January 29, 2007

Dear LRR,

My new mom told me that we should write my “Happy Tails Story” for LRR, so here goes:

Just like Summer, I have been at my “forever home” for about a month or so. I am doing just fine. When I first met my new mom, I just had feeling that she was it. Turns out, I was right. About a week after I met Mom, she came back to pick me up and take me home. She also brought her cousin and her labbie daughter Summer. I never met Summer before, just in passing, but Summer seemed to be a nice girl. Summer and I cuddled in the backseat on the way home. Turns out she likes to cuddle as much as I do. My mom told me on the way home that the four of us will be living together, and I was happy to learn I will have a sister to play with.

When we finally got home, my mom showed me around the house and I found out I also have a “bunny brother”. She said his name is LeBun and that he is “off-limits” to me and Summer. Let me tell you, that is just fine with me. He makes too many noises and he moves around so much, the cage he lives in shakes and rattles a lot. Loud noises and quick movements make me nervous. I am slowly getting used to him now though.

My mom showed me where I was going to eat in the kitchen, but I didn’t like that room too much in the beginning. I don’t know what it is in there, but it makes me uncomfortable. My mom told me that good things happen in there, and I smell good stuff coming from in there, but I was too frightened nevertheless. The only time I like going in there is if I was going to be given a treat (I’ll do anything for food especially Milk bones), but ran right back out as soon as I had the treat in my mouth. I could tell my mom was worried, so she started feeding me in my crate for a while. Then she moved the food bowl into the living room, and then to the kitchen. Now, I eat by Summer! She doesn’t seem to mind. Then again, she will eat just about anywhere! My mom was also worried that I was not drinking enough of water. But I think they now realize that I just don’t drink as much as Summer and that I will drink when I am thirsty. Summer absolutely loves to drink her water. She is always in my bowl or her bowl. Whenever she sees a water bowl, her face is in it. I don’t know where she puts all that water!

There were also a lot of different noises in the house that I have never heard before, or was not used to. Every so often I got scared by something and I was very jumpy. I think I made my mom’s and/or my aunt’s heart stop a couple of times. I don’t mean to do it, but I can’t help it sometimes. But now, I am slowly getting used to all the different noises, however every so often something new happens. Mom and my aunt just keep telling me that it is alright, and I take their word for it.

It also took me a while to trust my new mom and my aunt. I was always afraid they were going to leave me like all the others, but they are always coming back to me and Summer, so I guess I am here to stay. Summer tells me she has been comfy here from the first day. My mom loves to give me hugs and kisses, and I give “puppy hugs” in return. For those of you that don’t know about “puppy hugs”, let me explain - I put my front paws around my mom’s (or my aunt’s) shoulders and hug her, just like I see humans do to each other from time to time. My mom and aunt just love that I do that. They also keep telling me how beautiful I am. I just love the attention I get. Although Summer gets a little jealous sometimes. I must admit, I get jealous too, if Summer gets more attention than me. Though my mom and my aunt make sure that both Summer and I get the same amount of attention. If they give me kisses, they give Summer kisses too, and vice versa. All that love kind of reassures me further that I am here to stay. I think at this point it’s pretty obvious that they won’t leave me. That makes me sooooo happy.

I don’t have to spend a lot of time in my crate either, since Summer’s mom (my aunt) is home 3 ½ days during the week. It is nice to have someone at home most of the time. It was a little confusing at first though, because my aunt was home and my mom was not, and then all of a sudden around the weekend, my mom was home and my aunt kept disappearing. My mom told me that my aunt went to work on the weekends. It’s kind of cool, like I said, because I always have someone to cuddle with.

I have a backyard too, and that’s great. I love to run around out there and smell everything out there. My mom and my aunt take us on walks a lot too. There is a little park down the road, and there must be a lot of dogs that go on walks too, ‘cause I can smell them. I have to stop every so often to investigate. Summer helps me do that. Just call us Gumshoe Sam and Gumshoe Summer.

The one day my aunt kept throwing a tennis ball and told me to go get it. I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to do, and Summer told me she would show me. My aunt threw the ball again, and Summer ran after the ball and fetched it. She also brought it right back to her mom. Then it was my turn. I am now slowly learning, but sometimes the ball falls too close to the kitchen and I am still too scared to go in there at times. I do have a basket full of toys to play with. Summer and I love to get them all out. My mom or my aunt, pick them up every once in a while and put them back in the basket. I am not sure why they do that, since Summer and I will just get them back out again. All I know sometimes the scary monster comes out of the closet that is very loud and cleans the carpet. I guess they have to move the toys for that, I don’t know. Summer and I share the toys nicely. When we are done with our toys, we switch them around so we both have a turn with all the toys.

Summer and I also have four dog beds to sleep on, but I would rather lay on one of the couches. Sometimes, I am not allowed to be on the one couch though. I guess my mom and my aunt want to sit on it every so often. They keep telling me how comfortable the dog beds are. My question is: If the dog beds are that comfortable, then why don’t they lay on it and give me the couch? But there is no reasoning with them about that, they insist on sitting on the couch. I pace sometimes in hopes they will invite me up on the couch. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. Then I just give up, and lay on the dog bed by my mom’s feet. There is another couch too I can lay on, but that one is too far away from my mom and my aunt. I like to at least touch one of them somehow when I take a nap.

I must admit that I was not too sure about Summer at first. I mean, like I said, she seemed nice enough, but I didn’t know her and I was a little shy. She kept trying to play with me, but I needed some time to get used to her. Now we are really close. We play and nap together. After breakfast we usually go spend time with my mom (Summer really loves her too) before she has to go to work. I miss mom terribly when she is not home, but my aunt and Summer take good care of me when mom is not here. My mom comes home around 5 and then the four of us spend time together. We play, we cuddle, it’s absolute heaven here. At night I sleep on my mom’s bed at her feet. That’s the only time I don’t get to spend time with Summer. She sleeps with her mom in her room. It is nice to have some alone time with my mom though.

So you see, I am doing just swell. I am beautiful (I get brushed every day), and I am healthy. I get fed twice a day, and I get to have treats every now and then. I never had so many toys either. I have a nice warm house to live in, what more could a girl ask for? My mom and my aunt love me a lot, and Summer, well, she loves me too, I can tell. I love them all very much and I am glad my mom found me.

I am grateful to LRR for taking care of me while I was in their care and for finding me my “forever home”. Good Job, LRR!!!!!! The foster families I met were all great too. I love you all so much and I will always be thankful to have had all of you in my life.

Summer and I will let LRR know about our future progress.

Until then-

Your Cocoa Labbie,

Samantha