Living with Noelle

Well, in a nutshell, Noelle has turned out to be quite the comedian. She is always finding something small that you rarely notice and it becomes "the object of the day", so to speak. The first day it was soft things; beds, sofas, blankets chairs etc. No matter what room you were in, Noelle had to try them all out out. She'd inspect them carefully first, sniffing them all over. Once they past the sniff test, she'd put them through the squish test. First one paw, a quick bounce, and than all four paws. If it seemed to possess the right amount of squish, than she would do a trial run. She'd hop up, circle around, curl up and wait. Sometimes just for a moment, and at other times a half hour or so. Then down she'd hop down to try out the next item that caught her fancy.

She is a rather spunky gal. Always on the move, always checking something out. Her favorite place to lie is on the dog bed behind the computer desk, next to the aquarium. She can see everything from that location. She eats extremely well, and on occasion she will raid the trash cans. She is learning her name and some basic commands. Her favorite treats are milk bones. She is extremely easy to medicate, thank goodness; and she needs to eat in a room by herself because she tends to be slower than my other guys. For the most part she has been very easy to incorporate into our home.

Guido my dachshund is having a love affair with her. She tolerates him well, and doesn't seem bothered by his affections, but she doesn't appear impressed either. Guido brings her his favorite toy, he licks her face, ears, and lips. Its really rather amusing to watch how he interacts with her, and how he tries desperately to win her affections. She seems totally unimpressed with him, and at times seems like she just wants to squash him with her foot. However, if a dog could roll her eyes, Noelle does, and just sits there while Guido goes nutsy.

On a different note, Noelle went to work with me this weekend and she loved it! I figured that I would let her decide how she felt and what she wanted to do. I started her in the office with all my other geriatric dogs. Noelle was too much for them though. She kept trying to get them to play, and they wanted no parts of it. Finally, I sent Noelle out on the hill with my teeny dog play group. I didn't want her overtaxed and wanted her to be able to rest if she felt like it, but she didn't. She had a wonderful time moving up and down the hill. It snowed that morning and she ran around trying to catch the falling white stuff. She made friends with Beau, and elderly Keeshound who also plays in teenies, and together they had a really nice time. I figured she'd be tired that afternoon and want to rest. I was wrong again, and back outside she went. Bee bopping all over, investigating every little thing, and making friends with everyone. She is quite the social butterfly.

Noelle, had a wonderful weekend full of people and other dogs. Lots of interactions and lots of love. We've started a candle jar fundraiser to help raise funds for her treatment, and we have a wonderful lead on an awesome home for her. My work, and a friends business have both allowed me to set up the candles there. Each candle comes with a gift tag bearing Noelle's picture, and a quick "thank you" on the back for sponsoring her.

Noelle has interest in a forever home as well. The family who adopted one of my fosters about 6 months ago, is interested in Noelle. The dog they adopted this past spring would make a wonderful companion for Noelle and I'm rather excited about this development.

Noelle is off to the vet tomorrow morning. I drop her off at 9AM to begin her treatment. Please wish her well. She is a glorious gal with tons of life left to live, I'm so excited that she may get to live it in comfort without the shortness of breath she experiences now. I watch her play, and bounce, and run; I watch her interactions with people and other dogs. She is amazing in her interactions, its as if she truly knows just how close she was and is busy enjoying every moment. I hope I've made the right decision for her. I see her know and know that at moments she isn't feeling well at all. I see how active she tries to be, and I see what she enjoys. I hope the next 6 weeks or so fly by quickly and that Noelle can experience the best life possible in the ways that she wants to, and that it will have been worth it. I pray all goes well for her.