Bruno is a very happy and healthy dog. He gets lots of attention from the family and gets along very well with our daughter’s minpin. He gets a lot of exercise from playing ball and walking on the local bike path. He absolutely loved rolling and playing in the snow this winter. He didn’t bark much when he came to us and he didn’t try to get on the furniture. He now barks loudly and has made his move for the couch. We are very fortunate to have him and NEARR did a great job bringing him to us in good shape. Thanks NEARR.

Missy is doing fine. She seems to like the morning and evening walks. Since she is an older dog, Missy is kinda slow, although last week, she actually ran to greet me at the door.

Missy has a follow-up appt with the vet for her second lyme vaccination next month.

Frannie is all set up setup with a daycare center near us, but luckily we only needed to send her a couple of days. My mother lives in the area and came to watch her on some of the other days we couldn’t get her over the center. And now that I changed jobs,going into freelance, I’ll be home more often to spend more time with her!

Recently Frannie got to meet her cousin Rascal, which we were excited about! Rascal is a westy/yorkie mix of about the same age and they got along great, immediate best friends!

Our training sessions have been fantastic and it all seemed to stick with her. We’ll be having the trainer come back here in the next month or so to help us work with her while off leash! We mostly walk in our neighborhood but once or twice a week we’ll take her to an enclosed park so she can run and play fetch with us!

She really is a sweetheart and we are very happy NEARR got us all together!

All the best from Frannie and the rest of us!

P.S. Here is a picture of Frannie on our new antique chair. It’s just barely too small for her but she loves it so much!

Roscoe is doing so well! He gained another 3 and a half pounds in the past 2 weeks. His ankles are just about healed, and we started him on doxycycline for the Lyme disease this week. He’s also on glucosimine-condroitin for joint pain and is much more spry than he was. He did have a couple seizures last week that were pretty scary, but the vet said to keep track of them and we’ll do what we need to do.

He loves tennis balls!! Chases them like a puppy! He also loves riding in the car, with his head out the window! He and his brother, Toby, have started wrestling a little! They like to sleep together on the living room floor butt to butt. Dogs are crazy!!!!!

Well, Missy is adjusting. She had her vet’s appointment this week and was deemed healthy but slightly overweight. The vet suggested eliminating canned food from her diet which we did.

She prefers to sleep downstairs in the living room. She gets several walks a day, morning’s around 6:30, midday if I’m working in RI, a long walk after dinner and one short walk before turning in.

Missy seems to ignore the neighborhood cats and squirrels when she is in the yard with my brother.

Sometimes she exhibits high levels of energy–she actually sprinted to me yesterday. Sometimes she plods along like an older dog.

Anyway, we are all glad we got her. Her temperment and pace fit nicely in our household.

Hello All! Padfoot here (also affectionately known as Paddy).

I have just completed my 8th month in my forever home out here in the country. Still got the “peeps” wrapped around my paw (so to speak). The big joke here is that NO ONE has ever seen such a “spoiled” dog…..Now I personally hesitate to use the word “spoiled”… I prefer to think of it as LOVE;-) ! Just because they vie for my hugs and kisses does not qualify me as spoiled….

Lets see…Summer was good. I did a lot of swimming and ball chasing (in the water), gosh it was nice to cool off in that heat! My Mom was home for the summer so I got a lot of extra attention. It was hard to send her back to school in September but I have Dad who’s retired and he hangs out with me outside on most days and when it’s chilly he sometimes lets me snuggle on the couch (sigh). My sister has been home a lot this fall and one weekend she came home with her roommate. They BOTH think I am one fine pup and I actually slept with them one night. Wish you could see that picture! Me in the middle of the pink people bed with one co-ed on each side of me….LIFE IS GOOD! (I could be the poster-dog for that company!)

My summer coat is starting to thicken up and I have a wavy mantle down the middle of my back. Gotta get ready for all that snow rolling this winter! I continue to LOVE my basketballs. Presently, they are all over the yard and I find them as I romp around looking for slow squirrels or any other unwary animal. We had some interesting smells in the yard last week. Apparently a bear was hanging out in the yard for a couple of nights. It left a pile of “smell” that I COULD NOT figure out. I am not allowed to go out alone at night without a leash.

I still have issues with other dogs, but I don’t go as crazy as I used to and as soon as they find a trainer who can address this me and Mom will enroll in a class to help me with my “issues”. Car rides are still amongst some of my favorite things although the ice cream stand has closed…that sort of limits my snacks but a baby sized soft-serve fits the bill on occasion. All in all, ife here is the best. I am loved and well cared for and my peeps are trying to figure out how to get me a brother or sister. I want a baby one so it makes it a little tougher. I will see you all in January when I celebrate a year here. Have a happy and healthy holiday season! I can’t wait for the homemade biscotti!

Love as always,

Padfoot (a.k.a. Paddy, Sirius Black (you know…LIKE IN HARRY POTTER!!!)

Lily has improved steadily since she arrived here. Her biggest problem is still “surfing”. We know that this will always be an issue but there is a vast improvement on Lily’s part since she first arrived.

She is a quick learner and is usually very responsive to our commands, even to our non-standard “house commands”. Lily’s coat looks like it has just been polished and her weight is at a very nice 76 lbs.

She is an intense retriever and loves to chase whatever we throw. She even chases any bird or critter that is foolish enough to be in her yard. She keeps them moving. Lily has been going to “doggie day care” with our other Lab and they both seem to enjoy the outing although Lily makes sure we know that she is very glad that we have come back to get her.

This morning Lily got up on our bed. This is the 1st time in 6 months that she has done that. Our other lab has always been allowed to do so but Lily never tried to get up there. It was almost like she was saying “OK, this is my house now so I can do that!”.

Great Dog!!

At the four week mark, Lekoda is very happy. She goes out a lot in our cars, gets 2 one-hour walks in conservation land every day, and sleeps the rest of the time. A few tummy upsets as we tried different biscuits, but nothing to worry about. She loves her new friends Max and Maddie and Chico . There are two little girls nearby who beg to go along on the walks and she’s always agreeable with them. She loves to go to places with new smells — this week we walked the boardwalk in a nearby park and she was fascinated with the swamp smells.

As you can see from the attached, she is not afraid of a little bog walking!

Lekoda is doing WONDERFULLY, really settling in, very sweet, and she seems to be quite relaxed and happy. She has no “terrors” at all now, not even when it is raining. She and the cat get along fine, and she has settled in to her new “pack” (the two dogs of our best friend, with whom she walks regularly at a big farm near us) very well. The three dogs groom each other, and sleep in a pig pile after long walks! She eats and sleeps well, and really seems to enjoy our daily long walks in the woods. We have some great pictures to send, will get those to you in the next day!

She is happy and we think she’s the perfect dog for us!

Fantastic Frannie here! Brrrr…It has been cold outside but boy do I love snow. The few inches we have had over the last month have been such a blessing for me. I love to run around and feel that cold snow on my paws. I sniff every inch of the ground and sometimes forget about my ball. After all, the snow erases all of those familiar scents. I have my toes crossed
that we get some more soon!

Winston continues to be my constant companion. We have our little games that we play and now he even joins me in keeping the basement safe. We creep down together and check things out before Mom comes down with us.

Lately, I have been climbing up into the bed with Mom after Dad leaves for the gym. I am so glad that he is sticking to his New Years Resolution. More importantly, I like that he gets up and leaves me a very warm spot to snuggle into!

Mom and Dad are currently looking for a Doggie Daycare in the area. Mom says she wants me to go there twice a week to hang out with other canines. She thinks it will help keep my stellar social skills in good working order. Every time we go for a walk, I show her just how friendly I am with other dogs and how much fun I would have at Day Care. We are hoping NEARR might have some suggestions of places near us.

I hope you like the picture that Mom snapped of me. I always look a little guilty when Mom and Dad catch me snuggling with them in the bed. But it is
so worth it!

Until Next Month,
Fantastic Frannie

Lakoda is settling in very nicely. She has two one-hour walks a day, and relaxes with one of us the rest of the time (we both are self-employed and often work at home). Eating well. She was a little anxious at night for a few days but now sleeps soundly. She doesn’t like heavy rain, as you said, but we stay close and she seems all right. Gets along great with our cat (who was at first wary, and is now indifferent - typical cat). The neighbors love her and she’s especially liked by kids nearby. D’s 92-year-old mother adores her and Lakoda is very comfortable visiting her apartment. The only thing she can never get enough of is petting — but we knew that!

She is a little nervous in cars — shakes a little but settles down in about 2-4 minutes. She now sleeps in the minivan when we’re shopping or running errands. We purchased a ramp for her as jumping up into the van was a bit hard on 9-year-old legs.

What a change our dog has gone through in the past 4 months. He did amazing at training as did our 6 year olds. He and another dog were the only ones recommended to go on to the intermediate level. Throughout the 8 weeks, we saw him go from a timid/cautious dog to being more comfortable around humans and dogs. He would not let the trainer pet him at first and by the end they were best buds. When I say go find so and so, he now walks towards the person with a waggy tail and head down ready for some love.

Bubs has been great with all the kids rolling in and out of our house. He is gentle and really does not bother with them. He still likes to find food on the counter and bark randomly at noise but both habits are getting much better. His favorite perches are the couch and our bed. He is a great blanket in the cold and is awesome at snuggles. He is really playful and just a really nice addition to the family.

We went on our first long trip to Maryland and Pennsylvania for the holidays. He adapted to each new environment pretty quickly once he realized we were all staying. We still take a long walk in the morning with our golden friend and he has become really good at being off leash running at the park.

He just finished a round of antibiotics for Lyme but other than that he is in good health. We went to the vet in December and got his shots. We are are all up to date and ready to romp in the snow, if it ever falls.

Thanks again NEARR people. This was a great match.

Fantastic Frannie here! It has been a fabulous 2 months. My mom and dad can’t believe that it’s only been 2 months. It feels like I have been here forever.

Over the holidays, I went to my aunt’s house. My brother Winston and I had all sorts of interesting adventures. Before I went to my aunt’s house, my mom took me to the groomer. I got my nails cut, had a nice bath, and came out smelling like a rose. My aunt and uncle have a pool with a pool cover. The very 1st day I was there I actually touched it with my paw. Of course, they have one of those pool covers that even a little child could walk on. As soon as my paw touched the water, I decided I would leave that area alone.

On Christmas eve, Winston made a big mess of my aunties calzone. He unwrapped it and ate one end. I promptly told my aunt and uncle and saved the day. Although I had fun at my aunts house, I was very excited to see mom and dad.

Now the holidays are over and I have a lot of work to do. For a dog, I have a lot of big jobs in my house. My number 1 job is keeping my mom safe from the scary things in the basement. I often go down with her to change out the laundry. I go down the stairs 1st and check things out. Once I know that everything is safe, I look back at mom she can come down the stairs. My other big job is keeping my brother Winston out of trouble. There have been a few times where I have helped him with some of his more industrious ideas. If it means I will get some food, then I am in. Otherwise I’m telling mom and dad!

I hope everyone at NEARR had a wonderful holiday season! Until next month.

We have one happy dog living with us! He likes going for walks, going for rides in the car, playing with his ball in the backyard, and just hanging around with us in the house. When we sit down on the floor, he just cuddles right up next to us. If we are standing up, he loves wrapping his body around us, like a cat does..we cannot believe how flexible his body is! He got to meet our vet a couple of weeks ago and got a clean bill of health. We will be scheduling the obedience classes for after the holiday time. We really do enjoy him… all is well in the Household of Dexter!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.