What a shock!

That's what I've been saying for over a year now! This little pup is Annabelle, a poodle mix. What a shock! She is soooooo different from anything I've ever had. After 22 years straight of herding dogs, this dog requires serious adaptation! She is cute as can be, and a very well behaved little dog, with a cheerful tail that never stops. She has an eye for things outside, so at chore time, she's stuck in her favorite "wait" spot, the back porch window. She has a little padded bench there, and a windowsill that can take paws. If she went through the screen, it'd be less distance to the ground than the backside of the couch, which she clears with ease (MUCH to my dismay, makes me close my eyes and pray every time!!)

She's also the poshest pillow pup you'll ever find! Give her any stack of poofy pillows, and she'll be snoozin' precariously on top. Would you believe she is the fastest dog I've ever had? She can run so fast, her ears become a cartoon blur...all the way down to the chicken coop! You should see her chasing her tail! Just a white blur. She is kept on careful training, so each night, for her dash to Coopville, she runs out her "Coop Loop". That's her trip around the coop, sniffing. Of course, the chickens are long since tucked in and the ducks are splashing around in their stall in the barn when this happens (read more adaptation).

We bought this little pup for Holly. It's a perfect fit...ease of care and feeding for her, and an easy dog to train. Cheap to feed, too!! I must say, though, that her training was, well, water over the bridge until she was a year or so old. That's when things really started clicking and she understood. Patient waiting worked! We've trained her well, so that she can be a "loaner dog" for relatives who love dogs, but don't want to take on the responsibility of ownership at this stage of their lives. She loves warming laps and casually looking out windows as the world goes by...great for therapy.

Meanwhile, I'm still adjusting. It's nice she is so content to be docile during the day when I have other responsibilities. Nothing lands on my knee or at my feet for play, like has been the case for over two decades, and she's very quiet. But still....

Stay tuned for future blog posts, where I'll share about my other dogs, all gone now. Hopefully, my heart can handle going back to those painful places, as I miss them all so much........