On 7 September, NINA is adopted:

NINA is now known as PHOENIX and went home today with her new family, Jay & Lessa, Valkyrie (Airedale) & Rogue (Airedale mix). NINA and Rogue look like they could be sisters, or at least first cousins.

Jay & Lessa and the girls drove over from Texas yesterday to make sure the three girls would get along. They got along great! Jay & Lessa and Valkyrie & Rogue took PHOENIX back to the motel with them for an afternoon rest before coming back here for dinner and PHOENIX got right up on the bed next to Rogue, put her paw on Jay's arm, her head on Jay's shoulder, sighed happily and went to sleep.

NINA, now known as PHOENIX, and her Forever Family.
Clockwise: Jay, Lessa, PHOENIX (on Lessa's lap), Valkyrie & Rogue. Rogue & PHOENIX look like they could be sisters!

Everyone came back here for a little romp (for the dogs) and pizza (for the uprights). All seven dogs were wonderful dinner guests, lying politely around the room while we ate (although 12-year-old Valkyrie was at a VERY attentive "sphinx down" right at my side the entire time).

Lessa's report of PHOENIX's trip home:

Home safe in Harlingen.

She slept in the hotel room chair, didn't move all night. I had put the old towel that I usually have on the front seat for Rogue on the chair. The next day, we put that towel in the rear, and she gravitated toward it. So, it went inside in El Paso - we had a futon chair at the foot of the bed, and with the towel on it, she slept on it all night. Now THE towel is on her bed in the x-pen, and she is in there, by choice, with the gate open.

She has only tried to really bolt once, and that was when we got back to the hotel after dinner. Thanks to your warning, by the time she hit the ground, BOTH Jay & I were clutching the leash. During today's trip, I worked on her waiting to get out, pushing her back from the door, and only letting her come out when I direct her to come. She was on leash in the car, and that leash was connected to a lunge which was tied to the interior of the truck.

She finally ate a full dinner last night, after I dribbled a few drops of raw steak juice on the kibble and rice (she had a little diarrhea, which I attribute to stress). Same thing for breakfast before we got on the road. Tonight, I had yogurt here, and stirred three teaspoons in to coat the kibble, and she ate every piece.

We (all three dogs and myself) took a one-lap walk around the walking track. She has piddled in the backyard. Given that she pooped twice during the road trip, I don't expect to see more until morning.

So, time for a shower and bed!

Rogue, Valkyrie, & PHOENIX

On 12 September comes the report:

Everything is still going well. It's so cute to have TWO "little black dogs" come running in to say 'good morning, Mom!' when the alarm goes off. She's a joy on leash on the walks. We are working on 'sit' and 'come' and she's better at the latter - unheard of for an ADT! She has been allowed to roam in the fenced tennis court, but after one circuit to sniff, prefers to stay near me. She doesn't seem to quite fathom Rogue's tennis ball frenzy, but is showing a little interest. She is quite happy with the nightly Chinese fire drill of rotating sleeping locations throughout the night, and ended up across the body pillow from me sometime in the middle of the night last night.

Another milestone. Rogue and PHOENIX got into wrestle mode in the living room. I think Rogue is trying to teach PHOENIX to mock-fight with her like Circe did - which means Rogue is on her back, and Circe would circle her neck with the most delicate Jaws of Death. PHOENIX is trying to figure it out. She did put her head across Rogue's neck, then her foreleg. THEN we moved into the bedroom, and they did a frenetic game of wrestlemania-bedhopping across my bed and two dog beds. So we moved outside, and PHOENIX did the first RUN in the yard!

And then on 16 September:

She's doing really well. She & Rogue have bonded, and play like crazy. Last night while I was sitting in the chair in the living room, they were bouncing around, then they moved into the bedroom, and I could hear them going from dog bed to bed and back. I called them back to the living room so I could watch (read: keep an eye on them), but they soon gravitated back to the bedroom.

Probably the one thing I had been worried about was Rogue being toy-possessive. No problem. She & PHOENIX steal from each other equally, and no one gets grouchy about toys. And they play tug o' war with them. I'm just waiting for the dismembering (of the toys) to start . . .