The following is a letter recently received from Rommel's new family: 

Hi Sue!!  Just wanted to let you know Rommel is doing well. Just started chewing on his rawhides a couple of days ago and now goes to eat and drink on his own. (He would only eat when we were in the room. Now we don't always have to be there. He goes off on his own and gets what he needs.) Pretty excited about that!! We noticed that he really loves to run. Last night he was running from one end of the house to the other. Annika was laughing hysterically and the more she laughed, the more he ran. I was laughing watching the two of them. He pushes the boundaries with Annika more than with Mark or I but, ironically, when it comes to "Milk Bones" he will always take one from her and eat it. (Very gently too. It's as if he understands that she is little and he needs to more careful with her than with us.) He won't take any from Mark yet and with me it's a "take it or leave it" mentality. He's is wonderful with Annika. Never growls, snaps, etc... extremely gentle and patient. There seems to be a special relationship growing between the two of them and I couldn't be happier about it. He's the first thing she asks about when she gets up in the morning. I think they will be life-long friends. Crating is getting better. Mark has been putting him in for short periods of time during the day to ease him in to it. He is actually going in to the crate on his own for brief periods while we are out of the room. I think in a couple of months he will consider it his space and come to like "his space".  Took Rommel in to see Dr. Link last Friday. They took his stiches out and gave him a clean bill of health. Mark was amazed at how well Rommel sat on the table while his stiches were being taken out. (The last dog Mark had was a Chow chow and trips to the vet were not pleasant experiences.) I was too. He truly is a remarkable dog.  Really want to thank you again for all your help. We really appreciate it and are so happy to have found such a wonderful dog!!! We are really enjoying him!!!!!!!! Keep up the good work and stop by and visit any time.

Sheila (Mark, Annika and Rommel too)

A new update from Rommel's new family:

Hi Sue!!!  Rommel is doing great!!! He's now eating about six cups of food a day and has made friends with our neighbors and the neighbor dogs. (One of the first things he does in the morning is heads towards the fence looking for his canine friends.) He especially likes our neighbor Dick because every time Dick is outside with his dogs he comes over and pets Rommel and gives him a treat or two. (Dick has a soft spot for dogs and Rommel knows it.) Rommel really likes to be around other dogs...I think more for play than anything else...so it's been good that our neighbor has 3 of them. Rommel is really starting to open up emotionally and physically. He now gets excited when whoever was gone, comes home...jumping, licking, circling around our feet, etc... It's such a good feeling to see him happy. He's also become more assured and doesn't get as nervous as he use to. He still scares pretty easily (Bicycles scare him. The words "Bad Dog" do too.) but I think time is our greatest asset here. Loves to play, more with us than with his toys, and run and run and run. Today, he started to learn how to chase and retrieve a ball. Doesn't have it down yet but is getting closer each time.  (He's a pretty smart dog, so I don't think it will be long before he's got it.) Every day is a new adventure.  I just cannot believe his temperament and how gentle and loving he is. He has exceeded our expectations when it came to our daughter. We weren't sure how it was going to go at first. Annika is extremely active and at times pushes the limits with him but he never reacts in a negative way. The two of them can play together for a quite a while with no problems. I thought the relationship between the two of them would be the hardest to cement and it was the exact opposite of what I expected. Like I said, he is an incredible dog!!  Things have been getting better every day. He really is a good dog and we are so happy he is a part of our family. Thank you again for everything.

Sheila