"Mama Dog" is happy, healthy and shiny in NH. She continues to fascinate me as I get to know her. In the house she is "top dog"...knows the routine, knows when we get up/go to bed and assists with the children, esp. my young daughter, with whom she's developed an exceptionally close bond. Valerie was experiencing nightmares that had her running into my room at night in tears. Now as soon as she elicits distress noises "Mama Dog" runs to her room, hops on her bed and presses against her. I can always tell if Valerie had a bad night because MamaDog is in her room the next morning instead of routing me out of bed!

She is less quiet these days. She "talks" in little moans, yips and squeaks, especially when she's happy which is most of the time. She will bark if someone comes to the door until I answer it and tell the dogs, "It's ok" then they both settle. When the children come home she gets very happy, esp. when it's "her" little girl, then she dances on her hind legs and "talks" like crazy.

We had a family gathering of about a dozen people last weekend, and that was a little overwhelming. MamaDog got downright scared so I put her in my room and made it Off Limits to everyone. When people eventually settled down, some outside, others scattered about the house, I let Marlise out to socialize with the small groups which were less overwhelming. She was still nervous, but not frightened as before, and eventually she settled down on her pillow in the corner where she could observe without being in the midst of things.

She is doing great with "come" (98% success rate) and is learning "sit" and we're working on stay...she seems to know the hand signal for stay but it isn't consistent. Typical of herding breeds, she likes everyone to be together and she and Hope (another herder) love to "work the herd" when the kids go outside to run around.

I'm going to try to attach some pictures...my tech skills are pretty poor so bear with me.

Hope you don't mind the lengthy update....I love to go on and on about my dogs!

Have a happy Memorial Day -

Kathy

We've had Marlise (Mollie) for a month now and couldn't be happier. She is a GREAT little dog!

The first few days she was shy with my daughter who, despite her size, can be very loud. However, this changed one night when my daughter woke up crying from a nightmare...Mollie was in her room by her bed when I got there and stayed with Valerie for the rest of the night. Now MamaDog has a new "pup".

We are still all getting to know each other. Your warnings about Mollie's fondness for stuffed animals was confirmed....she got three of them....Val is a lot more careful about leaving her stuffed toys around (finally!). Mollie also has a fondness for socks...I kept finding socks all over the house and blaming the children, but then I noticed MY socks appearing in odd places...if we leave a sock where Mollie can reach it she'll walk around with it in her mouth and then lay down on it. She doesn't chew it or anything, she just lays down on it. Both dogs love it when I do laundry, and niether one is eager to move off the laundry pile when it's time to load the washing machine.

Mollie definitely knows "home" now. We've been going for walks, at first only after dark, when it's quieter and one is less overwhelmed with sights and sounds, but tonight we went while it was still daylight and she did fine with barking dogs and kids playing but is still frightened of passing cars. She is certainly car-wise.

She is also a talker. She vocalizes when she yawns, when she settles down for the night, or when my alarm goes off in the morning. Having two dogs has forced the "snooze" button into obsolescence because as soon as they hear the alarm they come into my room and I get two noses in the face. If I turn over, Mollie just hops on the bed and pushes me toward the edge where Hope is waiting. I haven't got a chance.

We did have a scare a couple of weeks ago...noticed MamaDog licking at her belly and when I examined her I noticed her suture line was swollen and oozing a small amount of clear fluid. I thought her suture line was splitting open and I raced her to the vet, who said it's just a mild allergic reaction to the suture material. She prescribed an antibiotic and 2X/day washing with presurgical cleanser (Chlorhexedrine?) and in 3 days the problem cleared up.

Her fur has come in beautiful, thick and glossy and her white-tipped tail is always wagging. She's getting to know our neighbors although she's gotten very territorial and barks at anyone walking by. She takes very seriously her position as Sovereign Remover of All Squirrels, Chipmunks and Small Furry Creatures From Backyard Environment.

I keep thinking that somebody, somewhere must miss this little dog....if it were me, I'd still be looking for her, but then I wouldn't have let her go in the first place. We are all (even the cats) glad to have her.

Best wishes,
Kathy

Marlise has been with us for one week and she's doing great! Her name has evolved from Marlise to Marli to Mollie, and we seem to have settled on that. The first day was hard for her; she preferred being outdoors to in and when inside, she tended to stay by the door. Over the next 24 hours she and Hope really bonded and she relaxed a lot. They run around the yard and play like crazy...Mollie moves like a little jackrabbit and wears Hope out...they are so funny!

She no longer approaches me or my husband with her head down, and has even become more assertive at "cuddle time," refusing to give way to Hope (fortunately, I have two arms so there are no hurt feelings). She is fine with the cats, and there appears to be a friendship forming between her and one of the cats...they touch noses often and seem comfortable in each other's presence.

I have not used the crate since her first night here, as there is no need. In fact, Hope seems more at ease since Mollie came to live with us so I haven't been confining her either. If I go out both dogs appear to simply lay down and wait quietly. I am trying to get Mollie used to riding in the car. The first ride was to the vet's, which she didn't like very much. While we waited she became a different dog...her ears and tail drooped, her head was down...she looked so sad, if she were human her face would have been awash in tears (my vet, who has two Corgis of her own, says Mollie appears to be in robust good health and is a lovely dog). She was pleased to get back into the car and when I opened the door and she saw she was back home she nearly dragged me to the door. She may be little, but she sure is strong!

And she is so smart....still, training her is a different kind of challenge. Having lived on her own she is used to doing things a certain way, and I have to keep that in mind when I try to get her to change those ways. I'm going slowly, gaining her trust and learning how to speak her language. She is a great dog, a perfect pet and ideal companion. We are lucky to have her.

Many thanks to you and everyone at Save A Dog who was involved in her rescue. I'll send a pic just as soon as I figure out how to download them from the camera.

Kathy

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Family