01 Jessie

Update Recieved April 2009: Just had to say thank you again for taking care of jessie and for trusting us with her. she is such a joy in our lives. this morning as we went through our morning routine and on our walk, she and tula were side by side in front of me on the leash, and it made me so happy. they are so good to one another. there is a real bond there.she is so funny--always so exuberant and up for anything. she goes running with josh and tula; she loves to perch herself on the patio table and look over the fence. she loves to play tug with the rope toy. tula and her just growl and growl away in playful tones (often while we are trying to watch tv). she also loves to bite on tula's collar. it's her one advantage since tula is so much bigger. and tula totally lets her get away with it. tula even likes it.

jessie and tula get a dog bone every night. i make them both sit and shake and then they get their treats. inevitably, they leave the room to go on the bed and before doing so they switch treats. it's so funny. she is a real snuggle bunny in the mornings. i get up first, but a few minutes later, she comes and peeks her head in the bathroom while i'm taking a shower. i poke through the plastic curtain and she pretends to bite my finger. then she lays on the bathroom rug until i get out. she loves the dog door. i can't imagine her in any other setting. she loves loves loves being outside. and the screened-in porch is great too. both of them spend a lot of time there. unfortunately, she's still into digging, but this will pass. it's made for lots of muddy paw prints though. she hates getting a bath and insists on jumping up no matter how much we try to break her of this. but mostly, she is a perfect dog and a perfect companion to tula. thanks again and again to you and animal rescue. what you do is so important and kind and good. love to you all.

Update Received January 2009: I just wanted to check in with you and let you know that all is well! Jessie is a love. Josh calls her a worm because she contorts her little body and gets right up next to you as if she can't get close enough. It's been nice to have a long weekend to love on her. And boy oh boy, if any dog would benefit from a dog door, it's her! She loves being able to go in and out at her will. She loves that snow. We've gone on several walks, and she's great. But I haven't mastered walking two dogs yet without getting the leashes all tangled up. Her and Tula have spent a lot of time playing. Tula is, I think, mostly happy she is here but she's still adjusting to sharing our attention. But I make an extra effort to kiss on Tula so she knows that that part hasn't changed. But there seems to be no aggression when it comes to food or toys. i think they have bonded. today i had to take Tula to the vet to get some routine shots. And when I left with her, Jessie cried and cried and tried to jump the fence. She didn't do this the times that Josh and I left for a couple of hours, so it showed me that she is attached to Tula. This is nice to know. Josh stayed home with her while I went to the vet with Tula. She calmed down but was really excited when we got back.

We went to the Minnehaha Dog Park on Sunday, and boy! it was fun. It was warmer that day and there were big pretty snowflakes falling. And they just ran and ran. Jessie was everyone's playmate. She didn't come, just like you said. We had to go get her. I don't think she knows we are mom and dad yet. But she'll learn. They had a great time. Some pics from the weekend are attached for you to enjoy. Life is really good. It feels like a real family. Thank you for being such a great foster-dad. I'm so happy the process of adopting Jessie included meeting you.