Lilly arrived at temporary foster mom's ("TFM") home this past Saturday afternoon.  She met the three resident Goldens ("RDs") happily, explored the house, ate her dinner with gusto, proceeded to settle in and then slept through the night.  Important to remember - she exhibited this behavior at the end of a 22 hour journey from Turkey.  What a girl!  Talk about flexibility and adaptability and that unbelievable Golden sweetness!

Lilly had her wellness vet visit today.  She needs to lose a few pounds which, between adjusting her diet and instituting a regular exercise program, will not be a problem.  She has a yeast infection in her ears which we will address.  And, lastly, she has a small benign growth (histiocytoma) on her flank which the vet believes will reabsorb within 4 - 6 weeks.  Other than that, Lilly is 100% healthy and in good condition.  She is up to date on all her shots and on heartworm and flea preventatives.  Good news!

TFM has observed the following about Lilly in this past week:

•     She is very affectionate and loves to give and get hugs and pats and kisses.
•     She has been accepted into the RD pack and initiated play on Day 3.
•     She is housebroken.
•     She travels well in the car - sits quietly and looks out the window.
•     She sleeps through the night on a dog bed in TFM's bedroom.
•     She walks nicely on a leash.  We're walking about a mile a day and will increase that as Lilly's endurance increases.
•     She exhibits no resource guarding, either with her food or the dog bones/stuffies in the house.

Lilly is just a doll!  Perhaps her most heartwarming behavior to date is that - EVERY time we go out - she rolls and rolls and rolls in the grass in the back yard.  She has the biggest smile on her face!  She is close to ecstatic!  It's wonderful to seel!!  She's making up for lost time. 

More to come on this lovely girl shortly.