Traveling Turtles: Addie

Addie has come to live with us for a while. She is an American Eskimo dog who was rescued from a puppy mill at 10 months old. I can only guess as to what her life was like for those first 10 months. I suspect she was caged the whole time with precious little human interaction. She lived for two months at the home of the rescue family among several other dogs. Now, she's living with us as an only dog (we're called a foster home) and learning to trust people more. She is gaining confidence with each passing day.

With me, she is a loving dog who is willing to please. She loves to snuggle and hang around. She is still learning to trust Larry. He is working with her more while I'm home to see if he can win her over completely.

She is fully afraid of anyone else. She'll growl at new people and if they press themselves on her she's been known to snap, though some have been able to actually pet her. It seems to take at least 3 introductions over a period of a week or so for her to accept someone new. I've taken her to the local pet store a couple times which is excellent for her.

Naturally, we've been extra, extra cautious around Abi. Addie and Abi been together 3 times now and the last time Addie was able to relax some. Abi even took the leash and led Addie around (with me between them just in case). Addie looked at me as if to say "Is she allowed to do this?".

If you remember Kennyon, Addie is about the same size (actually a few pounds lighter). When Addie is feeling confident and happy she holds her tail high over her back. We like to see this.

So the goal right now is to socialize and train. We're teaching her the basics (sit, stay, etc) while also teaching her how to play and how to be a proper citizen (no you don't chew socks nor kleenex). She rarely barks and is fairly easy to live with. She walks on a leash very well.