Adoption Update: Emmy!

Sarah and Maryellen:

I just wanted to give you an update on Emmy. She went back to the vet a week ago and was pronounced free of hookworms. She also got her bordatella vaccine and microchipped. She's the picture of health with tons of stamina.

Since my last update she has taken her first long-distance trip with me to and from NC. While she's still a little nervous in the car, she did settle at the end of the ride. I take her almost everywhere I go now (as long as the weather stays cool). She comes to work with me each day at DogOn Fitness, where I'm the office manager, and she gets daily interaction with several dogs and the resident housecats. Occasionally, she even accompanies me when I have been assigned dogs to walk. The attached pictures are Emmy with one of my charges, Molly, a lively (though totally deaf) 13-year-old American Springer Spaniel. The week we did working walks together, both of these precious gals learned how to sit-stay when I stopped moving.

Emmy is by far the strongest herder of all the BCs and Australian Shepherds I've had. When we first got her, she would nearly take me out going down our stairs because she'd be nosing around the back of my knees all the way down. So the sit-stay command has been VERY helpful! Now she sits beautifully while I get her leash on and open the door, as well as when I go down the stairs.

She has also learned the family tradition that dogs do not share the people's meals, so she now goes into an adjacent room while we eat. One thing that is rather funny. I had mentioned in a previous update that Emmy really would like to take up residence on our bed, but that has been a Kaake household no-no. But she knows I'm the softy here, so now, in the mornings, she waits to hear the chime on our alarm system to announce my husband has left for work, then jumps up onto the foot of the bed to join me in my last hour of sleep.

And, by the way, my husband just absolutely adores her! He melts everytime she comes to him for pets. One of the activies that all of us enjoy is playing keep-away-from-Emmy with the squeaky ball. My husband and I will toss the ball back and forth to each other over her head, and she just loves darting between us to try and get the ball. When she does eventually get it (we "accidently" drop it during our catch), she'll then run the ball upstairs and put it away.

But the biggest thrill for her is chewing/playing with a rawhide bone that is almost as long as she is! This is what I give her when I have to leave her alone for a bit, and she really goes to town working on that!Needless to say, we are absolutely thrilled with Emmy as part of our family, and she seems to be as equally thrilled about us.

That's all for now. We'll keep you posted as summer comes along.

Blessings and joy,

K'leen