Feb 02/13/05 11:37 AM

Hi Rebecca and Bryce,
Wesley and I, and Holly Berry, Jessie Joy, and the kitties want to
thank you so much for the visit yesterday. We had a wonderful time with
you - how the time whizzed by! There are so many things about you both
and your home that are a fit for Holly, and there are so many things
she will be able to do for and with

you, I am confident that this
adoption was meant to be. I hope you continue to feel the same way.
After you left, Jessie Joy's foster dad Leonard visited with us all,
and Holly was completely at ease with him. When he left, Mary Sesto,
another rescuer from our group, came over with her husband Dan. We had
asked them to come to spend some time working with Holly on her shyness
before we were to go out to dinner, but again, Holly was completely at
ease with them ( going up to them voluntarily, licking their hands,
laying at their feet, etc). So, it appears that your visit was some
type of turning point for Holly, a marker of her growing ease and
confidence. By the time we left for our dinner at 7:30 pm, Holly had
been "on" for nearly 8 hours. She was tired but very calm and serene.
This morning, Holly awoke cheerful and happy. She approached me as I
was sitting down on the bed for my first cup of coffee, and I gave her
permission to come up for "cuddle time". I look pretty bedraggled in my
kitty cat night gown and socks-but we were having some "quality" time
when my husband came in with the digital camera and took this shot. You
can substitute either one of you relaxing with her on the couch or
floor watching a game or drinking coffee in the near future...
I will be in touch in the next couple of days to let you know how her
spay goes, and with info about the materials I am getting together to
bring to you when we deliver her next Saturday. I may have some
suggestions about how to set up the introductions at your house, too.
If you can arrange for Rebecca's dad to be there when we arrive, that
would also be good. More to follow...
Stephanie

02/11/05 6:53 PM

Hi Rebecca,
This is quite an impressive place! It certainly has all the bells and
whistles, and I think it should do just fine for you and Holly. Some of
the veterinary relationship is about services, and some of it is
comfort and chemistry. It is very important that you and Holly feel
welcome there, have your questions answered, and that you get
information and education when you go there as well as a bill for
services rendered. I can share a lot about my recent vet experiences
lately when I see you.
I am starting to wonder how we are going to get it all in... Wish we'd
arranged for a sleep over! Just kidding!
We just got back from a big trip to the dog park with a running path.
Holly was off leash, and she ran up and barked at a guy on a bike, with
her roo, roo, roo (who are you, what are you doing) bark. I gave him
the "therapy hot dogs" to give her, and she took them easily, and was
fine. Same thing with a runner and a big guy in a parka. The hot dogs
do the trick- in fact, smart girl that she is, she began to look at me
first, then bark, than look for the treat.
But, there is something scary to her about people if they stare at
her at first, have their hands behind their backs like they are hiding
something, or if they raise their hands to her. I hope you aren't put
off by this, but I must be honest with you. I have been working with
her every day on this, and anything else that seems to unnerve her
(like the suitcases), but she will need some more time to finish her
healing.
So, when you come, I will ask you to look past her at first, and keep
your hands out front and relaxed. We will make it special and fun and
low key for everybody. And full of her favorite treats, too.
In the pictures I sent you, Iggy is carrying a baby around. He takes
it everywhere now- even on walks and to the park. It is one of his
stages in development. Holly has a baby doggie in her crate, but she is
not attached to it like Iggy is to his. He is 1 month further down the
development line than Holly, so in a way you can see where she will be
in the near future. Holly does like squeaky toys. Her favorite one
right now is a large red tomato with 6 squeakers, and she does like
soft squeaky balls. What Holly really needs now is her new home and her
new Mommy and Daddy- something I can't give her and you can. The toy
development should flourish once she settles in with you.
I am so greatful to you for this opportunity for Holly..
Hope this helps!

Feb 11, 2005, at 5:02 PM

We love the pictures! Thank you so much. She is beautiful. I noticed Izzy has a baby. Does Holly have something like that? Maybe we could bring her one or a ball, Frisbee, or ... ?

I feel pretty excited today, not only because we are coming tomorrow, but I think I found a vet.

I have attached a link. There is a holistic vet on staff, Dr. Adams. Although she was not in today, her tech spoke with me for quite awhile on the phone. I asked what types of services she provided and acupuncture, massage therapy, nutrition, and Chinese herbs was on the list. Now she did tell me that Dr. Adams handles almost all of the allergy cases, so sometimes seeing her at the last minute can be difficult, but there are various vet on staff (including a dermatologist) that Holly could see and the vet would consult with Dr.Adams. I scheduled a tentative appointment for March 8th to introduce Holly and bring her records. I have had a number of neighbors that have taken their animals there, but I guess I never realized that they had a Holistic vet on staff. They also offer emergency services, which I like because the one trip I had to make to the emergency vet was always crazy. What do you think?

http://www.arboretumviewanimalhospital.com/

Feb 02/11/05 8:47 AM

Hi-
You are doing exactly the things I would be doing, if I was in your
place. Moving the cat dishes is a fine idea, though Holly can also be
taught not to bother them in the future, and using the gate in the
study is just fine. Holly will respect that boundary. Although she
could easily jump it, she does not do that sort of thing- she is too
polite.
Does your colleague with the dog with allergies have a vet she can
recommend? We can work on that when you come for the visit, along with
many other things, such as her coming to you next weekend.
Holly may be shy or may bark when you arrive, but I will have her
favorite treats (hot dogs, and turkey) for you to give her, and I am
sure she will relax fairly quickly. This introduction will be part of
her training process, and something you can do when you introduce her
to new people in the future.
It is going to be a gorgeous day Saturday, so we will get outside
quite a bit. Besides walking in the neighborhood, we may go to one of
the great county parks where the dogs can run freely. Did I tell you
Holly is trained to walk off leash? But, wait until you see how excited
she gets when we put her leash on! She associates only good things with
the leash, so I know she will love going out with you for your walks
and runs.
Do you have any questions about directions? Why don't you call when
you are leaving your house?
We are looking forward to seeing you soon!
Stephanie

Feb 10, 2005, at 9:34 PM,

Stephanie,

This all sounds wonderful. I also thought that the Family Dog Training
1 would be the right place, and I looked at the agility activities
too! The place is just a couple blocks from our house! They
recommended a couple books that I ordered from the library. I am still
searching for a vet, and I want to talk to you more about this on
Saturday. I also let a message for my vet to see if she had any
recommendations.

We are excited about the prospect of Holly coming to live here. I have
moved the cats' food into the study. This way Holly will not have
access to it. We are discussing creating some kind of elevated feeding
area, but for now moving it will do. I figure if I start to prepare
things now, they will not make a connection between the food moving
and a dog appearing! :) I really think that the cats will love having
Holly here. They are all cuddly and playful, so once the initial
introductions are past... it will be wonderful. I know that Holly has
the ability to jump a gate, but I was thinking of gating off the study
so the cats can come and go but Holly can only come in if we let her.
The study is were the litter boxes are and now the food dishes. What
do you think? ( As I type, Ranger is scampering in the hallway with
his toys talking to himself... ahh.. it must be almost bedtime.)

Friday or Saturday is fine with me for next weekend. Bryce has a game
at 7pm on Friday, but I will be here all night. We both get home
around 3 pm. Saturday he doesn't have a game until 6pm. I suppose it
depends on whether you think he needs to be here, or what time you
think you will get here. I, naturally, want to spend as much time
with Holly as possible before I have to go to school on Monday, but I
want what you think will be best for her and you.

I have a thousand more thoughts running through my head, but the cats
are calling me to bed. We are looking forward to Saturday very much.

Rebecca

Feb 02/10/05 6:27 PM

Hi Rebecca,
This looks like a great place- they appear to have the right positive
reinforcement approach, and lots of activities to choose from and to
look forward to (ie Holly appears to have the makings of a great
agility dog, and you might want to progress to therapy dog training,
too). Family Dog Training Level 1 would be the class to take at this
point. Holly would be ready to start this next session (Mar 3) if there
is space in the class and you can do it.
After out talk last night, it is clear to me that you and Bryce are
Holly's family to be. I hope you still feel the same way. She needs to
get on with the rest of her life, and I feel sure she will be adored by
you and vice versa.
How do you feel about this- If the visit goes well this Saturday, can
we plan for Holly to come down to you and Bryce next Friday afternoon
or Saturday am (depending upon the arrangements we can all make)? That
way, she will have the weekend with you for bonding and settling in at
your home.
Let me know your thoughts on this!
Stephanie

On Feb 10, 2005, at 5:00 PM, reading4fun2@comcast.net wrote:

> One of my co-workers that lives right by me took her lab to a dog
> trainer that is very close to us. She seemed real pleased with it,
> but I don't know. Below is the link... do you mind look at the site
> and letting me know what you think?
>
> http://www.pawsitivetraining.com/
>

Feb 10, 2005, at 5:00 PM

One of my co-workers that lives right by me took her lab to a dog
trainer that is very close to us. She seemed real pleased with it,
but I don't know. Below is the link... do you mind look at the site
and letting me know what you think?

http://www.pawsitivetraining.com/