A Love Like Mine

I finally did it. I finally broke down and watched the old videos of Angel and her 4 surviving puppies. I also found and looked at the pictures of her and her pups the day they were born. It was bittersweet! I really didn't want to see her that way-a young pup herself with 6 little ones. It just brought back to mind the difficult existence she has had so far.

Somehow I had to make myself see this part of her, and with my daughter beside me, we watched. And smiled...

What a beautiful, protective, full of mischief puppy mom she was! It just makes me love her more.  Those puppies were so adorable, with those chubby little butts! They look just like their mama.

I have such a special connection with Angel. I don't know if it's her background or mine...but we mesh together perfectly. She's still my little shadow. My stalker even! She's ever at my feet, my side, my back. Protective, needy, clingy...both a puppy and a mama. And I let her care for me and be cared for...whatever she needs that day...whatever I need that day...

My Angel. My love!

Angel Walk

Angel loves our daily exploring. Today she discovered one of the girls' old "hideouts".

She loves to investigate! There was a small hole here, and she sniffed like crazy.

Just some health updates for Angel

Miss Angel had her annual checkup at the vet last Saturday. She's as healthy as can be! I'm sure that's good news to all the puppy moms. Her heart and lungs are good, no signs of any fleas, infections, injuries, sickness, etc.. Her joints are fine, and she has just a little tartar on a couple of teeth. She does not care for the vet or his staff, but they do a great job trying to make her comfortable. She shakes pitifully the whole time. Maybe the smell of the office reminds her of shelters? Although it doesn't smell bad, maybe it brings back thoughts of being left behind? It is sad, and we always do our best to comfort her and reassure her we're not going anywhere. Ever!

The only thing we were told is that she is at her maximum weight! Could be from all the treats we give her when new people come over. We just have to cut back her food intake just a bit and make sure she gets a chance to run. She runs faster than any dog I've ever seen. She'll be fit as a fiddle in no time at all.

Her tail became matted to the point that we had to trim it back just to get at the tangles. It looks a bit stubby now, but is already starting to fill back in. We don't claim to be dog groomers...just trying to keep up. She really needs to be brushed daily. It's sometimes hard to do, but it is important and we are doing better with her. She doesn't like to be brushed on her head. She runs and hides when the brush comes out. I've tried to make it a gentle experience with lots of treats and petting. She'll get there, I'm sure.

The vet recommended a groomer near his office that he thought would do well with her anti-people personality. We may call and give her a try. Angel is an absolutely gorgeous dog and deserves to have a beautiful coat too.

She'll be three years old on October 29th. She still acts like a puppy! I hope she never loses her happy puppy personality.  Although new people are her least favorite experience, I really hope we can pull off this puppy reunion with some success. I am really looking forward to it!

Calling all Angel Babies...well, two of them anyway

So far, I am in personal contact with two of Angel's puppy Mama's- Gina, mama of Marley, and Judy, mama of Samba!!  This has been so amazing to not only follow the lives of these pups, but to meet their amazing moms and families. It has been a rewarding experience in a way that I never could have imagined. Who would have thought....humans united through puppies?? It's usually the other way around!

So, my plea is this: If you are the owners of the remaining two puppies, please contact me or Gina over at her blog, "A Family Blessing". We are trying to put together a mom/babies reunion in a public park soon. I would love to wait for all of us to be able to meet, so if you are following because you have one of these amazing dogs, please comment, leave your email address (I will not publish personal info), and we will include you on all the details!!

Thanks! I really hope to hear from you soon.

Laps of Love

Angel is clearly in love with her daddy! He doesn't even have to coax her to sit with him anymore. Steve had just relaxed on the couch when she decided to join him. She curled up in his legs and stayed there for a long time.

It is so cool to see how far she has come. From barking and growling at Steve for her first 6 weeks here to now following him around and jumping on his lap, sleeping next to him in bed, and going crazy when she hears his car.

Everyone deserves this kind of unconditional, loyal, puppy love. Whoever gave her up is sure missing out on a lifetime of love. But, whoever you are, thank you....

Angel, sweet Angel

Angel is so obsessed with finding chipmunks that she has dug us a hole to China in the backyard. Not only that, but she dug another hole under my garden phlox by the house! I kept wondering why her feet were so muddy when she came in...then I caught her under the flowers, digging away. Her breed instinct is a "rat" chaser. Maybe she thinks the chipmunks are rats?

If she hears or sees one, she begins to whine. It's terrible that we won't let her just run and chase them, I guess. They make her completely crazy, and she won't listen to us when she's on the hunt. So, she has to "chase" them on her tie out leash. Oh well....

Angel is still a complete joy to have around. As the weather turns cooler at night, she is making her way back into our bed and snuggling right up between us. In the morning, she crawls up beside my face and curls up next to me, making her little happy grunts that say, "good morning".

I can't say enough that this dog has brought us joy each and every day! The girls absolutely love her playfulness and mischievousness! If they don't close their bedroom doors all the way, Angel is certain to visit their rooms and find a treasure to bring downstairs for herself! It's pretty cute, except for the day we found a shredded bath pouf on the living room floor. It was actually pretty funny.  I don't know why I'm such a softie with Angel. Everything she does is cute! I can't get after her for anything!

I think someone previously disciplined her severely, because if I even say something a little sharply, she will cower. It's so sad. I then have to baby her to convince her she's not in trouble at all. I don't know..maybe she's playing me. She is pretty smart. And when it comes to her, I'm just mush!

Either way, I love her to pieces, and hope one day she will stop sounding so vicious when company comes over. It's so contrary to her actual loving personality!

Garden Girl

Angel likes to accompany me to the vegetable garden to pick whatever is ready. It's fenced in, so she's allowed to run and explore all she wants. The garden is full of grasshoppers and toads, so she has plenty of entertainment! She seems to ignore the many bees, thankfully!

Yesterday as I was picking the green beans, I found some that had been forgotten and were way too big to eat. I snapped them in a few pieces and tossed them, knowing Angel would enjoy the chase. She loved the challenge of following the sound of a bean landing somewhere and trying to hunt it down!

She is a joy to watch as she discovers anything new. She has learned the word, "chipmunk" too. All I have to do is say, "where are the chipmunks?" and she runs to the door where she sees them all the time. She'll whine at them and beg to go out and hunt them down. She's quite the hunter, but when she encounters something she doesn't recognize, she's tentative and careful, tilting her head until I tell her, "it's just a leaf, Ang!" or a toadstool, or anything she's never seen before. 

I so enjoy this little dog. More than I ever thought I would. I'm sure I enjoyed Sophie(our beardie) in this same way when she was young, but I worked full time and didn't spend my days with her. Then we had little ones come along. So, in a way, Angel is the new "baby", and I spend my days with her, pretty much involving her in all I do in a day!

Pretty soon the garden will be tilled under and Angel will get her big space to run again. She'll run top speed around that garden, flipping up dirt on the turns. Her hair will fly back off her face and she'll be smiling....can't wait to till the garden under! :) that and I'm sick of picking beans....