July 2011 - Life According to Lillie
RRRRRufff! And Hello! Last time, I barked about getting a new human sister, but this time, I want to tell you all about getting a foster sister! Heh - there are a lot of girls in our house! Poor dad. Well, actually, the boys outnumbered us for awhile, but we’ll get to that later. Whoo, these lazy summer days have me jumping all around, let me get back to the beginning.
Not long ago, we were a happy family of five – Mom, Dad, Me, Chloe the Dane, and the baby, and we all liked that pretty well, but there I could sniff change floating in on the air. Apparently mom heard about a new friend named Iris, who needed a temporary home! Mom and Dad talked it over and decided that since it was only supposed to be a short amount of time (around 8 weeks) that Iris needed a home, we could certainly make room. Little did I know that with Iris would come TEN PUPPIES! And 8 of them were boys – Dad did get to have some male company for a little bit!
Apparently, Iris had fallen upon hard times. She was pregnant and wandering about all alone, and a kind lady who runs a rescue program adopted her, but needed a place for Iris and her puppies to recuperate, grow, and heal from their rough time. I thought it was pretty neat to have a new friend and 10 puppies at our house, and I wanted go over and meet her, but she wasn’t very friendly at first. I’m not sure if it was because she didn’t know me and was worried I’d hurt her babies, or because mom had just fed her a HUUUUGE bowl of food, and she thought I might eat it, but she told me I had to keep my distance for a while. So I observed from afar, but snuck a peek here and there whenever I could get away with it – I can’t help it! I’m a curious Retriever! And those puppies made some crazy noises!
Not much time passed before the squeaking, squealing little puppies found their ways to new homes, and Iris got to play with us! In the beginning, she was very scared of everything except Mom and Dad… oh and the baby, she loves the baby! But back to the story, once Iris realized that Chloe and I wanted to be her friends, and even her sisters, she wasn’t so scared anymore. She started running around the yard and exploring, playing chase with us, and looking happy for the first time since I met her!
We jumped in and out of the tall grass and around the big tree chasing one another. We ran the fence line and chased small critters around the field (both real and imagined critters!). And we barked at the mailman, the package delivery driver, the tall guy who walks down the street with headphones on, and the big German Shepherd who lives across the road. I took her under my wing, just like I did when Chloe came to join the family, and I tried to teach her what to do. I helped her learn that when Mom and Dad call or whistle, we run back to them for rubs or a ball, a treat or dinner! I reminded her, when she looked scared, that she had become part of our family, and that meant Mom and Dad would always take care of us and keep us safe. And I even tried to teach her to play fetch, but for some reason, she just kept pointing at the ball! I guess some dogs just have a different idea about how to play! But I sure am glad I got to meet her, and I sure am glad she’s my sister, even if it’s only temporary.
*Iris is still looking for a forever home! Contact the SPCA of Wake County if you’re interested in adopting her!*
