Just a quick check-in to give everyone an update on naughty Teddy’s newest adventures. She’s gotten into the groove now of having me gone during the day and loves to delight the dog walker with her antics. I would say we’re now back to 97% potty trained. We struggle a little still with the poop eating, but she is getting better about that too. Teddy’s latest adventures include:

• Knocking over and eating two table lamps (she’s fine). :)
• Teaching herself to perch on the back of the couch like a bird to watch the squirrels through the picture window…
• …falling off said couch and getting stuck like a turtle on her back between the couch and the wall.
• Having her first great dog park adventure (on a long lead) and running five miles through the park. She LOVED that. She was completely still for almost 2 hours after we got home! That NEVER happens.
• Getting her head stuck in a rubber boot.
• Learning how to drop items on command (still very much a work in progress, though, I have to admit).
• Befriending and falling in love with a 4-lb teacup Pomeranian. She was so incredibly gentle with Olive it was adorable.
• Going for truck rides with her foster brother. She LOVES, LOVES truck rides. It becomes a game of how to get into the truck without Teddy. She is so sneaky and tries everything she can to go with you.

• Continuing to pick up everything in sight and carry it around.

Miss Teddy was spayed on Tuesday and she was pretty pitiful for around 24 hours. The only way she could calm down and stop crying was to crawl in my arms and lay on my chest. So we spent all night sleeping together on the floor. She has made a wonderful recovery since then, though, and she is now ready to go home!

Teddy is non-stop joy and activity. After losing our beloved RAGOM dog around Thanksgiving, it was a little devoid of joy around here, and with Teddy Anne Sketti around here there is never a shortage of laughter. She is so, so naughty, but it’s mainly out of curiosity rather than a desire to be bad. She is curious and cuddly, and I don’t know that I’ve ever met a dog with more personality than this one. If you choose Teddy to join your family, you will be in for fun, exasperation, joy, and perhaps a bit of good-natured frustration. You will never be at a shortage of love, though. She may play hard and be plenty naughty, but she will also shower you with love and bond with you like crazy.

We have learned even more about Princess Teddy these last few days. Or Teddy Spaghetti as my 5-year-old calls her. This little girl is silly, sassy, joyful, and a little bit naughty. The other day, my daughter and I were outside playing in the nice weather when all of a sudden, a flash of black tail caught my eye through the window. Which is weird because the only way to see a dog through the window at that distance would be if they were up high… Oh no! I don’t know that I have ever run so fast into the house, ever. I burst through the door to see Miss Teddy sitting happy as a clam in my kitchen sink, munching on the grapes that were sitting in there. I thought I was so clever putting them in the sink to keep them safe from the dogs. Apparently, I underestimated her! Then she showed me how she jumped on the kitchen chair, walked across the kitchen table, jumped to the kitchen counter, and walked over the stove to the sink. If I wasn’t so horrified, I would have been impressed! Because grapes are toxic to dogs, she scared us a little bit, but we watched her for the next 48 hours, and thankfully, she was none the worse for the wear.

We have been working hard at exposing Teddy to different experiences and noises and things, and so far, she has passed everything with flying colors. She has met loud dogs, pushy dogs, submissive dogs - both on a leash and off - and she does great with every one of them. Sometimes she will bark at other dogs when we walk by, but I’ve been working with her using treats and the command "leave it," and she has already done really well at getting over that. We walked by 2 very loud, small dogs today for almost a full block, and she didn’t even give them a second glance, so I think this is something that she will easily get over. Speaking of walking, we go about a mile or two every day, and so far, she has done wonderfully on a flat collar. I always like using Gentle Leader collars, but so far, I haven’t even had to try it with her. I have no doubt, though, that if you wanted to train her to it, she would do great. I’m also pretty sure she would make a good running buddy once we know she is past all of the pain of her HOD. I haven’t wanted to push it quite yet. Another one of Teddy’s favorite experiences has been taking rides to fun places in my truck. Once she figured out how to use the dog stairs to get into the truck, now whenever she hears me grab my keys, she races to the door to make sure she gets to come with me. You should see how happy her tail is when we head to school to drop off and pick up my daughter. Just the sight of all of those kids makes her so happy you would swear she has a hinge in the center of her body.

I know I keep talking about how sweet she is, but just as another example, during the day, I take care of a family member who has early onset Alzheimer's. I bring Teddy with me every day, and she just lights up his day. She immediately seems to sense when he is agitated and needs a snuggle, or when to be silly to make him laugh. She loves to throw herself in his lap, and overall, she just makes him calmer and less agitated. I honestly think she would make an amazing therapy dog.

Now, as much as I would love to extol her virtues all day long, nobody is perfect, so here are the things Little Miss Teddy needs to work on and that you might want to take into consideration.

• She is a poop eater. It’s gross, but unfortunately, other than being vigilant about yard pickup, there really isn’t much to be done about that. Our last dog was a poop eater, so we’re used to it, but it’s still gross. :)
• She picks up EVERYTHING. My house is currently a graveyard of weird single socks because Teddy has taken to trolling the laundry bin and finding random socks in my daughter’s room to carry around. She hasn’t chewed on a single item, though; she just likes to carry them around. This morning as we were trying to get ready for school, I was running around trying to find my daughter’s left shoe and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I happened to look out the window to check on the dogs, and lo and behold, what do I see back by the fence? The missing left shoe. Teddy must have taken it outside with her, the big goof. My husband and I keep joking that we’re pretty sure Teddy thinks her real name is Teddy Drop It. She has a very soft mouth, though, and will gladly give you whatever is in her mouth without issue.
• Right now, her potty training is about 90% there. We still have the occasional accident if I don’t catch her right away. This is mostly due to the prednisone, we believe, because before she started it, she was 100% potty trained. I have no doubt she will get it and be fine, but in the interest of being honest, just know she might have an accident or two in your house for the first week or two.
• She follows you around everywhere! Most of the time, this is awesome rather than a negative, but when I mean everywhere, I mean it. When you sit on the floor to help your kid tie her shoe, Teddy will crawl in your lap and want cuddles. Or if you are trying to lay on the floor to read stories or even to put your shoes on, Teddy will always be there to help. So if you have an issue with constantly sharing your personal space, then she is probably not the dog for you. :)

Miss Teddy is available for adoption now, but won’t be able to go home with you until March 16th when she will be spayed. The vet wants her off her prednisone first before we do that.