Hi everyone, it's me Willow checking in from my snowy foster home. Can you believe it is still snowing on April 11th? Just when I thought all the snow was gone and I could finally find all the lost toys in the yard!!

I am doing well in my foster home. It is kind of quiet here as it is just me and the three resident dogs right now, no new fosters. That's ok with me because that means I get more attention from foster mom. I was pretty happy when the weather was a bit warmer as the birds started coming back in the yard and guess what, I already caught one!! I also caught another rabbit on Sunday morning. I sure to love to chase those critters and I am pretty quick plus I can jump up in the air (to catch birds) and can go under the deck to catch the bunnies. Foster mom is not so happy that I catch critters but I think I it is pretty fun to do.

I also figured out a new thing to do in the house. I figured out I can climb up on the dining room table and eat foster mom's food!! Here's a photo of me doing just that. Foster mom left her plate on the table while she answered the phone and when she came back, this is what she found.

I think this is a neat trick, foster mom, not so much. But she had to take a picture of me before she made me get off the table. I've climbed up on the table a few more times, but now foster mom knows not to leave any food unattended. What can I say, I am just a puppy at heart and still testing all the rules.

Well, off to play in the new snow with my foster brothers.....have to go see what we can find underneath the new snow.

Your friend Willow

Hey everyone it's your buddy Willow checking in from my foster home. Things have been pretty busy at my foster home as my best buddy Cocoa 12-062 went to his forever home on Sunday night. I really miss that guy as we were very good friends and we played all the time. I looked for him for the first couple of days and foster mom said she could tell I was sad. I did not have too much time to be sad as the day after Cocoa went to his forever home, a friend of foster mom's came over with our new foster. This one is a little guy, just 3.5 months old. I was not sure if I wanted to play with him at first, but now I've decided that he is ok to play with and I like to wrestle him and play chase with him in the back yard. I also love his puppy toys and have destroyed a few of them. Foster mom says that the puppy toys are for the puppy and not for me but hey, I did not have puppy toys when I was his age so I think I should play with them now.

Foster mom is trying hard to expose me to new people and new places so earlier this week I got to go to work with foster mom and foster brother Raven. She has tried to take me a couple of times before but I would not have anything to do with going to work with her....this time she just put my leash on and I got in the truck and off we went. I did ok at work, was a little scared of some of the noises and one of the guys worried me a little....he moved around a lot and made some noises that I had not heard before. I did like one of the ladies there and would take treats from her and let her pet me and touch me. She tried to teach me to sit for a treat but I did not want to do that....maybe next time I will try it again. I had to walk on leash to go out side to go potty and I did fine with that, and even peed when I was on leash. Foster mom was very happy with that and I did not have any accidents inside, that also made foster mom very happy. Foster mom says she will take me to work again, maybe once a week or so as long as I am good. She is very impressed on how far I have come and how much I've improved.

We have had a lot of visitors who have come by to see the puppy foster mom is fostering and I have been pretty brave when they have visited. I usually stay in the same room as the new people and while I will not let them touch me, I do wag my tail at them and foster mom thinks I want to let them pet me but I am just not sure yet. I have been in foster care for just under a year now and am doing very well thanks to my foster brothers and sister and foster mom. She says I am still a work in progress as new things, people, places and such still frighten me some but I recover quicker and don't seem as stressed as I used to. I've not had any accidents in the house for quite a while, unlike the puppy, so she says I am housebroken but she also takes me outside a lot. I do stay home with the other dogs when she is at work and do fine but I do not have free roam. I stay in the laundry room/exercise room as I will chew up stuff and I won't go into a crate.

I do like to chew on my feet and if foster mom does not clean my ears out a couple of times each week, they get some gunk in them and start to itch. She says I have allergies, probably to grain. I am on a grain free food and treats but I do like to eat poop and since not all the dogs here can be on grain free food, she thinks I am getting some grain and that is what causes things to flare up. I am very quick about eating poop, so even though foster mom tries to pick it up right away I still manage to get some from time to time. Other than that, I am very healthy.

Well time to take a nap before dinner and then foster mom says more people are coming over to see the puppy. I better rest up while I can.

Your friend, Willow

From one Missouri girl to another-I'm so proud of how far you've come! Love, Betty 12-101 From one snow-loving Golden to another, so glad you will get to have a wonderful holiday filled with love- From Morgan and Bailey

To one lucky dog! From Patch 10-223

To my sweet girl!! From Foster Mom

Hi everyone, it's me Willow checking in from my snowy foster home. Boy do I love the snow!! I played outside for most of the day with Cocoa, Rocco and Raven. I love to run in the snow and eat it. Took me a little bit to figure out how to go potty in the snow....kept getting my butt in the snow when I needed to do my business but I finally figured out that was ok. I kept busy looking for all my toys that I know are somewhere in my back yard.....wonder what happened to them?? Here's a photo of me, Rocco and Raven looking for one of my tennis balls....gosh I know I left it right there but I sure could not find it under the 10 inches of snow!!

I want to send a huge thank you to my friend Betty for decorating my page with a mitten. She must know that mittens (and hats) are two of my favorite things these days. I love to grab them and run around the house with them when foster mom is trying to put them on....love playing that game with her!! Thank you Betty for thinking of me. Hope you are enjoying the snow as much as I am!!

All for now, I have to take a nap, playing outside all day made me tired and I need to rest up so I can play more tomorrow. Foster mom says the snow will still be here when I wake up....I'm so happy I get to play in the snow again tomorrow!!

Your friend, Willow

Hi everyone, it's me Willow with an update on my life. First I want to say thank you to Patch 10-223 for decorating my page with a nice blue paw print. How did he know that blue is my most favorite color? He and his foster mom are just great. I'd also like to thank my foster mom for my 2nd blue paw print. She is very good to me!!

I'm doing well in my foster home and am having a wonderful time playing with my foster brothers. Cocoa 12-062 and I wrestle all the time and he is my best friend. I like teaching him that foster mom is good and that he doesn't need to be afraid of her. Last weekend I took a little road trip with foster brother Raven. We attended a RAGOM meet and greet at Chuck and Don's. I did fine riding in the car, did not get car sick. Foster mom tried something new for me, she put some peppermint essential oil on a cotton ball and put that in the truck so that the whole truck smelled like peppermint. She said that is supposed to calm sick tummies and it worked. I was a little afraid to walk across the parking lot once we got to Chuck and Don's but with help from Raven and another RAGOM volunteer (thanks Kris N) we made it. I hung out with foster mom and did ok for the most part. A nice RAGOM volunteer guy sat with me for most of the event and I let him pet me and hold my leash. Thanks Kelly B for being my new friend. He saw me the day I came into RAGOM and was happy to see that I was much more relaxed and not as afraid of humans. I also let several other people pet me and even let a couple of teenagers touch me. Foster mom was very happy to see how much progress I've made. I only got scared a few times....mostly when some boy dogs were barking and I did not know what they were barking at. I was very tired when I got home...took a good long nap. Whew, all that visiting wears a dog out!!

I'm doing well with my house breaking, only one accident since my last update. I still like to chew up stuff...sometimes it's stuff that I shouldn't chew up, like a rug and I chewed a hole in the box spring when foster mom was on the phone. She was not too happy about those two items but she still loves me and got over it pretty fast. I have to say I am not too excited about this whole Halloween thing. I got pretty scared when the little neighbor kids were running around outside in their costumes and when the neighbor had a big Halloween party with scary noise, a fire and lots of people. Foster mom had to keep me inside cause I kept barking like crazy when I went outside. I'll be glad when the costumes are gone!!

All for now, have to get in one more play session with Cocoa and then off to bed. I like to sleep at the top of the bed....right next to foster mom's head....keeps her head warm!!

Your friend, Willow

Hey everyone one, it's me Willow sending in an update to let you all know how I'm doing. I'm enjoying life in my foster home, especially now that I have a new foster brother to play with. Cocoa 12-062 is now living with us and I really like him. He is only 13 months old so just a young guy and boy does he love to play!! He and I wrestle from the time we wake up (5:30 am) until we go to bed around 10 pm. Sometimes we take a few naps during the day but as soon as one of us wakes up we start playing again. I'm teaching him all kinds of fun stuff, like how to play with stuffed toys (rip them up and remove their stuffing), how to chase after rabbits and squirrels in the back yard and how to wrestle in the bed, on the couch and on the floor!! I am also teaching Cocoa that foster mom is a nice lady and that he does not need to be so afraid of her or of other humans. I think he is learning from me as at first he would not let foster mom pet him or touch him but now he comes to her and licks her hands, feet and arms. He also like to take treats from her hands and is coming in the house on his own. All of these are things that I had to learn when I first came to foster mom's house too, so I think it is pretty neat that I get to teach Cocoa the same stuff.

We've had a busy couple of weeks at our house, with 5 or 6 new humans for us to meet. I'm doing much better about meeting new people. I will stay in the same room as the new people and will sit by foster mom (usually behind her) while they visit. I do bark at people if they are outside with us or if I see the neighbors outside. I like to bark at the neighbor dogs too, so foster mom says we have to work on that. I've not have any accidents in the house for a while now and foster mom even put new carpeting in the living room so Jimmie could get around easier. So far I've not peed on the new carpeting, it's just an area rug in case I have an accident, foster mom can put it away. So far so good. She says I am pretty much housebroken but I don't give any real signals that I need to go out, she just takes us outside a lot.

I've discovered that I like just about any kind of fruit and most vegetables. My favorite fruits are bananas and apples and my favorite vegetables are green beans and carrots. I also love cheese and peanut butter....will dance on my back legs when I see the peanut butter jar come out. Foster mom says I am a goofy, happy girl and that I have come very far from the scared girl from 4 months ago.

Well, all for now, have to go play with my new boyfriend Cocoa before we eat dinner. Your friend Willow.

Hey everyone, it's your pal Willow letting you all know what I've been up to during the past few weeks. First of all my foster brother James got adopted. His new family came to meet him at our house and I did pretty good meeting the adults. I was a bit afraid of their 6 year old granddaughter.....did not want her to pet me but I did stay by foster mom and hung out on the couch in the same room as her. I was sad to see my buddy James leave as I liked to play with him and run with him in the back yard. I looked for him for a few days after he left, especially when we went outside. Foster mom says he is doing really well in his new home and that his foster family loves him very much. I think she misses him too.

After James left we dog sat for three labs. One boy, Remington came for a weekend while his dad was out of town. I like him but he does not play as he is 10 years old. He lived in Joplin, MO with his folks but they were killed in a tornado and he lived all by himself for 7 weeks before some nice folks found him. Then he came to the humane society in MN and his new dad adopted him. Remington is afraid of thunderstorms so foster mom told his dad about the Thundershirt and medication that helped James. His dad is trying this stuff for him so maybe he won't be so afraid.

The next week, two labs came to stay with us for a day and a half. I had met the big chocolate Lab Bessie before and was a little afraid of her. This time she brought her brother Leo with. He's from a puppy mill like the place that I came from. He has been with his mom for 7 years now but he's still a little afraid of stuff. I liked him but he did not play either, nor did Bessie. Bessie did try to boss me around some and "talked" to me which scared me. I did not want to walk by her and wanted to stay upstairs in the bedroom but foster mom did not let me because she said Bessie would not hurt me. It all worked out ok and I was ok with their mom when she came to pick them up. I did not get too close to her but did not run from her either, so foster mom says I am making progress.

I'm doing better with noises and stuff. Now I can be outside when foster mom mows the lawn....I'm not afraid of the lawn mower anymore!! I'm also ok with fans and ceiling fans now. I still bark at the kids who live next door but I'm interested in them, just afraid of them. Foster mom has been trying to get me out for more car rides and walks. I'm pretty good about getting in and out of the car and have not gotten car sick, so that is progress too. Walks, well, we are still working on this. I can go about 2 blocks before I need to go home. Foster mom says we will keep walking and one day maybe I will like to go....I'm not sure about that yet. I've not had an accident in the house for more than 3 weeks. If I need to go outside and foster mom is not paying attention, I run back and forth to the back door and sometimes if she still is not paying attention, I grab her arm so she knows I have to go out. I'm pretty good about coming inside when foster mom calls me but not if I'm hunting for birds. I am quite the bird hunter. I have caught 4 birds now....foster brothers Rocco and Raven (supposed to be hunting dogs) have not caught any birds!!!

Foster mom says I must have been a hunting dog in a previous life as I sure do know how to hunt. I've also tried to catch a couple of rabbits, so far they've gotten away but I did get a couple of mouth fulls of bunny fur, so I'm getting close. Foster mom says next week is a big week for me cause it will be my 2nd birthday!! She said we will have a little party and maybe she will make me a cake or cupcakes. I know we will get bones from the butcher shop and home made frosty paws for sure. She said maybe we will have another dog or two stop by to celebrate with me. I can't wait, never had anyone celebrate my birthday before.

Well, that's all for now, off to look for more birds in the back yard.

Your friend, Willow.

Hi everyone, it's me Willow writing to you from my foster home. I've been too busy to write in my diary on a daily basis so I'll just tell you what I've been up to during the past two weeks. I've been having tons of fun and keeping foster mom and my foster brothers and sister on their toes trying to keep up with me. My good friend Piper 12-116 stayed at my house for 5 days. Boy did we have fun!! We got foster mom up nice and early everyday, never slept in past 4:30 am!! Foster mom would get up with us, let us outside to go potty and then bring us back in and tell us to go back to sleep. Well, that works for Raven and Rocco and Jimmie (she never got up anyway) but not for me and Piper. We'd go back upstairs to the bedroom, rest for 2 minutes and then we'd start wrestling and playing.....I loved having another girl dog to play with and it was so fun that she wanted to stay up with me. Foster mom would get up after 10 minutes or so of me bouncing around on the bed and stepping on her so then we'd go downstairs and eat our breakfast. After breakfast we got to go outside and fly around the back yard. Piper loves to run just like I do, fast and run laps all around the yard. Then we'd come inside and wrestle and rip up stuffed toys and chew on bones. We usually took a nap around lunch time and then started all over again. If Piper got tired, I'd play with Rocco and Raven and if I got tired, Piper would play with them....it was really fun. I also tried to teach Piper that humans (foster mom) are good and won't hurt you.....she's still a bit afraid and does some of the same stuff I did when I first came to my foster home. I was sad to see her go home. Now I'm back to sleeping in.....I get up at 5:28 am everyday!! Oh, and I taught Piper that homemade frosty paws are really good, we got to have them almost everyday that she was at my house!!

I learned a new game this week. Foster brother Rocco likes to eat the green apples that fall of the trees in the back yard. I tried one of them and, yuck they are too sour for me to eat. But, I decided to help Rocco get more apples by pulling them off the tree for him. I don't take the leafs off the tree, just pull off the apples and quickly spit them out so Rocco can eat them. I pulled off all the apples that I could reach standing on 4 feet so now I figured out that I can reach more if I stand on my back legs. I think Rocco really likes me a lot now, as he loves those apples and does not know how to pick them himself. See how smart I am!! Foster mom videotaped me but she can't figure out how to post it on my site and I don't know how to do that either so if we can figure it out we'll post the video. I love helping Rocco and foster mom by picking the apples off the tree. I heard foster mom say maybe I can get a job at an apple orchard picking apples this fall.....that would be fun but I'd have to bring Rocco with so he could eat them!!

Today I really surprised foster mom by catching a Blue bird. Foster mom let us outside and I ran to the fence where a bunch of birds were flying around and I jumped up and grabbed a bird right out of the air!! Foster mom saw me do it and heard the bird squawk so she came running to see what happened. I did not eat the bird, just dropped it on the ground and stood over it so Rocco and Raven could not eat it. They were barking at me and at the bird and the bird was making lots of noise. Foster mom picked it up with her bare hands and put it over the fence so it could try to fly away. It did not fly but hopped around and finally flew a few feet at a time. I watched it the entire time and it finally made it to the creek where it got into the water. We couldn't see it after that so we don't know if it was ok but the neighbor kids heard it and came outside to check on it....they said they would watch it to make sure it was ok. I don't think I hurt it too much so hopefully it could fly away with it's friends. Foster mom, Rocco and Raven were really surprised that I caught a bird. Neither Rocco or Raven have ever caught a bird, even though they are labs or part lab....guess I showed those boys a thing or two. Ha, ha, it was fun. I guess I'm a retriever after all. Pretty good for a puppy mill dog huh??

Oh, and I've not peed in the house for almost three weeks.....ever since foster mom pulled up the carpeting in the living room. I still don't tell her when I need to go outside but she is good at watching me and takes us out a lot so I have not had any accidents. I think that makes foster mom happy.

Well, that's it for now, I have to go and run around the back yard some. Rocco saw something outside so I need to go with him to see what it is.....maybe another bird or maybe a rabbit.....I've not caught a rabbit yet but that's on my list of things to do. Rocco said he would teach me how to catch them as he is really good at that and so is Raven. I sure love my foster brothers and Jimmie too....she sleeps a lot so we don't play but she is nice to me most of the time. Oh, and I love foster mom too. Bye for now, your friend, Willow.

Sponsored by:

Julia and Dan Gleeman

 Courage isn't the lack of fear... It's moving forward in spite of it. We love you brave girl! Archie and Clyde

 For one sweet soul, in memory of another. Love and best wishes, Morgan and Bailey, in memory of Serenity

04-29-2012: My friends Julie, Chris and their dog Bailey stopped by to visit with me today. They also brought my foster brother Raven back home. He had a sleep over at their house for two days. I missed my buddy Raven and looked for him in all the rooms, couldn't figure out where he went but I was happy to see him when he came home. I was still a bit afraid of Julie, Chris and Bailey but not as much as the first time I met them. I stayed inside most of the time they were visiting as I am not allowed to run around yet....still recovering from my surgery. When they came inside I stayed in the same room as them but did not go to them for pets, but at least I did not run away from them.

05-01-2012: Thank you Archie and Clyde for decorating my page with the beautiful butterfly token and for donating to help with the costs of my care. Foster mom says I am a very brave girl and she is very impressed with how courageous I am. Yes, I'm still afraid of new things and new people but I bounce back quicker now than I did 5 weeks ago so I am moving forward. It's still baby steps for me, sometimes one step forward and two steps back but at least I'm trying. I am pretty much back to my normal self (from before my spay surgery) but I still can not run around and play like I want to. Foster mom says another week or so of taking it easy....boy is she boring.

05-02-2012: Today I'm am sending a big hug and thank you to my very special friends Morgan S and her dog Bailey. Thank you for the beautiful butterfly token on my page and the very sweet note in memory of your sweet Serenity. Foster mom told me Serenity was a very special horse that you rescued and saved after she had a bad start to her life. She told me that you nursed her back to health and gave her the best life in the world. Thank you for taking such great care of sweet Serenity, I'm sorry she had to leave you but now she is running free at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for you. I feel very special to know that you think I have a sweet soul like your sweet Serenity. Hugs and puppy kisses from me to you. Thank you Morgan and Bailey. You are my heroes.

05-03-2012: Foster mom called me a little stinker today. Why do you think she called me that? Do you think it could have anything to do with the fact that I pulled all but one of the stair treads off of the steps coming up from the laundry room? Why did I do that? Well, I didn't like them and thought the stairs looked better without them. Maybe I have a career in redecorating. I have to confess, I really like to chew on carpeting and these were just small pieces of carpeting so I chewed them up and had to take them off the steps in order to do a good job. I also like to chew on anything made of wood. Chair legs and table legs are some of my favorites as are the steps and the corner of the walls. Maybe I'm bored since foster mom won't let me run around, still on surgery recovery time. Foster mom says I'm like a young puppy with my chewing and some pee accidents in the house. Guess I never had a chance to do this stuff before so I am learning. Foster mom says I am teaching her patience. See I'm a teacher too!!

05-04-2012: I do not like to go outside when it is raining and do not like to get my feet wet if the yard has standing water on it. So that means I go potty in the house. Foster mom says we need to work on this. Oh, so many things to work on. I'm not afraid of the storms just do not like to get wet or dried off. Foster mom says she bets I will not like to swim either but she's going to get out the kiddie wadding pool soon and maybe if I see my foster brothers and sister play in the water I will give it a try. All I know is that's new stuff to me so it's scary. I try to be brave but I can only do so much at a time.

05-05-2012: My friend Lorray stopped by to visit me today. I first met her about a month ago and was too afraid to even walk into the room when she was here. Today I sat on the couch next to foster mom while they visited, huge steps for me. I did not go to her for pets or treats even after watching the other dogs here get tons of love and attention from her but I did sniff her foot once when she was not looking. She brought presents for Jimmie cause her birthday was a few weeks ago. She also brought some yummy treats for all of us to share. One of the toys is supposed to be indestructible, ha, ha, I put holes in it within just a few minutes. I think the company that makes those toys should hire me to be a toy tester cause I can destroy toys with the best of them. I love, love, love to rip up toys. Foster mom is always picking up the pieces of something that I've destroyed. She's happy when it is a dog toy and not the carpeting, towels, blankets or other stuff.

05-06-2012: Today we all stayed home for 7.5 hours without anyone coming over to let us out or check up on us as foster mom had to work all day. She left me with Raven and Rocco in the laundry room and we did just fine. Nothing was destroyed or chewed up when she got home and no one had any accidents while she was gone. She was very happy to see that. I was very happy to see her and had a ton of energy when she got home. I played and played until way past my bed time....foster mom said she was very tired but I did not want to go to bed. After everyone went to bed, I snuck downstairs and peed on the living room rug, guess my routine was off a bit but foster mom just got up and cleaned it up without saying a word to me. She said she might have to buy stock in paper towels and Natures Miracle cause she's had to clean up after me a fair amount. She also said it would be better if I did not use the one carpeted area to pee since all the rest of the house has hardwood floors. More stuff to work on.

05-07-2012: Today was one of the best days!! It was Raven's birthday. He turned 4 years old, at least that's what foster mom thinks he is. Raven was found as a stray one year ago today, he was picked up by animal control and RAGOM saved him just a few hours before he was scheduled to get the needle. Foster mom fostered him and three months later she adopted him. Since she did not know his birthday, she gave him the day he was found by animal control which happens to be the same day as she had to say goodbye to her best friend Lwood. I've heard stories about Lwood from Jimmie and Rocco as he was their brother. He was a really cool big dog and foster mom still has water running from her eyes when she talks about him. But enough about that stuff...today was about celebrating and we all got our favorite dog treats. Frosty paws in the morning after breakfast and a bone from the butcher shop at night. Wow, I love birthdays. Can't wait for the next one!! I love Frosty Paws and bones from the butcher shop.

04-15-2012: Today I met another new human and I did pretty well with her. It took me only a little while to walk through the room while she was sitting on the couch and I even sniffed her and let her touch me after an hour or so. Foster mom says that is good progress. I'm learning not all humans are so scary and they will not hurt me. It's nice to have such wonderful RAGOM friends who stop by to meet me and help me so I can gain confidence and grow. Thanks Christi T for stopping by to meet me.

04-16-2012: Foster mom took me and Raven in the car today so we could run errands with her. I really do not like getting in the car so foster mom has to pick me up and put me in. Sometimes I pee when foster mom tries to pick me up as I'm afraid she is going to hurt me. She keeps telling me she won't hurt me but I don't believe her. My buddy Raven loves to go for rides in the car. He is so happy to go with foster mom that he does not wait for her to open the door to the car and will jump in the car through the open window!! Not me, I'd rather stay home but foster mom says I have to get used to it as fun stuff happens when we go places and my forever family will want to take me places. So we keep going places. I'm not as afraid as I was before, usually I just find a corner to hang out in and don't look around or make any noise. I don't get car sick so she says that's good and with practice I'll like the car someday.

04-18-2012: My friend Kathy G stopped by to see me today. I remembered her from before and was not as afraid of her as the last time she came to see me. I let her touch me and took treats from her and even got on the couch next to her for a little bit. She's still a little scary but not as much as before. She knows not to make eye contact with me and to talk in a soft, quiet voice so I do not get frightened. She also gives good treats to me, so maybe she's not too bad. I do keep a close eye on her and am a bit nervous but foster mom says I'm much better than a few weeks ago. She's my friend and I do like her, she's just a little bit scary now.

04-19-2012: Went for another car ride with Raven and foster mom. We stopped at a place called "the bank" and a voice talked through a machine and the machine made a big noise when it ate the stuff foster mom put in it. The noise scared me as did the voice that talked to us. Raven was not afraid and the machine made another big noise but it gave treats when it made the noise again. I was too afraid to eat the treat, Raven ate his and wanted mine but foster mom put it in her pocket so I could have it when we got home.....Raven really wanted that treat. I did not want to eat the treat when I got home, so I dropped it on the floor and Rocco ate it....he always eats any treats or food I drop. I let him take them as I think he is hungry all the time.

04-21-2012: Foster mom left us home today when she went to work. I stay in the laundry room with Raven unless he opens the door and we run upstairs. We did that a few days ago and foster mom came home to a mess on the living room rug, someone peed and someone ripped up a few toys and part of two rugs. She thinks it was me but with 4 dogs here I'm not confessing to anything. When foster mom came home today she brought in a big box that had my name on it. She could not figure out who sent me a present until she opened it up and saw the nice note inside the box. And guess what? The box was full of toys and a new blanket just for me!! It was from my new friend and longtime RAGOM volunteer Morgan S and her dog Bailey. She read my story on the web site and said my story made her cry and cheer for me all at the same time. The biggest surprise was that my new favorite toy, tennis balls squeak!!! Did you know that? I love to pull the fuzz off the tennis balls but even with the fuzz off of them they still squeak!! I love my tennis balls, so do Raven and Rocco so foster mom put one of them away so I can have a new one if the other two get destroyed. I love my new blanket too, it's soft and warm. Foster mom put away the other toys as she said the boys will destroy them quicker than me so I can play with them when the boys are outside. Thank you Morgan S for my surprise care package. You are my new best friend. Hugs to you and Bailey.

04-22-2012: Today is Earth Day. I think that means I get to dig in the dirt, foster mom not so much. Today I got to met a new dog friend and two new humans. The dog is named Bailey and she lived here with foster mom when she was a little puppy. Her name was Rona and she was very sick but foster mom and the vets made her all better. Now she lives with Julie and Chris, they brought her over to meet me. I was afraid of all of them and showed my teeth and growled at Bailey for the first hour or so. She is way bigger than me even though I am older than her and I don't know her so I told her to stay away from me. But after watching her run around with Raven, Rocco and Jimmie I decided to play with her a little bit. I was also afraid of the new humans, especially the man, but after an hour or so I took yummy treats from both ot them and would come up on the deck with them. I even sniffed Chris's hand and let him touch me under the chin once. Whew, scary stuff for me but I tried to be brave. We all got very dirty when we ran around outside. I don't like towels so foster mom had a tough time cleaning up my feet and all but she said oh well, what's a little dirt in the house. Guess that's why I like foster mom....she does not get upset about the little stuff. I did hear her say something about a bath for all of us....

04-23-2012: Today was spa day at my foster house. All four of us dogs got brushed, got our ears cleaned out, took baths and three of us got our nails trimmed. I did not get my nails trimmed cause foster mom says I am going to the good doctor tomorrow to get "fixed" so I can't make any puppies and they will trim my nails when I am sleeping. I did ok with the bath this time, was scared and just laid down in the tub which made it a bit difficult for foster mom to give me a bath but she said at least I am cleaner than before so it was good. Raven took a bath with me cause he loves the water. He also loves to get dried off but does not like to have his nails trimmed....he growled at foster mom and put his mouth on her hand so she stopped trying to clip his nails. She said she has to work with him so she can trim his nails. Glad I'm not the only one here who needs work!!

04-24-2012: Today was the worst day of my life. Foster mom picked me up and put me in the car with Raven and we drove to the vets office so I could have my spay surgery. It all started badly as I peed when she picked me up at home and it only went downhill from there. Once we got to the vets office she tried to take both me and Raven out of the car but Raven was all goofy and too excited so she made him stay in the car while she took me in. I was so terrified I did not want to go in at all and I peed and pooped all the way through the waiting room and into the exam room. I did my business outside before we left home but I guess when you get really, really, really scared your body just can't hold it and out everything came. Some guy in the waiting room said some not so nice things to foster mom about me being untrained and unsocialized and that made water run from foster mom's eyes plus seeing me so scared broke her heart. I tried to climb into a small shelf area and knocked all the stuff out of the shelf and peed on everything. Good thing the staff at ACH is used to us scared dogs and just cleaned it up and told foster mom not to worry. They also told the guy that I was from a puppy mill and that I was a rescue not foster mom's dog. Well my surgery went ok but since I was so terrified they called foster mom to come pick me up rather than keep me overnight. Foster mom hoped I would be happy to see her and Raven but I was terrified of her and she had to carry me to the car as I would not go with her. I saw more water run from her eyes. Once we got home she carried me to the couch and I hid in the corner, would not let her touch me or sit by me and I growled and showed my teeth to the dogs even if they walked in the room. This was the worst day of my life. I am so scared and I feel yucky from what the doctor did. Foster mom said it had to be done so I could move on with my life but she feels really bad that I am so scared. She said she hopes it is the anesthesia and I'll bounce back in a day or two. I am very scared and slept on the human bed but as far away from foster mom as possible.

04-25-2012: I am still very afraid of foster mom and the resident dogs here at my foster home. I will not let foster mom touch me or get near me and I am growling and showing my teeth to the dogs even if they look at me. Foster mom says we are back to square one now so I have a leash on me all the time and she is afraid I will run away. I hide from her and do not want to be in the same room as her. I will eat and drink but not if she is in the same room as me. I am taking my medicine but she has not been able to put the medicine in my ears as I will not let her get close enough to me. When I was asleep at the vets office they looked way down inside my ears and said I have some stuff growing in them so they cleaned them and gave foster mom some medicine to put in them so they will get better. I am very afraid of foster mom and the dogs. I peed and pooped in the house several times as I won't go outside since I need to be on a leash and freeze if foster mom tries to get me to move. I won't let her get close enough to pick me up so she can not get me to go outside. I am supposed to stay quiet, no running, jumping or playing for the next two weeks or so. I am tired but do not sleep very well as I am uncomfortable from my surgery. Foster mom says things will get better in a day or two. I'm not sure that I believe her.

04-26-2012: Nothing has changed. I am still very afraid of foster mom and the resident dogs. I will not let her get close to me and run into another room when she moves. I still growl and show my teeth at the dogs here. I am afraid of everything and everyone again. Foster mom has water running from her eyes a lot as she says she feels terrible that I am so afraid. Says it breaks her heart to know that I have regressed so far. She says I am worse than when I first came to her a month ago. All I know is I am very afraid of her and of the dogs.

Foster mom here: Well, it's been a very tough few days for Willow and her foster family. I hate seeing her so frightened again and we are back to square one with her. I was so hopeful when she appeared to be making such great progress. I know she will come around again but this set back is heartbreaking. I wish I knew what to do to make her feel better but for now all I can do is give her time, patience and love. The reality of growing up in a puppy mill is so apparent this week, just makes me so sad to see her so distrustful of me and my dogs. I know we will get back on track and and I am so grateful to the wonderful staff at ACH who not only cleaned up after Willow but also stuck up for her and foster mom and of course provided great care for her. I am also so thankful for the support of RAGOM fosters and volunteers who are reassuring me that things will improve and that there is nothing I could have done differently. Educating people who are not aware of how horribly affected dogs who have lived in puppy mills are is part of what RAGOM does and I hope seeing and reading about Willow so afraid makes people think twice about purchasing that cute puppy from a pet store or on-line breeder. Please help us educate people by making sure all your friends and family are aware of the terrible damage commercial breeders do.

04-01-2012: Today a new 2 legger came to the house. I was very afraid of her and stayed as far away from her as possible. She did not try to touch me and did not look at me as that scares me. I stayed out of the room she was in even though I saw all three of the others dogs getting attention from her. They all like her and wag their tails when she touches them and talks to them. They sit in her lap and roll around on their backs, they are happy to see the two legger. I am too afraid to go anywhere near her. Once the two legger left, I sniffed and sniffed at the place where she sat. The human here said that was a good sign and that someday I will be ok when I meet new people. I'm not sure about that. I am still very tired and sleep all night in the bedroom with the human and other dogs.

04-02-2012: Another new two legger was here today. I was outside with the other dogs and stayed in the yard on my leash while she was here. I barked at her a lot and ran around the yard. She is taking care of my friend Journey 12-111. She was surprised to see my tail wagging and me looking happy. I am happy when I am outside as I love to run around, sniff and taste everything. I also like to dig holes in the yard, that dirt is fun to play in!! Tonight there was a thunderstorm and rain. I was not afraid of the thunder and lightening but did bark when the rain made a lot of noise on the roof and windows. I slept all night on my dog bed next to the human. I like to take her socks and shirt and sleep on top of them. I am still afraid of many, many things as they are all new to me but somethings are ok now.

04-03-2012: What are tennis balls for? I found one in the yard, the other dogs like to play with them and when the human throws them they run and bring them back to her. Hum, I'm not sure about that stuff but I do like to chew on them and carry them around. The human threw one for me and I got scared, ran to the door so now she rolls it on the ground and I can check it out once it stops moving. The other dogs like to play with toys, I'm not sure about them but I do like to rip them up and destroy them. I also like to collect them all. Sometimes I growl at the other dogs if I think they are going to take my toys. Human says there are plenty of toys to share and gives me a different one and makes me trade with the other dogs. Human says I have to learn to share and that no one will take all the toys away...unless we fight over them. I don't want to fight, so she says we can work on this. Tonight I took my favorite toy to bed with me.

04-04-2012: I discovered I can climb on the furniture to look out the window into the back yard. I saw the other dogs do this all the time but today is the first time I tried it myself. Wow, that is pretty neat. I also took a nap in the sun while laying on the love seat. What a nice soft spot. Tonight I discovered there is another dog that looks just like me right outside the big window. I barked and barked at that dog trying to get her to play with me or come inside. The human said there was not really another dog out there, that it was my reflection but I don't know what that means. I keep looking for that dog but it's only there when it is dark outside. Tonight I tried out the big bed where the human and other dogs sleep. It was soft and warm. I slept there for a while between Raven and Rocco but decided the dog bed was cooler. I also saw another dog in the bedroom that looks just like me. I barked at her too but she did not come out of the closet. Human said there was no other dog just my reflection again. I'm still looking for those other dogs. I am still tired and sleep a lot.

04-05-2012: Today I was very brave and climbed up on the couch next to the human. I've put my front feet on the couch before but not my whole body. I decided to give it a try because I saw the other dogs do it and nothing bad happened to them. In fact, they seemed to like resting their body next to or on the human. So....I tried it. Wow, nothing bad happened and before I knew what happened I fell asleep with my head on the human's lap. She rubbed my ears and stroked my head and face, and scratched my tummy and that made me sleepy. It did not hurt. When I woke up the human had water running from her eyes again. I have a favorite toy that I like to carry everywhere. I take it outside and bring it back in, if I forget it, I go back out to get it. Last night when I went to bed I forgot my toy down stairs so I went back down and brought it up to bed. The human thought I was going downstairs to pee cause sometimes I pee by the back door but she was very happy and surprised to see me come back up with my blue octopus. I love that toy and sleep with it. I sleep through the night without a problem and get up on the bed in the morning for some attention. I've seen the other dogs do this every morning so I thought I'd give it try and see what I've been missing.

04-06-2012: Two weeks ago today I began a very scary journey to my new life. So much has happened to me in these past two weeks. I have seen and experienced more things in these two weeks than in my entire life. I was used to living in a 4 foot by 5 foot kennel run, usually by myself with other dogs on each side of me. No humans ever spent time with me other than to give me food or take me to be bred. I never lived inside a home so all the sounds and smells are new to me. I never rode in a vehicle before the good humans came and saved us from the puppy mill place. Now I have learned that maybe not all humans are so scary and that there is an entire world out there that I never knew existed. The human tells me everyday that she loves me....what is love? She also says no one will ever hurt me or make me do things that I don't want to do. I'm not sure what any of those things mean. I do know I am warm, have a full tummy and no one has hurt me. Is this what love is?

Foster mom here: Sweet pea Willow has made amazing progress in the past two weeks. I am so happy to now see joy in her eyes where I saw fear and worry just a few days ago. She is very much like a young puppy now, just exploring and learning about things. She loves to taste everything and the simple act of her licking yogurt from a spoon has made me cry. She comes to me for treats, eats food out of my hand and loves to be close to me, although she is still frightened of me from time to time, especially if I make a sudden move or loud noise....even a sneeze will send her running away. She loves toys and has found the toy box and the endless supply of old stuffed toys....I knew there was a reason I did not throw out the toys after their squeakers and stuffing had been removed....Willow is afraid of the squeakers and loves to rip up the stuffed toys so without the stuffing there is less mess. Willow still has a long way to go before she is ready to move on to her forever family but her progress is very encouraging.

Thank you for following her journey as she continues to take baby steps to her new life.

Thank you to Willow's wonderful sponsors Julia and Dan Gleeman. Julia's family adopted a puppy from RAGOM when Julia was a teenager so I would like to thank them for a life time of support.