7/29/06
Dear Joni-
I hope you enjoy the pictures! Ally just loves "her puppy". She just had a blast taking on the responsibility of walking Louie in Franklin's Fourth of July Parade. I was very proud of Louie. He was so well-behaved. He even shared his water with some of the other dogs in the parade! He is definitely a success story. I wouldn't have said that two months ago. The help and support both you and Jo offered helped us weather the tough times with our new puppy. I can't tell you how much your assistance helped us to feel better about the whole situation. Louie has even stopped jumping in our pool, that was a huge concern of ours. We didn't want him to get hurt. He is nearing the end of his puppy classes through Unleashed. I would recommend Jen ( from Unleashed) to anyone. The classes are fun, inexpensive and the whole family can join in. Thank you for a wonderful dog. Love, Mike, Chrissy, Ally, and Matthew
3/6/06
Dear Joni Mom,
Thank you for all the love you gave to me and for the nice home with all the toys and blankets. I miss you very much. I also miss MJ, Brody and my big sister, Penny. Shasta is kind of like Penny in that she tells me what to do. The rules are a little different in this house than in yours. I am not allowed to play with all of the toys in this house. I am learning that I cannot carry Baby Alexica (a doll) around by the head, I cannot play with Spiderman toys, and Shasta shares all of her toys, except Tiger. It is sometimes confusing around here. Last night, I had a bad dream and woke up my new mom and dad with my yelping. I think I forgot where I was. After that, I crawled in next to Ally in her bed and went to sleep. I found out that I am not allowed to sleep on the kids, just near them. Another thing that is confusing to me is that they call me and my kid, Louie. Her real name is Ally-don’t they know that???? My other kid, Matthew, likes to wrestle with everyone, except me!!! He says I get too rough. So… now, my mom puts me in another room when Matthew gets too rowdy. And…….everybody tells me I am a big dog…….even more like a moose, but Shasta keeps telling me I’m the little dog. That just does not make a lot of sense to me! In addition, you would never guess what they have living in their yard. They have these grey animals with long tails that climb trees! They call them squirrels and they are sooooo scary. Shasta says they are great fun to chase. I do not believe her one bit! I have had two accidents so far. I cannot explain why, because these people are asking me to go outside all the time. Oh, well, I am trying my best. Miss you lots. Take care of the rest of the group and please tease MJ for me. You were the best foster mom a guy could have. I will write again soon and tell you about other silly rules my new parents have. Oh, ya forgot to tell you, my new mom hates it when I stick my head in the dishwasher. I just try to tell her about all of the good smells in there, but she does not listen. I get lots of “No’s” around here, and lots of “Good Boy’s “as well. I like the kids a lot-especially Lou.
Love Always,
Louie