Opie

Opie is so happy to have found his forever home!

Oscar

Shenandoah is settling in nicely. He is truly a great dog. He rides wonderfully in the car--looked out the windows most of the time, then took a nap on his stuffed rabbit for the rest of the trip. We explored the yard--every inch of all two acres--when we got home yesterday. He is pretty good on the leash and prances more than walks. He met the community "fat cat" who is almost as big as he is. She's a little stand-offish most of the time, but let him walk right up to her and sniff and lick her face. It surprised me since she never had anything to do with Jefferson, my old collie. Shen has lots of energy when he's outside and he can jump up on the three foot high stone retaining wall on the back of the house, so any reservations I had about him being so small have been put to rest. He appears to be able to handle anything a big dog could. He's very calm for a dog who's been kenneled for so long and not a barker at all. I've yet to hear him bark, so I don't even know what his voice sounds like. He does grunt a little when he's content, and he certainly can snore! The bed I got for him is huge for such a small dog, but thinks it's great fun to get up there and roll around on it. Yesterday, he stuck to me like a little shadow for the first couple hours, then did a little exploring of the house on his own, but soon wandered back to make sure I was still there. He's very loving and craves attention, but doesn't demand it. My adopted aunt and uncle were by last night. My aunt is not a big dog person, but he even charmed her. He's getting used to the house. I don't think he's ever been a house dog before, but he seems to like the concept. He's fascinated by the toilet, curious about the dishwasher, and thinks a broom is the greatest toy he's ever seen. He has had a couple accidents, but I don't think he's ever been house trained, and having just been nuetered, his marking instinct is still pretty strong. So we'll work through it. Other than that, he's tripped a couple times on the steps, but certainly hasn't let them slow him down. He's doing a lot of sneezing, some I wondering about allergies. It started in the car right after I picked him up, so I don't think it's anything in the house. Regardless, we'll be seeing the vet this week and see what she thinks. She's going to laugh when she sees him--we were both expecting a 60-lb collie-mix. But there's certainly a 60-lb heart inside this little guy. Thanks so much for helping me find my new best friend! Mary