Winter illnesses

My whole family is sick. My husband has pneumonia; my kids have bad colds; I've got some version of some gunky thing. But life goes on as it must with animals. I literally slogged through the day today, from one chore to the next. Good thing half the puppies visited the shelter. More adoptions! Tomorrow all 12 will be at the Petaluma Animal Shelter from noon -6. It would be so great if they all got adopted. They can't actually go home tomorrow; they still need their altering surgery. But all the paperwork can be completed.

When I took Charlie and Momster for their walk today, I realized how much she needs to get off the leash and run. When she first arrived, she was nursing often enough that exercise wasn't a priority for her. Now that her puppies don't need her much, she's ready to reclaim her life. We walked for an hour today and I think she could have done 2 more. Which makes me think that she's a young dog. Her breed tends to mellow out after 5 years old. She's not mellow. She's not wild either. She responds well to positive corrections. She pulls on the leash, but will come back to my side when she realizes that's what I want. She's very very good at waiting at the door, or the top of the stairs. 'Sit' isn't her favorite thing, but I think that position is uncomfortable for her while she's still producing milk. She'd like nothing better than to jump up on me. But if I move into her and say 'uh-uh', she responds. Someone's worked with her. She knows some things.

But she's not street-smart. She has a hard time staying on the sidewalk and would love to cross to the other side, then back, then back again, with her nose to the ground. Cars and trucks don't freak her out, but she will not walk across a metal grate.

I found a large fenced grassy area for tomorrow's play session. I can't wait to see the joy on her face when she can roam. She'll be a good dog for someone with a little energy and lots of love.