a new relationship. I love her dearly. She tolerates me." So cute! He even called us the next day to tell us all about his experience with Angel. Angel is so lucky to have such loving grandparents!