Also want to report that our little girl is super! You have no idea how much we love her! She is very happy - and is a very good girl. We're lucky to have her.
Update 10/08/05
Jo,
I have been meaning to write for quite a while now.
Our Rita is doing VERY Well (mostly). She's a sweet, sweet girl and
is very happy. Of course, that makes US happy. She has graduated from
obedience 1 - and, for the most part, is quite good with her commands.
While she's not a totally subservient kind of dog, she does want to
please, so generally follows through on all her commands willingly and
relatively quickly.
She makes a very occasional mistake in the house - but I think
that's our fault, not hers. She has never been yelled at yet - and we
all like it that way.
She loves to tease the cats - is, in fact, pretty merciless with
them - but they are holding their own. When it gets too much for any of
us (cats, dog or people) I put her on a down stay, a command which she
is VERY good at.
Each work day begins with a 45 minute to 1 hour romp at the dog
park with her buddies Maggie, a beautiful golden retriever, and Molly, a
totally ball-absorbed lab. That's at 6:00a.m. I generally leave for work
around 8:30 and get home around 4:30 or 5:00. That's long for both of
us, but she doesn't seem to mind. We take a nice walk when I get home
and settle down for our usual chores. Outside once or twice more before
we go to bed.
She has grown a WHOLE LOT!!!! She probably weighs seventy or so
pounds now, has a lovely coat, and has a very good appetite. She plays
well with every dog she has ever met - unless that dog doesn't want to
play with her. Then she just says OK and leaves it at that.
One of the best things is that she doesn't really mind kids. We
have introduced her to the kids in the neighborhood and, while a touch
suspicious, she doesn't run from them, and even likes to play ball with
a few. I have been thinking of hiring our 12 year old neighbor girl to
take her on a walk three times a week so she gets used to walking with
someone else.
She LOVES me. Harry is her friend, dad, master, etc, but she
definitely has some fear or mistrust of men. Also, she refuses to go
into the basement. We call her down sometimes, but she just won't go.
Makes us curious about what her life was like before.
All in all, she is a stellar dog and we are VERY happy she is in
our lives.
Jessie
