Misty

Just an update on Misty. She went up to Massachusetts this weekend after being in rescue for over 3 yrs! She's doing very well! adopted to a home with 4 kids and a pom!
Things are going very well
Renee
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Wed, 9 Jan 2008
Hi Renee!

Day 5 and another good day for Misty!

I left for a little while today to get her license. I hadn't left her since Saturday. You wouldn't believe the reception I got when I got home. Maybe she thought I ws leaving forever.

She did something very good this morning. Annie took hold of her tail. Not pulling, just curious; but I knew Misty wouldn't like it. But Misty had the greatest solution: she head-butted Annie away to let her know not to pull tails. I gave her a lot of praise for this. I thought it was a great doggie solution to annoying baby behavior.

Misty LOVES her jog / walks and we had nice weather today. It felt like March and a lot of the snow has melted. We met a border collie on our way and she didn't like him. Nothing major, but she gave a little warning sound. I thought of the border collie dog who got her in the ear. But more likely I think she was protecting me and the babies! This dog was a big alpha male type.

I've been meaning to tell you that I am so impressed at what a great job you and Robbie did with her in spite of having so many dogs. Misty has wonderful manners. When I walk with her, I have her leash tied around my waist so that I can have two hands on the double stroller. I still guide her with one hand, but she pulls against my midsection if she pulls, so that I can manage her better. Some of the streets are busy, so I have to keep her close. I must be quite a sight pushing two kids and an 85 lb. dog tied to my waist! Anyway, she has caught onto this so fast. She seems to understand what I need her to do and stays right next to me or behind me. I don't think many dogs would catch on so fast.

Tonight she did some strange running around and barking. She was so agitated that Mike and I were pulling our hair out trying to figure out what was wrong! It was so strange for Misty, who has been so quiet. Finally Mike said, "Take her license off." he was right. The sound of the license clanking against her ID tag confused her. She thought another dog was in the house. Poor Misty! I attached it to a different part of her collar and she was fine.

More later,
Katie


Tue, 8 Jan 2008
Hi Renee,

Misty is great. She is pacing less and is content to be on the same floor as I am rather than shadowing me. The hand shyness with Mike is gone today. She seems more confident and secure. I swear she has a more relaxed expression on her face.

Misty and I went for a long walk/jog this morning. It's warm here-into the 50's!. She did great. She has amazing stamina -better than me. I jogged her walked her on-and-off and offered her water every 20 min or so. I read somewhere that dogs don't naturally just run for miles and miles without stopping- you have to let them walk, run and stop and sniff, so we did that . We saw lots of people with their dogs and she loved the attention, accepting pats from everybody. She seemed to really like one set of beagles, Kara and Kailey. Do you think that baying reminded her of TN?

A neighborhood kitty cat approached us and she just sniffed and wagged her tail. We got home at noon. At three, I moved her leash and she heard it and came running. I couldn't believe that after doing 3 miles she was ready for more!

I am feeding her the recommended amount on the back of the Nutro bag. She's getting so much exercise that I feel that I shouldn't make her diet too. We'll see where we are in a month. She likes to eat, so I doubt she'd take too kindly to a diet plan!

She has the sweetest most laid back temperment, we just love her and are so glad that the yelling and banging around of a pile of kids doesn't rattle her. She just lifts her head off the couch pillow and then goes back to sleep.

More later,
Katie


Mon, 7 Jan 2008
Hi Renee,

Just a quick update on our girl. She's doing beautifully. She's still very needy and follows me from room to room, but that's to be expected. Sometimes she seems to get confused and seeks me out and leans against me for reassurance. She's seems comforted by lots of verbal and physical affection. She LOVES the walks. She jumps up when she sees the leash and has such happy body language as we set out, which is great to see. Misty and Kipper sleep together on the same rug or James's bed no problem. Kipper got possessive about my bed, but Misty seems to like her big cushy donut bed next to the radiator. Me, Mike, Kipper and Misty on a full size mattress would be a bit tight, so I'm glad she's satisfied. Her teeth were chattering on night one (never heard that-sounded like applause in the middle of the night!), so last night I covered her with quilts which she loved and seemed more comfortable. Saw a bit more of extended family yesterday for Daniel's birthday and did fine. Still hand shy with men; not aggressive, no growling, just doesn't want to be petted. It's not a problem. A watch dog SHOULD be slightly suspicious of strange men. She's warmed up to Mike, although doesn't always want to be petted by him either. We heard her bark this morning. Wow! The floor shook! Mike asked her if she was a good girl and she answered with two barks (playing, tail up and wagging). She seems to be getting used to our routine: when to expect meals and walks. The neighbors have a shepherd that they leave out too much. They go out for hours and leave her in a small yard with access to the garage. She barks and barks out of boredom. When Daisy is on one of her barking jags, it upsets Misty and she paces. She will probably learn to tune it out as I have. Misty continues to be super gentle with the kids. She likes to go outside while the little ones are puttering around in the yard. She follows them around and just stands near them. I don't think she's going to love the snow, but she tolerates it okay. It's confusing for her when she steps through the crust and her leg goes down, but I see her chosing her steps more carefully now. Sometimes she asks to go out and then backs away from the door when she feels how cold it is, but I give her a nudge and she does her business and then right back in. She adores the older boys, especially the oldest. Kipper is slightly jealous of this, or maybe even protectiveof "his boy", but it's very minor: just a little warning noise in the throat for Misty to be nice to James, which of course she is. Well, that's the update. Made the appointment with my vet to establish a record and plan to go to City Hall today or tom. for the dog license.

We love her! And I totally understand why you would find it hard to see her go - she 's a wonderful dog. Thanks so much for letting us have her. Everyone around here finds her looks so unusual and wants to know what kind of dog she is. We say that she's a Tennesse Special Recipe!

Katie