One year ago today, we welcomed a new member into our family...
I promised a continuation from yesterday's story, and this is it:
After Ellie died, we all missed her, and our home felt SO empty without the pitter-patter of doggie feet. It was especially hard on Kathryn, who had grown up with Ellie. We all thought we'd want to wait quite a while before getting another dog, but after talking about it more, we decided we didn't want to wait long. We knew we'd never replace Ellie, but we all felt that adopting another dog would honor Ellie's memory. So I began searching, and found a litter of 6-month-old greyhound mix puppies on PetFinder that we were interested in meeting. They were with a no-kill rescue group called Our Pick of the Litter, and were going to be at an adoption site one Saturday, but Ken was playing in a concert that day, and Kathryn was with her dad, so my mom went with me to meet the pups. I had sent in an application that week just in case. After observing and interacting with the puppies, Mom and I both agreed that Lacy had the best personality to fit our family, and I adopted her that very day.
We loved Lacy right away, but getting used to life with a puppy instead of a very mellow 13-year-old dog was a change for us all, especially Kathryn. And perhaps getting her two days before we started our school year wasn't the best timing. . .
Lacy participates in as many of our nature studies as she can, and we're almost convinced that she can read. I know for a fact that she can spell, and I think she may be at least at a 1st grade math level. {grin} It's really quite comical how deeply she pays attention during our school days. Being part greyhound, she is in the sighthound category, and she is very observant, has excellent vision, and seldom ever barks.
She loves the chance to go wake Kathryn up in the morning, and tells her "night-night" in the evenings by putting her front paws up on the bed. She can jump straight up in the air with all four feet from a standing-still position high enough to look me straight in the eye. Sometimes she runs and spins simultaneously; I don't know how to explain it except for saying she spins like a top! And wow -- watching her run is truly amazing! I have never seen a dog run so fast and look like she is enjoying it so much! Everyone who ever sees her just stands with their mouth hanging open a little in awe at her speed, agility, and joy! I wish you could see just how FAST she is!
It may sound silly that I prayed for guidance in choosing our dog, but God really does care about every detail of our lives. Adopting a dog is a long-term commitment (13+ years in my experience) that affects our daily lives, so why wouldn't we pray for guidance in something like that? Lacy fits into our family just right. We're very thankful for our Wonder Dog, and hoping for many more years with this goofy mutt!
I promised a continuation from yesterday's story, and this is it:
After Ellie died, we all missed her, and our home felt SO empty without the pitter-patter of doggie feet. It was especially hard on Kathryn, who had grown up with Ellie. We all thought we'd want to wait quite a while before getting another dog, but after talking about it more, we decided we didn't want to wait long. We knew we'd never replace Ellie, but we all felt that adopting another dog would honor Ellie's memory. So I began searching, and found a litter of 6-month-old greyhound mix puppies on PetFinder that we were interested in meeting. They were with a no-kill rescue group called Our Pick of the Litter, and were going to be at an adoption site one Saturday, but Ken was playing in a concert that day, and Kathryn was with her dad, so my mom went with me to meet the pups. I had sent in an application that week just in case. After observing and interacting with the puppies, Mom and I both agreed that Lacy had the best personality to fit our family, and I adopted her that very day.
This photo is from Lacy's 1st day home, & it's still one of my favorites of her.
We loved Lacy right away, but getting used to life with a puppy instead of a very mellow 13-year-old dog was a change for us all, especially Kathryn. And perhaps getting her two days before we started our school year wasn't the best timing. . ."So, for our math today -- NO, Lacy -- as I was saying -- leave it! -- what this math page is about is -- don't eat the electrical cord!..."But Lacy's goofy and sweet personality worked it's way deep into our hearts. She's very smart, and learns quickly; she was potty trained within a few days, and has learned some pretty crazy tricks I never would have even thought to teach another dog... like jumping through the hoops of Ken's arms, leaping over us when we're squatting down, jumping and spinning simultaneously to land in Ken's arms, as well as the typical commands like "sit" and "shake". Before Lacy, I've never seen "jumping for joy" literally, but Lacy leaps like an overgrown bunny whenever she's happy. My biggest challenge was teaching her which things were NOT okay to chew on; furniture, the Dyson vacuum cord, the curtains, a couch pillow, and a couple of Kathryn's toys all fell victim to Lacy's need to chew. But we invested in some rawhides and a giant nylabone, and now she chews to her heart's content and leaves the rest alone (mostly!).
Lacy participates in as many of our nature studies as she can, and we're almost convinced that she can read. I know for a fact that she can spell, and I think she may be at least at a 1st grade math level. {grin} It's really quite comical how deeply she pays attention during our school days. Being part greyhound, she is in the sighthound category, and she is very observant, has excellent vision, and seldom ever barks.
She loves the chance to go wake Kathryn up in the morning, and tells her "night-night" in the evenings by putting her front paws up on the bed. She can jump straight up in the air with all four feet from a standing-still position high enough to look me straight in the eye. Sometimes she runs and spins simultaneously; I don't know how to explain it except for saying she spins like a top! And wow -- watching her run is truly amazing! I have never seen a dog run so fast and look like she is enjoying it so much! Everyone who ever sees her just stands with their mouth hanging open a little in awe at her speed, agility, and joy! I wish you could see just how FAST she is!It may sound silly that I prayed for guidance in choosing our dog, but God really does care about every detail of our lives. Adopting a dog is a long-term commitment (13+ years in my experience) that affects our daily lives, so why wouldn't we pray for guidance in something like that? Lacy fits into our family just right. We're very thankful for our Wonder Dog, and hoping for many more years with this goofy mutt!
