Just wanted to drop you a quick line to let you know that Ellie (formerly Shirley) is still doing great, and is having a blast during trips to the beach and hikes in the woods, although her favorite activity is definitely her daily trip to play with her dozens of buddies at the nearby dog park! She now loves all of her chewy toys and is eating like a horse. We recently had a family reunion with her sister Cleo (aka Laverne) and it was obvious that the two sisters remembered each other, since they started rough housing immediately. We've never seen Ellie so charged up as when she saw her sister.

We attached a couple of pictures of Ellie with us on Nantucket. Let us know if you have any problems opening them. We would love to bring Ellie by to see everyone at the next Save-a-dog event, but I think we may have to wait until the Sept. 18 Applefest, due to scheduling conflicts. Good luck with everything and thank you so much for our wonderful dog!

-Greg Dickerson

Marguerite and I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know what a fantastic addition Ellie (aka, "Shirley") has been to our family. She's already experienced quite a bit. We took her up to Nantucket, where she enjoyed swimming in the ocean and playing on the beach with other dogs (after her stiches were fully healed) . Back home in Melrose, she enjoys some rowdy playtime with the new buddies she's made at the Fells, and she already follows us around and comes when called as if we've been together for 10 years (although we're very careful with her).

Ellie also seems to be coming out of her shell (although there wasn't too much of a shell to begin with). For the first couple of days after we got her, she would roll over on her back to have her tummy rubbed, every time we walked past her (we obliged). Now, although she is extremely affectionate, she seems less in need of constant attention. She also loves chewy toys, which she ignored for the first week or so. Also, she's got a very healthy appetite, and now eats mostly kibble. Finally, she will now go to the bathroom when we take her on walks, and doesn't insist on hiding in the woods when she takes care of business, which is quite a relief for us.

So, she seems to be getting more confident by the day, and is an absolute joy to spend time with. All around, we both think she is pretty much the perfect dog, and she's been great with our friends and our friends kids, who treated her very nicely and received lots of tail-wags and dog-licks in return.

If Laverne is anything like her sister, she would make anyone a lucky dog owner. Both Marguerite and I hope that Laverne soon finds a happy home very soon.

We'll send you pictures of Ellie as soon as we figure out how to e-mail them.

Thank you so much!

Greg and Marguerite Dickerson