Mandee is Adopted & Updates

Mandee, our last pup, has been adopted and moved to El Paso, Texas.

1st Update:

I can't remember if you asked me to call or to send you an email when we got home, but we're here.

Mandee did well - she was car sick at first, pretty severely until Magdalena, but over that by the time we got to T or C.

By the time we reached Socorro she was laying down on the floor of the car with her muzzle on my foot, completely relaxed between bouts of car sickness. By the time we got to Cruces she was sitting up, facing me with her nose in my lap and her soulful little eyes staring at me. Emmy had fallen asleep and Mandee and I discussed her goodness, beauty, potential for empathy, and other job related responsibilities while my sister drove and accompanied Bonnie Raitt on a CD.

We tried stopping in T or C, and at a couple of rest stops to let Mandee potty, but she was too afraid, she just wanted to get back into the car. When we got home and took the leash off of her, though, Emmy opened the back door and called her and the little scamp trotted out to the yard, circled it a couple of times, piddled in Hershey's old spot under the cedar trees then turned around and marched back into the house with her tail finally untucked and about at half mast.

I put food and water down for her in the utility room, but she was more interested in exploring the house at a rather frantic pace, possibly looking for either an escape route or a hiding place. Emmy kept trying to show her the food, and she'd grab one mouthful and trail it through the kitchen, but she just wouldn't focus on eating. However, the tail was up and sometimes wagging, she is looking us in the eye, cocking her head when we talk to her - - - we have made significant progress.

An hour ago Emmy took her into her bedroom to introduce her to her dog bed, which is right next to the head of Emmy's bed - and Emmy shut the bedroom door. For just a couple of minutes I heard Mandee whimpers and Emmy soothings - then nothing.

I returned a couple of phone calls, then got curious and peeked.

Noooo - I did not see both of them sound asleep on Emmy's bed - dogs on the furniture are against the rules in this house.

That can be tomorrow's issue. Emmy is sleeping in her clothes tonight, and Mandee is at least starting the night on Emmy's bed.

Right now, I just need you to know that this is almost certainly going to be fine. She may wake up in the middle of the night starving, but I'm pretty sure she and Emmy are going to bond, and that was my highest priority. And frankly, when that leash came off and she still responded to Emmy calling her name, then came marching right back into the house like it (we) belonged to her, she became my dog.

Thank you

2nd Update:
She followed me from room to room all day yesterday - tail up and almost always wagging. She took an interest in the string mop I was using on the kitchen floor and expended quite a bit on energy trying to corral it or get it to be still so she could sniff. She took a stab at correcting the neighbor's barking pit bull - would run over to his side of the yard, bark once or twice then run back to me to show that she could be brave but was not foolhardy. She discovered that although cropping grass is fun and very interesting she does not appreciate collards - they are to be avoided in the garden after only having tried one bite.

And I discovered that she BAYS!!!! What's with that??

I had taken her out to the back yard to potty but came back into the house to answer the telephone. When she was through sniffing and eating grass and whatever she stood at the back screen door and first whined a bit, then tried a couple of experimental barks. When I did not arrive to be her doorman she turned loose with a coon dog imitation that had me in stitches!

She's doing fine. Penny