We decided we wanted to adopt a dog. After countless episodes of The Dog Whisperer, books, and internet research, we felt we were ready for adopting a dog from the pound.
Lucy originally belonged to my sister Alissa's family. She had a reputation for chewing, jumping, and sneaking out of the yard despite an electric fence. Her nickname was "Lucifer" and she more than earned it. When my sister mentioned she was looking for a new home for Lucy, we thought we might be up to the challenge.
Not to brag, but we were right.
After many dedicated behavioral training sessions, lots of long walks, a loaded doggy backpack, a few tears, and lots of love, Lucy is now a wonderful, obedient dog who brings so much joy to our lives.
Lucy loves the lake and loves swimming. She would spend hours in the water if we let her.
She is very affectionate and particularly fond of licking. She has been known to lick babies in the face so we'll have to work on that behavior soon.
Lucy loves her toys. She will toss them around for herself, pounce them, and shake them. She chews through even the toughest of toys but the heavy rubber ones usually last a few months.
We know Lucy is a dog, but she's also more than that. She is part of the family and we jokingly call her our starter child. We gladly take her with us almost everywhere we go because she's a great traveler and house guest. Taking care of Lucy has been a great first step in learning how to live for more than just ourselves. We plan trips around her needs. We make sure she gets time outside and is fed well. We keep her in line with behavior training but we also reward her with lots of affection. We're really proud of our Lucy girl!
Some fun facts:
*Lucy is turning 4 this month
*Her favorite toy at the moment is an orange kong that strongly resembles a frog with dangling legs
*She loves jumping into the lake after balls and sticks.
*She is pretty obsessed with birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other critters.
*They often distract her from her day job of laying around in the sun.
*She is afraid of loud noises like the vacuum or Matt practicing hockey in the house.
*She loves curling up in bed with you, or on the couch, or under your legs
*She is my little shadow and follows me all around the house
*She actually loves quilts and always tries to lay on them.
*This is handy since I'm a quilter.
*She loves playing in snow!
We think Lucy will be a great dog for our future children. Now that she's gotten some training and has grown up quite a bit, we know that she will be able to handle the excitement and chaos of bringing a new member into the family!
xo
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