What a change our dog has gone through in the past 4 months. He did amazing at training as did our 6 year olds. He and another dog were the only ones recommended to go on to the intermediate level. Throughout the 8 weeks, we saw him go from a timid/cautious dog to being more comfortable around humans and dogs. He would not let the trainer pet him at first and by the end they were best buds. When I say go find so and so, he now walks towards the person with a waggy tail and head down ready for some love.

Bubs has been great with all the kids rolling in and out of our house. He is gentle and really does not bother with them. He still likes to find food on the counter and bark randomly at noise but both habits are getting much better. His favorite perches are the couch and our bed. He is a great blanket in the cold and is awesome at snuggles. He is really playful and just a really nice addition to the family.

We went on our first long trip to Maryland and Pennsylvania for the holidays. He adapted to each new environment pretty quickly once he realized we were all staying. We still take a long walk in the morning with our golden friend and he has become really good at being off leash running at the park.

He just finished a round of antibiotics for Lyme but other than that he is in good health. We went to the vet in December and got his shots. We are are all up to date and ready to romp in the snow, if it ever falls.

Thanks again NEARR people. This was a great match.

Fantastic Frannie here! It has been a fabulous 2 months. My mom and dad can’t believe that it’s only been 2 months. It feels like I have been here forever.

Over the holidays, I went to my aunt’s house. My brother Winston and I had all sorts of interesting adventures. Before I went to my aunt’s house, my mom took me to the groomer. I got my nails cut, had a nice bath, and came out smelling like a rose. My aunt and uncle have a pool with a pool cover. The very 1st day I was there I actually touched it with my paw. Of course, they have one of those pool covers that even a little child could walk on. As soon as my paw touched the water, I decided I would leave that area alone.

On Christmas eve, Winston made a big mess of my aunties calzone. He unwrapped it and ate one end. I promptly told my aunt and uncle and saved the day. Although I had fun at my aunts house, I was very excited to see mom and dad.

Now the holidays are over and I have a lot of work to do. For a dog, I have a lot of big jobs in my house. My number 1 job is keeping my mom safe from the scary things in the basement. I often go down with her to change out the laundry. I go down the stairs 1st and check things out. Once I know that everything is safe, I look back at mom she can come down the stairs. My other big job is keeping my brother Winston out of trouble. There have been a few times where I have helped him with some of his more industrious ideas. If it means I will get some food, then I am in. Otherwise I’m telling mom and dad!

I hope everyone at NEARR had a wonderful holiday season! Until next month.

We have one happy dog living with us! He likes going for walks, going for rides in the car, playing with his ball in the backyard, and just hanging around with us in the house. When we sit down on the floor, he just cuddles right up next to us. If we are standing up, he loves wrapping his body around us, like a cat does..we cannot believe how flexible his body is! He got to meet our vet a couple of weeks ago and got a clean bill of health. We will be scheduling the obedience classes for after the holiday time. We really do enjoy him… all is well in the Household of Dexter!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.

Hi Dawn. I just got a call from the vet who told us that all of Hailee’s blood-work for liver function, phenobarbitol, heartworm and lyme disease came back perfect. She is a very healthy girl. The vet was very impressed in her behavior and cooperation as well as her overall health. She was obviously
loved in her past lives as she is in her current one with us.

We are working with her on the invisible fence and she is a fast learner. It will be a couple more weeks before she can be on her own with Sam in the yard. She finally loves all of the men in the family-no more barking and backing away from them. Sam and she are the best of friends now. She enjoys her outings to the local state park. It is a trick keeping the two dogs from getting tangled up on their long leashes. It works best when we go together.

Hailee is quite the little thief! I opened a bottom drawer in my bureau and she quickly grabbed a pair of socks and ran. We are working on getting her to drop shoes and socks and trading them for a toy. Then we play keep away with her. She keeps us on our toes.

We went shopping last night and picked up a new tugtoy and nylabone for her Christmas stocking. Sam is a tennis ball and nylabone kind of guy and is not interested in the tugtoys son we are building our upper body strength playing tug with her several times a day.

Bill got up to feed and walk the dogs this morning. I was sound asleep and was woken up by Hailee kisses all over my face!!! She has decided our bed is a favorite place. She and Sam often nap there during the day.

Have a wonderful holiday season.

We have now had Cosmo for 8 years and he is doing great. He is still coming for runs, hikes and chasing his ball in the yard. We had our third child in July and once again Cosmo is awesome with the baby. He also let’s my twins play and crawl on and around him without a care in the world.

Thank you once again for bringing him into our lives. We will always be grateful.

Hailee has certainly made herself at home. She and Sam have come to an understanding and are now pals. I think Hailee would like it if Sam played tug toy but he has never enjoyed that game so we play tug with her instead. We will be starting to train her on the invisible fence this week. We got her a working collar and now that I am on a 3 month hiatus from the nursery I will have more time to work with her. We took Hailee to Buddy Dog this weekend to meet Donna Dewallis, the director. She thinks Hailee is a gem. She played mascot for the team of boy scouts working on their Eagle Scout project there.

Hailee is an imp. She likes to get into the trash so we are getting cans with lids for the bathrooms. She especially likes to take our shoes and play keep away with them to get our attention. Our house is tidier now that we know to put our shoes in the closet! Hailee keeps guard while we have workers building a small deck off the house. She makes a point to woof at them periodically just to let them know she’s here.

Yesterday, saw her have her first seizure with us. She was laying next to the desk and when she didn’t lift her head and saw her shaking a little. It was brief and mild like we were told. We are religious about giving her the medication so I guess we can expect these periodically.

Our 2 year old granddaughter loves Hailee because she is so playful and affectionate. She likes having 2 doggies to love and they love her. She is really good with dogs because she has spent a lot of time with Sampson since she was born. Our daughter came home from college last weekend and was surprised to find Hailee here. We did not tell her because we wanted her to be surprised and she was. Hailee is so immediately affectionate towards women and kids but it takes her a while with men. If they sit down she is fine but when they are standing she barks and backs away until she gets to know the man. She must have had issues with a man or men in her past. She is doing great with all of us now that all the family has met her and she has had a chance to give kisses to all. Hope your holidays are jolly!

We continue to really enjoy having Dexter as a member of our family! He has defintely adjusted to our schedule. He is such a smart dog…he learns very quickly. It took a few days, but he now lies down on the floor by the table while we eat. I think he even closed his eyes and took a little cat nap while we ate tonight! Whenever anyone of us comes home, he greets us with kisses and full body wags!

While out on our walks, he has met our next door neighbor’s dog; they seem to be friends. He also gets along well with the other dogs that our dog walker takes care of. We will continue to have her come take him out around noon, so he can burn some of that puppy energy. He, of course, really likes to play fetch with any one of us, including me who does not through the ball very well.

Today we went to watch the local Santa parade. Dexter howled at the firetrucks when they turned on their sirens, with his tail wagging; I think he was telling them that he could be louder! He also liked seeing the horses and other dogs…and of course Santa!

This week we will be going to the vet for his check up. I am sure that he will get a clean bill of health. Thank you to all who took care of Dexter before he joined us; he is a very sweet dog!

I can’t believe it has already been one whole month with my new family. It feels like I’ve been here forever. I continue to amaze my mom and dad with just how sweet and kind I am. Mom feels I have truly accepted that this is my forever home. I have become so playful. I chase after balls now and will return them to Mom when she throws them for me. I used to just laze around. But now, no one would ever guess my age!

Mom and I both think it is funny that neither one of us can eat gluten. In any other household, they would have to be concerned if I gobbled up a spare crumb from the floor. Yet somehow, I was blessed to be placed with humans that are just like me!

My feline brother and I have enjoyed keeping our parents on their toes. He is a very talented cat and will kindly knock things off the kitchen counter for me. He can even open the fridge! We nearly had quite the feast when he figured that one out! Mom just laughs and calls us “partners in crime”. She blames it all on my brother and knows I would never participate in such hijinks without him.

I’ll keep you all posted about our adventures next month! Mom says we get to go stay to my Auntie’s house for the holidays. Can’t wait!

Until then,
Fantastic Frannie

Dexter has been a wonderful addition to our family! He adjusted very quickly. He gets to go for a short walk in the morning before we all leave, a neighbor takes him for another walk around noon, and then we go for a nice long walk in the later part of the afternoon. Of course, in between all of those walks, there is always time to play fetch! Although right now we keep Dexter on the retractable leash and don’t throw the ball far, he does not seem to mind. He is just happy to play fetch!

I must admit that I was worried about having Dexter join us on Sunday and having my family travel and stay over for the Thanksgiving holiday, but all went very well. Everyone loved Dexter. He did not seem to even notice that there were lots of people staying at the house. He played nicely with my seven year old niece…she would tell him to sit and wait before throwing his ball, and he listened and obeyed her. They had a great time together!

Dexter just makes all of us laugh, even my three month old nephew would giggle when he saw him. We are so happy that he has joined us.

I am really enjoying hanging with my brother Winston! Despite his feline nature, I have officially decided that he is a part of my pack. It isn’t unusual for Mom and Dad to find the two of us snuggled up in the bed. I usually make a nice soft nest for the two of us by kicking the covers
around. Once I settle down, Winston will climb right in alongside me. I will whine if he isn’t in the room with me. After all, pack members look out for one another!

Mom has taken me to lots of fun parks over the past two weeks. My favorite has a pond and a great walking trail. Mom and I will walk around and say hello to all of the other dog owners that frequent the park. I am always friendly and love to make new friends. Then we will pick a bench and sit down for a drink of water.

My parents feel that I am really settling in well. I have my first vet visit Monday. We’ll let you know how it goes!

Many blessings,
Fantastic Frannie

Lily is a great dog! She is extremely smart as well. We have our rose bushes behind a wire fence since one of our previous dogs loved the taste of roses. Sometimes when we are throwing the ball for Lily it goes inside the rose fence. Lily has discovered the secret people only passage into the rose garden and races right into the garden grabs the ball and brings it back to us.

Lily is still learning the rules of the house and now knows that all toys are not hers. Sharing can be fun! Our other Lab used to tell us when it was mealtime. He doesn’t do that anymore since Lily took over that job. She lets you know when the time is near and would prefer it if you could hurry-up.

She passed her obedience school but we had attended more for socialization than anything else since Lily knew all of the commands and does most of them quite well. We are still working on noisy streets which she doesn’t really like but she’s getting there.

Lily has her own bed schedule and goes to bed on her own around 7:30. We have to call her down around 9:30 so she can take her last outside call and get a snack before the real bedtime. A snack is a tradition in our house usually consisting of a couple of bits of fruit or veggies. She has learned to enjoy all kinds of fruits and veggies and knows that she will only get food in the kitchen away from the table.

On her last Vet visit Lily weighed 78 Lbs. and the Vet said she was in perfect health.

She continues to be a great watchdog letting us know of any imminent danger and does not like to see any squirrel walk across her deck. She really wants to catch one!

Lily enjoys going to the dump because she will get a biscuit there. Fun stuff! And of course she loves riding anywhere. Take me! Take me!

She is always with one of us going food shopping or working outside and sometimes in the house can’t quite decide which one of us to stay with. So she shares a few minutes with one and then with the other. Usually she is carrying her toy bear with her and always remembers where she left it.

She is a sweetheart!

It’s a few days early but I wanted to drop you a quick (and final, formal) update on Prince Charming. It is just one year now since he was formally adopted to me as part of the foster-to-adopt program. Time flies when your dog is having fun.

Sir Prince is still doing very well. His health is fine and he is still very active, often puppy like. His favorite activity is eating. Eating his food, your food, my food, anything remotely food-like that he can reach. He does respond to ‘no’ commands and doesn’t really beg. Begging is beneath his royal charm. Instead, he watches and waits for the best opportunity to swoop in and steal a bite from an unsuspecting person at a party or to dive into an open trash can if its open. It’s a normally manageable condition but occasionally I forget to guard something and he is ready to act.

He, of course, also loves to hike and swim and play with his toys or big sticks. We went camping several times this summer and fall- one the pictures here is of him getting ready to go to bed. And when at home with me on an average workday, he likes to nap next to me on the day-bed I got for him. It might look like he is sleeping in this picture but I know he is actually studying me, looking for some sign of something edible.

Thanks so much for bringing him to me! He has been and will always be a blessing to me.

Hi to all that read this. Hailee is a doll. Within 20 minutes of arriving home a week ago, she found the toy box and brought a nylabone up on my bed to chew next to me while I was on the phone. She made herself right at home and hasn’t seemed stressed at all. Sam, our other yellow lab has been somewhat stressed and has been trying to assert his dominance and Hailee tells him off. I think Hailee may become the Alpha dog. Tug toy is her favorite game and she likes to play keep away by running around the house. We will begin to train her about the invisible fence in the next week or two. We have taken her down to the state park for several longer walks with Sampson.

The other day we were busy working and looked over and Hailee was standing in the middle of the room with a clean sock hanging from her mouth. She wasn’t getting attention so she went into our bedroom and pulled a sock out of the clean folded clothes in the laundry basket and paraded it into the family room. She has since done that with my slipper twice. There is no question that she is a very frisky 9 year old. Sam can’t keep up.

We took her for her first vet appointment and she passed with flying colors. The doctor was pleased by her temperament and condition. She is at the perfect weight. We have started her on Frontline as we live in the woods and continued with Heartgard as well. Hailee is a remarkable dog and we have been so impressed by how quickly she has made our home hers. She is truly part of our family.

Here is a picture of Bubs the stoic dog. We have been having a blast. He joined us for trick or treating, we go romping at the beach, and we walk every morning with our next door neighbor Mandy, the Golden. We started training a couple weeks ago and we have seen a great improvement in how Bubba listens to everyone in our house rather than just me. He is definitely a mix between a couch potato and a 2 year old. He gets his bursts of energy around 4 every day. He loves kicking the soccer ball around in the back yard and looks for our neighbor who like to rain treats down on him over our fence. It is pretty cute. He is definitely a people loving dog although I think five 6-year old girls the other night running around our house was a bit much for him. He walked up the stairs and waited for everyone to leave. Everyday, he is settling in a little more. Our families can’t wait to meet him over Thanksgiving and the holidays.

Thanks again NEARR for another amazing NEARR dog experience.

We just got home from picking the girls up at school. Bubba is the love of the playground. He now has a new human 6 year old buddy who lights up when he sees Bubba and they walk around the playground together. It is way too cute. We could not have asked for a better dog, especially around kids.

The family has been spending lots of time on the weekends going to our favorite dog spots; walking at the farm and in the woods, checking out the bay at the park and taking rides to do errands. Bubs is so happy to get in the car.

Lets see, he has claimed a space on the couch but knows he can only come up when his blanket is down. He sleeps in our bedroom but sometimes I will find him sleeping on one of the girls beds. The transition has been easy, with a couple bumps but nothing we can’t work on. He still loves to surf the counter. We are working on that one. He is getting used to the sounds of our street and house but still likes to bark at random noises. And he LOVES a good crayon. It makes picking up poop very colorful. Also, we start training next week.

He also has a new friend, Mandy the 3 year old golden retriever. We walk with Mandy every morning and Bubs is now trying to get her to play with him. It is great and really funny to watch.

Attached is a picture from one of our adventures to the park . Will send more soon. All is well with Bubs. We are all enjoying each other.

Little Orphan Frannie
First Week Update

I am loving my new home! I have to admit I miss my foster parents and my canine foster brothers.

My new mom takes me for a long walk everyday and I run with my new daddy every morning. When we go for walks, my mom plays “red light, green light” with me. The game was suggested by my new trainer and is really teaching me not to walk mom. Instead, I let her walk me!

My feline brother Winston seems very nice. I am always excited to see him and whine when he isn’t in the room. I like to think he is part of my pack.

I am getting lots of hugs and kisses! I also like my new routine since Mom comes home in the middle of the day. Tomorrow, she is taking me to her favorite park. I can’t wait!

Thanks NEARR for keeping me safe until I found my forever home!