Chica's sleep-over - how it went

Chica did very well at her sleep-over; she got along well with Gorby except for a couple of instances which were solved without bloodshed, she had a great walk in Bruce Pit with lots of running and playing with Gorby, and she didn't refuse to leave when I came to get her.

I took her to a pet store on the way home while I picked up some things for the cats. I made sure she peed before we went in, but she kept trying to lift her leg on various shelves and corners.

We got home and right away, she picked up one of her balls and wanted to go and play some more. We went over to the baseball diamond and played fetch until her energy seemed to be waning. I took her along the direction of her usual morning walk. We ran into a poodle she has met before. She has no great interest in playing with him, but she isn't afraid either, so they just sniffed each other.

Since coming back, she has been chewing at one of her balls and is whining and pushing and entreating me to play with her. I really don't like playing ball in the house with all the money I've just spent on repairs.

Did I mention that she scratched the moulding around the patio door again? Not as bad this time. The repair man couldn't believe she did that. He said, 'She's so quiet!' Apparently when the work men are here, she leaves them alone and lies down upstairs. I wonder if she'd do the same for a burgler - come down, see who it was, then tell him 'Oh, alright, carry on' and go back upstairs to lie down.

Chica goes on a sleep-over

Chica is on a sleep-over at Gorby's house. The house seems pretty quiet without her here. Earlier today, I packed up two meals of her food, some treats, her Kong, her Kong ball, and her bed. I forgot her new frisbee (Kong, also) though. She really loves her new frisbee. If I throw it up on an angle, she'll jump all four feet up to catch it. Then, she snaps its neck. I think she must have been taught to play frisbee in her previous life. She gets very excited about the game. Of course, she gets excited about fetch a ball, too. And dead things. And rabbit poop.

Anyway, back to the sleep-over. Debbie and her family will be taking care of Chica when I go away, so we thought it would be a good idea for Chica to spend some time over there. She has already met Debbie's dog, Gorby, as well as her dog who has since passed away, Sadza. Chica was totally fine with both of them, both when we went to Bruce Pit together and when we went back to Debbie's for tea. Chica is pretty adaptable. After I got her, I told Martha how surprised I was at how quickly Chica had settled right in here and bonded with me. Martha replied that I should remember that. (Chica would forget me quite easily and not miss home.) It's true - Chica just enjoys being around people, any people. She prefers people she knows, but will wiggle and blink her brown eyes for strangers we run into on our walks if they pay her attention.

I think Chica will be very comfortable staying at Debbie's. Three people to scratch her behind the ears and rub her belly, three people and a dog to go out on walks with her (long walks - these are young, fit people) and no cats to compete with. She may not want to come home at all. I imagine pulling up to Debbie's tomorrow and Chica pulling all the curtains and telling them not to answer the door.

Foster dog 5

True friends are when one can sleep and the other won't rip her guts out.

Chica and Mylo.

Foster dog 4

Foster dog 3

Foster dog 2

Ahhh, bliss.

Foster dog

Chica's former foster mother, Erika, sent me some photos from Chica's month in care - August 2006.

Energetic dog

Chica is sitting with me here, now, chewing on her Kong which I filled with treats. It's a good way for her to calm down after a walk.

I have had the flu and bronchitis, but luckily Steve D. was here to go to my brother Jon's photography show in Malone and he stayed on taking Chica for her walks while I hacked my lungs out at home.

Now, I'm back to walking her myself. In the morning, it's basically to get her out in the air, sniff the various smells, pick up the local gossip, and do her business. 20 minutes. When I get home, I let her out to pee in the backyard. After we eat dinner, we go for a walk of around 40 minutes. During the week, I can't often take her somewhere where I can take her off-leash so that she can have a good run, so we go to the park and I throw the ball for her. She just loves playing ball and will keep chasing it long after she stops running and starts ambling back. Even though she seems pretty tired out, she keeps bringing me her ball, dropping it in my lap, nudging and nudging. Before the house was painted, I used to sometimes throw it down the hallway a number of times to try to wear off her energy. If I hide it behind my back, she will dive into the chair and scrabble it out. These days, I am giving her her Kong or a rawhide to calm her. I think she has gained weight.