Ya, there's that dog lady...

Hey guys,

Sorry I'm a few days late writing this, but this month has been absolutely nuts! I have enjoyed reading the posts so much!!! It is so nice to finally be able to keep up with everyone! First off, school is going great, this semester could not be any harder but its alright with me! I am working about 30 to 40 hours a week and on top of that I took in my first foster dog this month. Sometimes I have to remind myself to just *BREATHE* lol!

Well, as you guys know, we moved into our new home on January 15th and we absolutely love it! It is so nice having a place to finally call our own and have a yard for the dogs (and cats sometimes;)) to play in. It is in an awesome and historic area of Rome and is actually one of the first neighborhoods built in the city. It is filled with lots of growing families and it would be a great place to raise kids (not that we want any for a while!) As of now, we are only renting it, however we may buy it after we get married :).

Maddie worn out after a day of moving!

  

Our new yard! and Maddie practicing Down-Stay




The cats enjoying the new yard, well 2 of them :) the other one would never leave the saftey of his house!!



Two weekends after we moved in, Lee and I and our friend J.T. decided to go hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail. We left on friday morning at 3 and started our hike at around 6 A.M. Yes we were crazy. The first half of  friday was a blast and the trail was beautiful! We even stopped to eat lunch by a waterfall! The next couple of miles were difficult because I started to get blisters on both of my feet. By the time we finished the 8 miles we were to do that day, my feet looked terrible and it hurt to walk. That night was a lot of fun and we sat around the fire and ate ramen. Starting back on the trail was difficult and my already injured knee began to hurt again. By the end of saturday's 8 miles, I could barely walk. Maddie had pulled me up most of the mountains on her leash (something she had never done before and still does not do). We decided it would be best to end our hike there instead of camping out that night and going another 8 miles the next day. All together we did about 16 miles and it was a lot of fun, but next time I will definitely wear my knee brace! lol.

A few weeks ago Maddie began her Basic Obedience Classes at Georgia Dog Gym and she is doing so awesome at it! She is definitely one of the best in the class and thats not just her proud mom talking ;). Once she completes this class, she is eligible to go into their Therapy Dog and Agility Training Class. I work with her every day and she is becoming the best behaved dog I have ever owned. In 4 months she will take her Therapy dog temperament test and if she passes it, we will be visiting nursing homes, hospitals and schools. She will interact with sick children and also help children with disabilities learn to read. We are working so hard every day to pass this test, so please pray that we do! We will be starting Agility classes in 2 weeks once she has graduated from Basic Obedience class. I don't think Maddie will be great at agility, but I am doing it to strengthen our bond. Once it warms up, we will start Dock Diving Classes! This is what I am so excited about, I think Maddie is going to be awesome at it! Yes, you can call me nuts.

Well... she's well behaved most of the time! lol



Sit-stay



As you read earlier, I took in my first foster dog this month, her name is Heidi and she is a rescue from a shelter that kills once a week (also the same shelter that Maddie was taken from). The crazy thing is that Maddie and Heidi were actually kept in the same run. Wierd? Heidi is about 4 months old and was an owner surrender because "she keeps peeing in the house". Wonder if anyone told the woman thats what puppies do... Heidi has been with me about 3 weeks and is now succesfully potty-trained, walks on a leash well and can sit on command... She is available for adoption anywhere in the US, so if anybody knows someone who is looking for a sweet, smart, trainable puppy let me know!

Even though our lives are hectic, Lee and I are both really enjoying being together and doing our best to make a future for ourselves. Life is good today!