Gotcha!

She's ours! Forever and ever...we made our girl's adoption official this past Sunday! I am over the moon HAPPY and ecstatic to be a dog mom again! Little D is thrilled to have a furry sister she can grow up with. More to come!

My Heart is full

Just chillin' like a villain

This weekend was one in which my heart overflowed more than a few times. If you remember from my past post, there was a time when I was really concerned about Hazel being socially drawn to D. I questioned whether she was comfortable around her. We *almost* hesitated to make the decision to adopt her. All I can say is, I am SO happy we gave her more time and more training, or we would have missed out on this....

We have been allowing more freedom with Hazel. For the first few weeks, we baby gated the upstairs as the bedrooms are far from clutter free, espcially the little one's 100+ stuffed animals on the bed. Lately Hazel has been coming up to say goodnight to D, but over the weekend, we had something happen that made my heart sing....

Yep, Hazel chose to sleep with D. Oh.my.heart. I never thought this would happen. I thought that would be left to our next dog. (yes, we want another!)

Two peas..and yes, this was literally post bath, hence no collar. As soon as she was dry, it went back on. ;)

We are having the best time with her. No, she's not perfect, and neither are we. She can still be a little stinker and completely inappropriate, but those instances are far less frequent, and we have the tools to work with her. She is a pup who will require ongoing training and vigilance, and she's worth it. <3

Labor Day

What a FUN weekend!!! This was our first "family" getaway. I have family in quotes because we still have not finalized Hazel's adoption, however, I can say family
because we felt like one.

We stayed in a tiny cabin and were "camping" with several other families. I was a little concerned how Hazel would be in a new environment with a TON of distractions, i.e. lots of kids, new people, wildlife, (can you say skunks, otters, llamas, chickens, goats, cats, and a horse or two- oh my!)Oh, and dogs of course. One (of the many) creatures that can make Hazel lose her marbles. Don't get me wrong, she LOVES dogs...a little too much. ;)

Hanging out on the patio overlooking the campers below

Creek side hike...loved this!


So, this trip was awesome on a lot of levels. Just the chance to to unplug completely, re-connect as a family, and enjoy nature. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Hazel did. She was nervous the first night we arrived, and for good reason. It was pitch black and were met by a ton of kids rushing around with flashilights looking for skunks and racoons. I wanted Hazel to feel safe so I removed her from all of the excitement, and went inside the cabin.

The very next day we got up at the crack of dawn, and Hazel and I explore the quiet grounds. We were able to explore all that we could not see the night before. As campers started stirring from their tents/cabins, she was able to meet people gradually. She was a hit!

The very BEST part of the weekend was that on the (LONG) drive up, we actualy said the words aloud that have been in our minds and hearts all along. It went something like this:

"Can we just agree that we are adopting Hazel?"

hubby: "I assumed we were!"

Yes, it was "assumed", but I cannot tell you the joy I felt to hear the words out loud. Hazel will be a part of our family.....Forever.

National dog day

In Honor of National Dog Day...

Getting a story read...

Doggy froyo- yum!

Nappy poo




Too bad the poor girl can't relax!! ;)

I love having "excuses" to spoil our girl. Happy National Dog Day!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Ohhhhhh Hazel

What? Is there something on my face?

Honestly, I hesitated sharing my last post with you. I felt terrible guilt admitting that I had concerns. I tried to take my heart out of the equation for a moment and try to be objective to gain some clarity. I have really, really been watching the interaction bewtween D and Hazel. I want, I need to see that Hazel has a social draw towards her. I had to know that she enjoyed her company and was not stressed out by it. Hazel needs to feel at ease with her...with us. Then I saw this.........

These two are bonding for sure. D loves to play with her. My challenge is guiding that play so that it is safe for D. If Hazel gets too worked up, then play becomes too crazy which = potential danger for D. D is learning to watch for signs that Hazel is getting over stimulated. She is not to engage with her at all when Hazel has the "doggie crazies". Hazel is learning impulse control, but it's a work in progress. It's worth it. She's worth it.

Meeting new friends, weekend fun

This weekend included a lot of "firsts" for us. We have been waiting to introduce other dogs to Hazel until she was feeling better. She's definitely full of it feeling back to her old self, so we decided it was time.

D and Hazel bird watching.

First up was Bella. She was a pretty important doggy to get a long with, as she is the dog of D's best friend who lives across the street. The girls spend a lot of time together and I adore Bella and like to pet sit on occasion for her, so I had everything crossed that this would be a good match. Our challenge is that both girls are CRAZY on a leash initially when they see other dogs. Bella was much more calm, but Hazel was literally foaming at the mouth to meet her. I am not used to that kind of intensity, and when it's that high, I know things can go south pretty quickly, so we opted to walk the girls side by side for a bit before allowing them to truly meet face to face. It worked like a charm! Hazel was trying to sneak kisses here and there. When both girls were calm, we unleashed them in the back yard, and they were off!

Taking a break from the action

We started to see glimpses of what life could be like should Hazel become an official member of our family. We are still in the "foster to adopt" mode. It's been an emotional roller coaster I have to say. We've waited so long for a dog to come into our lives, and I at times question whether I moved too fast. I loved Hazel the moment I saw her, as did D, however my husband reminded me that D would love any dog. I think what is holding me back a little is that I am still observing how she is with D. My daughter has waited years to have a buddy she can interact with and snuggle..someone who will return the love that she gives in spades. I lost my objectivity due to my own feelings for her. It took my husband to point out that he's not sure if Hazel is drawn to D at all. That realization broke my heart. From the very beginning, I knew that it was most important for a dog to have a strong social draw towards kids..simply tolerating is not enough. With this breed, when they like kids, they really like kids That's what I want for D. It was not a question to me whether she would be our family dog. If it were up to me, we would have adopted as soon as we met her, but I was following the rescue's protocol. Now I am finding myself questioning everything. I went from thinking she was (is?) my dream dog to wondering if she's truly meant for us at all. This uncertainity has led to sleepless nights. I need clarity and have prayed for it. If it were just me, there would be no question, but I am asking, is she the right dog for us for the next 15+ years? And more importantly, are we the right family, the very best for her? I really want her to be happy. When I see that smile of hers light up all that's around her,I don't question it. She's happy, I think, she's really happy. And then there are times she nipping at D, taking her arm in her mouth, charging her (in play),and truly acting inappropriately for being around a child. I am expecting to train (and know I have a LOT to work on). I wish she could just speak for herself. If she could, this is what I would want to know: -Do you even like D? -Do we make you happy? -Do you want to live with us? Has anyone else ever questioned themselves during an adoption process?

Sunday, bone day...YUM!

It is strange being on the other end of an adoption. Usually I am the one counseling adopters and assessing the match. I seemed to have lost my "adoption counselor cap" when it comes to my own family. All I can say is that my heart is telling me to see this through. I can handle the training and managing some inappropriate behavior until she knows better. What is most important is her core temperment and it's very good. I love her soul.