Lily is proud to announce that she is making so many good choices now – in what to chew on, and how to handle her actions and her little body. She knows quite well where the big dog toy basket is, and when she gets excited, goes running to it, trying out one toy after another until she finds just the right one to play with (for the moment). She no longer shows interest in learning about walls or furniture with her teeth, and has also stopped wanting to mouth the cats like they were the most exciting, moving, noise making toy. She is learning what “leave it” means, which is one of the most useful commands I know. She sometimes still jumps up, trying to hurl her entire body on top of the kitchen counter, but then seems to remember what she is supposed to do, and quickly drops down and sits, staring at me intently.

I have discovered that she likes to swim – and even put her whole head in the water – my other 3 dogs, non-swimmers, stand on shore and watch her – maybe, if it’s hot, they step in, but I have hopes that she will inspire them all to go for it.

Lily spent some time with another foster family while I was on vacation, and it was during this time that I learned of one area in which my house is not puppy proofed…I thought I had come up with all possible areas in which a puppy could get herself (or the house) into trouble, but I now have a new one to add to the list. Apparently, Lily and her other foster mom were dozing and the TV was on (a large screen TV) when all of a sudden, a larger than life, barking dog appeared on the screen - the very big, fragile, screen….. Well, Lily wasn’t about to let the house be invaded by this huge dog, so she did what any brave little puppy would do – barked and jumped at the dog. Through the screen of the TV. Oops….good-bye, TV screen…..luckily, she was in a dog loving household, and they are eagerly making plans for a newer, more exciting big screen TV – this time with a puppy guard in front of it!

Lily is one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever met, which is good and bad…depending on your energy level. She is very smart, and very active, and thus will always need to be exercised and be continually learning or working. If those needs are met, she is a joy to be around. So far, I’ve managed to stay one step ahead of her, my other dogs keep her busy and happy, and I have lost a few pounds from all of our long walks, which is a bonus.

Lily needs to be a part of an active family, with other dogs. She will need to be supervised, as she is still a young girl, learning how to be a “good” girl. More and more, she is becoming capable of making good choices on her own, but I still do a fair bit of redirecting. She is a very quick learner and loves the world.

What a lot of hair this little girl now has – she has the beginnings of feathers on her back legs, and her head is covered in hair – look at the before and after pictures – aren’t they amazing!

Lily happily greeted my pack of dogs, chased the one cat who doesn’t demand respect, and sniffed the horses’ noses through the fence. We came inside and she trotted over to the toy basket and proceeded to pull out about 8 toys to play with.