TESSY'S FAMILY 28 JANUARY 2010

Terrie writes: Tessy is doing great; almost potty-trained. She uses the pee pad and goes outside in the dog run. We haven't had a mishap since the first day. She gets along fine with all the rest of the family. She is eating well and is almost eight pounds. Rusty, Tessy, Brina The vet wants to see her on 5 February. I gave our vet all the hospital papers that came with Tesst and since she is so timid, I wanted to give her a little time to learn to trust me and build her relationship here at my house first. She also will have her VPI Insurance all in place. My older dog, Brina, had to go back into the hospital; her liver enzymes were running high. She is on her special diet, but they think she may have a tumor now. I'm glad Tessy is here: it sure helps Rusty the younger guy, who is definitely bonded with Tessy and it helps him when Brina is gone. Tessy by the way loves to go out for short walks with the other guys. My daughter-in-law crocheted Tessy a new sweater, so she doesn't mind going out in the cold. We go to the end of my driveway and back and she likes to bark at the squirrels in my large spruce tree. She is having dog lessons and responds to verbal commands of "come" and "sit" She is now trying "stay". She is a quick learner. She loves her new toys and wags her tail a lot. She's such a joy to have in our family. 11 February: Just wanted to let you know the updates on little Tessy. She is doing just fabulous. She uses her potty pad all the time, but she does prefer to go out with the others. She eats out of her own bowl and not in her crate. She has her bowl near the others where they eat and they donıt share food. She does still like to sleep in the crate at night, but she is in the same room where we all sleep. She went to the vet and she weighs 9.4 pounds, so we are slowing down her feeding amount. She sits on command and comes to her name. She is still learning how to stay. She loves to play with toys and wags her tail a lot. She bounces around likes she owns the place. I think she likes her home. The vet thinks Tessyıs growth has been stunted from malnutrition and we are going to watch her bones. She has been given a new prescription for heartworm medication and she was given a complete blood work­up. Looks good so far. She likes baths; she has a lot of dark hair in all that she has and I was told she may darken as she gets older. She is letting me start brushing her teeth and she has an alignment of her bite. She still shies away when you try to pick her up but she loves to cuddle on the couch. We sure like having her with us and I think she will be a fine addition to our family.

MATILDA GOES HOME HERE