Vicki

Max has wanted a dog more than anything for several years. He knows better than to ask for one because I don't like animals. They smell, they shed, you have to feed them, you have to scoop poo or walk them, they are needy.....

AND THEY ALWAYS WANT TO BE WITH ME!!

Jack has a cat and she is fine. She knows to leave me alone. She knows to

leave the room just by the way I look at her. Jack takes care of all her needs and I usually don't have to be involved.

I am realizing (the past 2 years) that the world was not created for ME and everything is not all about ME.....hard lesson for ME!

We got Max a dog for his birthday, which isn't until September 28th.

We happened upon a rescue dog FOR FREE! She had already been "fixed", had shots, etc...

Max planned on naming his dog Bailey, but when he saw her, he named her Vicki....odd name for an animal and I have no idea how he got the name!!

We have had the dog 3 weeks and she has demolished all her toys except one. She demolished a brand new crate the second day we had her. She chewed her new leash in half on the 3rd day we had her. She demolished the brand new "cushion" in her first crate. She recently demolished the plastic tray in the bottom of her 2nd new crate.

It took me a week to train her to go "potty" while on a leash. She was used to running with 4 other dogs on a bunch of land!!

Jack's cat is NOT HAPPY. It took the last 3 weeks for her to sit in the same room as Vicki. At least once a day, she sneaks up on the sleeping dog and smacks the fire out of her head about 5 times and then runs out of the room.

I found out this dog is high-energy, so I now have

to run/walk her EVERY day....I hate exercise.

The worst thing about walking her: she haunches and does the weird walk while leaving turds all the way down the street!! EVERY time! Then I have to walk the rest of the way with warm, steamy poo in a plastic bag!!

All that said.....she is getting used to her kennel (w/o a bottom). She is a nice, calm dog when we are home. She sleeps through storms (huge blessing). She now potties on command and obeys simple commands. She doesn't stink!! And the shedding isn't noticeable!

I do have to walk her because she ran away from Max into traffic one day....MAJOR TRAUMA for Max. AND she tripped him another day and gave him road rash. That same day, Jack was standing too close to the outside cable when she darted for her ball and the cable (leash) burned his leg (blisters, scabs and all).

Max is learning how to not treat her like a human so we can have a well behaved, well adjusted dog!! It has only been 3 weeks and things are going great.....and I have lost 7 pounds!!