It has been 8 months since I brought Betti home. Every day she amazes me at how smart she can be. In December I went on vacation so she had her first trip to the kennel. They said she loved playing with the other dogs while she was there. Since then she is a changed dog. I think it helped her to know this is her forever home. She now comes when you call her and actually looks when you call her name. Until her kennel visit she didn't do that. She loves to go for car rides. My mom watches her during the day and takes her in the car all the time. She loves to visit the bank and the UPS store. If a business allows her in my mom takes her in for a visit. Every where she goes she becomes the center of attention. There aren't a ton of coonhounds in our area so people are fascinated by her. She seems to really enjoy the snow we have been getting here. I take her in the yard and throw snow balls. She loves to chase them. She has also started going to doggie day care one day a week. She loves to play with other dogs and my parents lab isn't really interested in playing with her. So I thought what a great way to get her to play with other dogs since there isn't a dog park near by. The first day she went she came home and was exhausted.

Since I brought her home in May I have been buying different types of toys trying to find one that she likes. I found that she likes ropes with the tennis ball attached. With this information I headed to the store to find the perfect toy. I bought her a stuffed ball with a rope that goes through it. I brought it home and gave it to her, finally success. She loves the ball. She throws it around the living room all the time. There were a few close calls with the little Christmas tree I have. I thought for sure she was going to throw the ball right into the tree and knock it down. The other day when I was in the shower I heard her throwing something around in the living room. Last time this happened she had one of my shoes. When I came down to see what she was up to she was laying on the floor with her ball next to her. I was very proud of her. I had forgotten that there was a pair of shoes in the living room. She left them alone and played with her ball.

I am attaching a picture of her in front of the Christmas tree. I always try to get a picture of her with her ears perked up since she looks so pretty like that. I took the picture as she stood barking at me. That is her new favorite thing to do. She talks to me. I try not to let her bark too much since I live in a town house but I admit I can't help but laugh. I just love the hound bark.

Colleen

5 January 2010

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It has been almost 4 months since I brought Betti (formerally Bettina) home. She has been such a great addition. At first she was very laid back, quiet and calm. Not that she still isn't, but she has her moments of energy now that she didn't have in the beginning. When my dog walker first met her she asked if she was on drugs, that is how laid back she was. Her personality has really come out. She now walks with her tail high in the air and with such confidence, almost like she owns the whole town which she kind of does. Everyone knows her when we go on our walks and when we stop at the farmers market on the weekends. They all stop and say "Hello." She just soaks up all the attention. She loves everyone she meets. She also loves to go out in the back yard with a toy and play. She runs around with it in her mouth and when it falls out of her mouth she growls at it until she picks it back up. She even brings it back to me to throw to her, which impresses me because my parents' yellow lab doesn't do that. I am attaching a picture of her during the recent Dog Days of August event here in my town. The local water ice store had "pupcicles" It was vanilla water ice with a milk bone for the handle. She loved it. Actually she loves most food. I have even discovered she has a love of tomatoes. My neighbor has had a good bunch this year and I found Betti in the kitchen one day, after I had been given a few, crying and looking up at the counter. The neighbors left some of the tomatoes that fell on the ground or where growing into the fence on the ground for the little bunny that lives in their yard. Betti now heads right for that spot and barks. It cracks me up. We have also started a little running program. I am an avid runner and would love to take her on runs with me especially on the trails. Now we walk/run some of our walks. She just loves it. I just love to watch her long ears flapping as we walk/run. I am also attaching a photo of Betti in one of her favorite spots, my bed. She loves to lay there in the morning as I am getting ready for work. Every time she lays down she let's out a big groan. It is the funniest thing in the world. I have never had a dog do that before. Then when it is time for me to go I give her a little shake like you would to a person you are trying to wake up in the morning. She looks at me groans and streches her legs. Sometimes she even covers her face with her paw. I think she wants to be human. She also loves to just lay in bed or on the floor with me. I will sit on the floor and rub her while I watch TV. It is so great to be able to give her all the love that she needs. She has brought such joy into my life. Thank you for saving my wonderful B&T coonhound. 5 September 2009 It's been about two weeks Betti formally known as Bettina is settling right in. The first week she needed a little coaxing and a gentle lift to get her out of her doggie bed for our 5 AM walks. Now she gets up and heads downstairs right away. When we come back she immediately goes to her food bowl. Her foster mom warned me she liked food and boy was she right. After Betti finishes her meal she then follows me and stands next to me as I prepare my lunch hoping something drops on the floor. Last weekend we took our first trip to the local dog bakery. She loved the treats so much she just had to bark her thanks to Kim, the owner. I think the free samples won Betti over. I have also found out that Betti likes to cuddle on the couch, although she is also very content to lay there alone. And she does not like thunder storms. We got a few this weekend and she hid in my bedroom. On our walks she likes to stop and say hello to everyone we pass. She has met a lot of the neighbors, including the neighbors' cats. She stands at the fence barking and wagging her tail at them. Some nights and over the weekends we head to my parents for play time with her new yellow lab friend, Champ. Her bark scared him the first few times he heard it, which cracked me up. I just love the hound bark so it is fun to hear her barking when she plays. I stopped by my parents one day this weekend without Betti and Champ ran around looking for her. He comes here to our house to visit Betti when my parents come to dinner. They really enjoy each others company. Wednesday night we started dog obedience school and Betti had a great time. At the end she played with some other dogs. It is great to see her so relaxed and enjoying life. This weekend we are going to head to some of the local trails for some hiking. She is such a great dog and I am amazed at how quickly she is settling in. I know it will take some more time for her to really settle and know this is her forever home, but from the looks of it something tells me she is figuring that out quickly. Thanks so much to the Black and Tan Rescue folks for all you do. Thanks to Betti's fosters for taking such good care of her. Thanks to Dee for going out of her way to get Betti to me. And for answering all my questions even after we got home. It is because of people like you that these dogs get such great homes. I can't wait to see her personality really come out. I am attaching some pictures of Betti in my back yard and at my parents playing with Champ. He has an invisible fence so I get alot of exercise chasing them. I put Betti on a 25 foot lead and run around trying to keep up with them. I am sure the neighbors get a kick out of it. Colleen 27 May 2009