J. and I were on vacation the week of Aug 15 and I think the additional time spent home with Daisy was a good thing. She hasn’t been in her crate in weeks and she has been fine. She hasn’t even gone near it on her own (though it is available to her) – I’m thinking we are making strides in the right direction.

I just finished almost 2 hours of dog training with Daisy and the trainer thinks we have a wonderful dog. (We think that, too.) She doesn’t seem to have been on a lead much before so we worked mostly on that and she seems to be a pretty quick study. Daisy definitely wants to please and that is very helpful too (Daisy already had mastered sit, go lie down and give paw when she arrived in our home.).

All in all things are good!

I have a girlfriend…..sort of. Her name is Kate and we take care of her one day a week. She is a 1 1/2 year old golden girl. She smells great.

My leg is feeling quite well. I did have one small seizure, but it did not turn into a cluster seizure, so Mom think that the acupuncture is really making a difference.

Mom would like to know if you all could keep an eye out for a middle age girlfriend for the 4 of us here……

Mom is a pushover…….

Love you all.

Emmie the Wonder Dog

p.s. I love fresh tomatoes and berries from our gardens!

Sadie has been with me, my husband, and our cat Simon a little over a week now. Below is a digest ofher activities in the time she’s been with us.

Sadie thinks she should be on the furniture with us, but one of our firm rules is “four on the floor” with dogs. She really learns quickly. It’s fun to watch her as she ponders getting on the furniture, remembering that she’s been told consistently that’s a no-no. She does keep testing the hypothesis, however, just to make sure we have not changed our minds!

Sadie gets two walks a day: a twenty-minute early morning walk, and a 40-minute walk/run when I get home from work. Sadie has a funny habit of going down on her belly when she sees another dog on the street, as if to indicate she means no harm. Yesterday, when we took her to a state park, she did the belly thing when she saw a man on the trail. We all got a good laugh out of that! All dog encounters thus far have been positive, including those with the Scotties next door, who seem quite happy to have another dog in the neighborhood.

Interactions with our cat, Simon, have almost entirely smoothed out. Simon has a stubborn streak, insisting that this is his house, goshdarnit, and he ain’t goin nowhere! They both slept in our bedroom Sadie’s first night with us, which surprised me. I expected Simon to be a bit more tentative in his behavior, but no.

Sadie likes her squeaky toys, but her favorite toy is empty plastic beverage containers. She’s pathetic with tennis balls; when we throw the ball in the water for her, she acts as if she never saw it or knew that her job was to retrieve it. No matter.

We couldn’t be happier with Sadie. She has an excellent temperament and interacts well with human and non-human animals. Thank you so much for letting us adopt her!

It’s hard to believe that Archie has been with us 6 months…we can’t remember not having him as part of our family! We’ve gotten very used to the thwack, thwack, thwack of Archie’s tail smacking against the wall and greeting us every time we come home; I’m not sure there is anything better after a tough day at work than opening the door to find our guy wagging his tail (and usually stretching after waking from a nice long nap). He’s such a good boy and manages to charm just about everyone we meet. And while initial reactions are always that he is much older han his 8 years due to his gray muzzle, people only think that until they watch him run or swim; he’s still got a lot of energy despite his age!

We are so thankful to NEARR for helping us find such a wonderful dog. And we like to think Archie’s happy, too!

Jake is fabulous - It’s been a very laid back summer - We have pretty much stuck around the entire summer so Jake could adapt easily to his new home - We have made tremendous progress. Jake and Sam have come to terms - they respect each other’s space - Jake’s growling at people has just about completely stopped and his own unique personality keeps coming out - He’s such a good boy - He loves all the pampering and has someone with him 24 hours a day which has been a great deal of help for him adjusting to his new environment. Sam and Jake are a lot alike - They love food, sleep, going to Dunkin Donuts for munchkins and being with someone - Perfect environment for Jake. He’s put some weight on - looks great - He was the perfect match for our family.

Dasher has been with us one week today and he is the best! We are so happy to have him. The 1hour and 45 min. ride home was uneventful he was so good. He loves riding in the car, have the door open and he is ready to jump right in and go for a ride.

He is such a friendly dog we take him to work with us everyday he has a dog bed here which he is finally lying down on before he wouldn’t go on it, but now he does and he is quite at home. He greats everyone coming in the door. He is just loves people and already everyone loves him. Dasher goes home every night to a good swim (he has quite the good life).

He has his new buddy “Trudy Puppy” who comes over the house and plays with Dasher in the water they have a really good time. Dasher jumped off of the dock for the first time yesterday which we were very surprised because he seems to not like to jump down off of things. He is getting better through.

Yes, we did find out how he likes to eat we are working on when he gets a treat or anything we try to hand to him, we are trying to train to sit and we hold the treat we will say “Gentle” that seems to work. I could go on and on about our guy Dasher he is such a joy.

Thank you NEARR for putting Dasher and us together we just love him. He is such a sweet dog, as all who came to know him realize.

Another update on our little boy - Sailor turned four last Thursday and reached another milestone over the weekend, he has gradually been losing his fear of the water and we were heartened that he would play along the edge and occasionally venture out up to his elbows/stomach. He really loved joining “Dad” in the dinghy to motor around the marina. Sunday we were joined by friends and their new “boy” Ben - a rescued Golden from the pound (sadly, probably abandoned because of health problems) but that is another story. It was Ben’s first sailtrip and Sailor was ecstatic to have him aboard. We anchored, and the Dads took the “boys” to the beach. Ben went first and immediately went swimming - Sailor followed and jumped onto shore and began his typical “racing”. Well, Dad decided to coax Sailor in with Ben - and sure enough, Sailor finally did the doggy paddle! He did still wear his life jacket for safety and still does not like to roll in the sand - he prefers a good shake! And I don’t mind one bit that he doesn’t come back on board covered in sand! After a swim, a short dinghy ride back to the boat, both boys enjoyed a nice warm shower off the back of the boat and a snooze on the sail back.

He’s still not the water athlete his sister is but we don’t mind a bit!

Sailor has maintained his weight - he is still a very trim 67-68 pounds. Still a bit finicky over his food prefering yogurt or cottage cheese in his kibble to anything plain. His favorite treat is having a cup of vanilla gelato or soft serve ice cream.

He’s one much loved pooch!!! And I think he knows it!

Fenway (fka Hartley) is doing great. He continues to swim every day and loves his blue Planet Dog Orbie ball. He will take a tennis ball, but the Orbie wins as his favorite, hands down. He is a true routine dog! I am not particularly a routine person, so he’s actually helped me in that respect, especially since I work from home. In the evening after dinner he goes out for a swim, then comes back to the house and we play fetch for a bit longer with him while he dries off. If we’re lucky and we worked him hard enough, he sleeps when he comes in, but generally he grabs toys and tries to get us to chase him around the couch, which sometimes we will. On Saturday mornings, he gets to go to the dump with Rob. In the mornings he’ll let me know if he’d rather hang out on the deck outside by not coming into the house and so sometimes he gets to snooze out there, in the sun or the shade.

R. has started to do some serious hiking on the weekends and takes Fenway
with him. It’s great for them both, especially now that Baxter is getting a bit old for 10-mile hikes and Camden would rather take a 2-mile hike, especially in the hot weather. Fenway is a great hiking partner and if he gets hot, he stops at the puddles and wallows around like a hippo. He now carries his own backpack loaded with some water and dog
snacks. It’s amazing how he’s taken to the water in such a short time. He swims like a fish! He’ll go in when he’s hot or when he sees something interesting (like a beaver) and just swim around for fun. When he’s tired, he splashes around in the mud (another favorite hobby of his).

His behavior has really improved — not that he was ever bad. He now barks only when a strange car is coming down the road and he is fluent in the basic commands. He is much better on a leash now as well. He’s stopped jumping on people completely. No more counter-surfing. He no longer barks when we leave him, but he does bark when we return home because he is excited. He is great with the cat though he does enjoy the occassional chase. It’s good for her because it’s the only time she’ll run and get exercise. He is also a little accident prone and so we have to keep an eye on that. He is a trooper and heals really well, thank goodness. He just doesn’t know how to be careful and can be overly exuberant sometimes, so we have to watch for him.

He’s really come to be a part of the family and brings a lot of fun to our home. He is full of antics and makes us laugh every day. We often call him Mr. Personality. It’s always something…whether accidentally peeing the the neighbors arm or chasing wild turkeys down trail. He is actually very affectionate and loves attention — any kind he can get. He is a typical little brother to the other two and is definitely a pest. It’s funny to see Baxter barking at him and chasing him around the house since Baxter weighs about 60 lbs. less.

Dallas here with my latest update! Can you believe it?! I’ve been in my forever home for ONE WHOLE YEAR already! I’m having such a great time. My new parents love me so much – they take me lots of places and spend lots of time with me. I really like to wrestle and roughhouse, but I also love to just be near them.

My most recent big adventure was to go to the beach in Maine a couple of weeks ago. I loved it!!! I ran and twirled and jumped in the water, and I chased every single seagull I saw. Mom & Dad said it’s a good thing they bought the super long leads for beach trips – I can’t be trusted to run on the beach with no leash. Guess they’re afraid I see something, chase it and forget to come back. I’m glad they worry about me, because they’re probably right – I do get distracted pretty easily and forget to come when I’m called because I’m busy daydreaming or planning. Leash or no leash – the beach is the BEST! I wish we lived on the beach and I could play in the sand and water everyday.

I was just to the vet for my annual exam – I’m in perfect health, I weigh 67 lbs and my teeth are great. I got all my shots and gave kisses the whole time – for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure yet, I have a way with the ladies. ;-) By the way, in case anyone is wondering – I don’t get sick in the car anymore; why worry about where you’re going when you can just enjoy the scenery?

Oh, big news on the feline front – Kitty comes out of the spare room all the time now, he still won’t let me play with him but he’s loosening up. Angel has stopped hissing so much and just hangs out. Its been a year – I can’t believe they’re not head over heels about me yet. Oh well, progress is progress, I suppose.

Well, I gotta go – I’m going to go lay out in the sun for a while. Even when its hot, I really like to catch a few rays…though it would be more fun at the beach, I’ll take what I can get. Anything’s better than the rain, I really hate when my paws get muddy…yuck! Thank you, NEARR – my new family loves me so much. I show my family how much I love them everyday with kisses, hugs, snuggles and all my other charming antics. I know I’m charming because everyone says so.

Cosmo is having a great summer. Here are some latest pics of the little guy.

It has now been 2 weeks since Daisy joined the family… and we are still pleased! We took both Daisy and Casco to our sailboat on Saturday and went for a boat ride – motored but not sailed. She was fantastic – a real natural. She was comfortable with all aspects of going thru the club / getting on the launch to go out to our boat / hopping up into the boat / exploring and enjoying the ride / reversing the experience to get off the boat to go home. She actually was quite intrigued with all of the sights and sounds.

Daisy is extremely excited when we get home in the evening. Since we are going to be on vacation this week, but not going anywhere in particular, we might try leaving her out of the crate when we go out for short errands to see how she adjusts.

Duke has had a good, if eventful, week. He’s settling in a bit more after two weeks in his new home and we’re beginning to see his wonderful, playful personality. Duke is a confident dog who’s very smart and is learning how to heel, sit and stay for his meals, and be around his family. He has some trouble knowing how to greet other dogs, so we have a professional trainer coming this week to work with the two of us.

We continue to run every morning, and Duke loves that exercise. He stays with me in the house, but it now seems as if he does it because he wants to, and not because he’s frantic about being left alone. He occasionally even goes off by himself in the house to take a quiet nap. Duke is adjusting well and we’re delighted that he’s here!

Willie has changed so much over this past year. I think Willie feels at home and isn’t so insecure anymore and no longer bolts when the door opens! He walks around our back yard on a 20 foot rope – that isn’t tied to anything. He thinks he is going to come to a jolting stop at some point, so he won’t go too far. He has also started to help himself to cherry tomatoes in our garden, after I made the mistake of giving him one, so we have to watch him carefully!! It’s really funny to watch him nosing all the tomatoes! I’m trying to get him interested in swimming, but I can’t even get him to walk through a puddle. We walk up to it and he leaps over it entirely….sprinklers aren’t very popular with him either. Although, put a bucket of water in front of him, he sticks almost his whole head underwater…so I definitely have to keep trying. He really is a great dog who has come a long way in a year.

Well, it’s been just less than a week since Daisy joined us and we are so pleased. The car ride home from was wonderfully uneventful – she traveled well in the car. She has since settled in and is so easy and pleasant to be with. I’m sure with time she’ll come to trust that she has found a new permanent home. We feel very lucky to have her. Someone has clearly spent some time with her because she sits, gives paw and comes when called. Very nice. She was scratching a bit so I brought her to the vet. The vet thinks that she might have allergies but overall he thinks she is in great shape. The vet also gave me a referral for a dog trainer so we’ll get going on that. The training will help us with walking Daisy on a lead – I’m not sure how much of that Daisy has done. Daisy and Casco are interacting just as we hoped – they are compatible yet don’t rough-house. In fact I think we need to “teach” Daisy how to play. This weekend we’ll be bringing her to our sailboat. We’re hoping she’ll make a good boat dog – we’ll keep you posted.

I’ve attached a picture of our canines – I’m thinking they make a great pair!

Thank you everyone for taking care of her until we could welcome her into our home!