Sidney reports on 3 July:

I just paid the bill for the half month of boarding the Tucson 8 and I want to again thank everyone who raised the funds to make it possible! Even at a discount and with a couple of the dogs leaving early, it was $750.

A nice family with a Wheaten terrier will be visiting B.J. this weekend to see if the two dogs will get along.

And on 13 July, Sidney reports:

B.J. is holding up the fort in Prescott along with a Wheaten visitor. Jocelyn says B.J. is very outgoing and playful. ADOPTED!! by another family, as they did not get along.

ERNESTINE will be going to her new home on 18 July. In the meantime, she is at home with me and it is like she has been a part of the pack for years. She really gets a lot of attention on our morning walks. People are amazed to see this black dog who looks just like Jack, Riley & Rose plus she just has a great presence that is all her own. (P.S. They say they are going to rename her Sidney! I'm not sure if they are kidding!)

BUDDY (SAM) will be going to a foster home this weekend, with the intention that he will be adopted. ADOPTED!!

LESLIE, our very shiest red girl, will be going to a foster home on Saturday. The people are very sweet and loving, but I don't think they really realize what a project they have before them. Please keep her in your thoughts over the next few months. We were able to get her bathed, but she was so terrified at the sound of the clippers that we had to stop before she injured herself. She is being spayed today and I had to carry her from the kennel to the car and from the car to the vet's office. ADOPTED!!

Sidney's 7 July report:

LESLIE, my shiest girl here in Tucson, is in her foster home. They want to adopt her, but because she is so scared, I told them I didn't want them to make a commitment yet. The dad (Hap) grew up with Airedales. Stephanie is a stay-at-home mom and just about the kindest, most loving person I have ever met. They have five kids: Ashley, 11; Cameron. 8; Kyle, 8; Kody, 8; Megan, 1. Ashley, Cameron, Kyle & Kody were in New Mexico visiting their grandmother when I delivered LESLIE on Saturday. LESLIE immediately wagged her tail when she met Jake, their one-year-old Golden Retriever, but was afraid of everything else, including the baby, Megan. We spent an hour chatting while we let LESLIE incorporate this new world and then I took a deep breath and left her. ADOPTED!!

After I got home I sent them the list of Whole Dog Foods list of recommended foods I had forgotten to give them. Stephanie wrote back:

Thank you again for bringing LESLIE up here. I just now took her out to see if she had to go, and she wouldn't have anything to do with going. She sniffed a little, and tolerated a few pets from me and then from Hap, but was happy to go back in her kennel . . . she didn't even wag her tail for Jake. (Although he is a little too excited right now.) Anyway, after about two hours, she lay down . . . but wasn't about to put her head down! She just closes her eyes for a minute and at any noise snaps awake again. I swear she is the cutest dog ever. I hope this is a good thing for her. I saved a piece of steak fat from last night . . . she wouldn't take it out of our hands, but as soon as I placed it on the floor of her kennel . . . she inhaled it.

Saturday night, Stephanie wrote:

Poor little LESLIE, you were so right [that I didn't think they realized how hard it would be to socialize LESLIE]. It is 8:30 and she just now laid her head down to sleep. She still hasn't gone potty yet after several tries. Jake is the only thing that brings her tail out. I hope tomorrow is better for her. She breaks my heart.

I hadn't heard anything more, so last night I sent a message just to say I was thinking of them and not to be too discouraged if she wasn't making progress . . . that it would take time, blah-de-blah. This morning I got up and this message was waiting for me:

I didn't want to bug you about every little detail . . . but since you wrote me, I have to tell you. I was giving Jake his weekly bath and brush/play in the water in the driveway, and I tied LESLIE up on the basketball pole. After about five minutes, I decided to try to get her wet, and as long as I didn't spray the water, but just let it pour on her, she did fine and actually got a bath today, soap and everything . . . plus . . . I brushed out all that old yucky fur all over her. She has extremely dry hair and skin, but looks like a new dog. She didn't bring her tail up once during it all, but she had plenty of slack in her leash and never ran away . . . as long as I didn't spray; then she did. Jake is jealous of her getting brushed as that is his absolute favorite thing. He actually licked her ears dry and was helping her . . . it was very cute. She finally did go potty, after Jake led the way.

Last night was pretty bad; she started to cry (something between a bark and a howl) about 3:00 in the morning She didn't need to go potty, so I ended up lying on the couch out there all night and Jake slept right beside her and then she was fine. Then . . . the exciting part . . . the kids all came home. My mom brought her massage therapist who works with animals at the humane society in Alb. and she was very helpful. LESLIE loved Ashley, but didn't take to the boys or Megan just yet. She actually licked Hap's hand too. I hope this makes you feel as good as it has us.

Sidney adds:

I don't know about you, but I started to cry when I read that message. It is so much more progress than I could have hoped for! Keep the Zen flowing to LESLIE and her new family. I am trying not to be overly optimistic, but I am so much more hopeful than I have been for a month that not only LESLIE, but GRACE & CHARLIE, will be able to live happy lives with loving families. ADOPTED!!

I told Stephanie that it was possible she was just being treated to the famous Airedale middle-of-the-night heart-stopping howl and it might not ever happen again.

The groomer was able to shave the hair off GRACE's body, but she wouldn't let her touch her head. It almost makes you cry to see how bony she is. I don't think she & LESLIE & CHARLIE would have made it much longer out in the wild. Because the other dogs are in fairly good shape, I think they must have driven these three away from the food. GRACE did very well walking on the leash today, which was a very pleasant surprise. ADOPTED!!

GRACE
ADOPTED!!

CHARLIE is with the groomer right now and hopefully he will allow them to shave his hot hair off. ADOPTED!!

INDY is doing well in his foster home, although he had a setback when he managed to accidentally pull a lamp over on himself. ADOPTED!!