From A Pauper To A Princess - The Journey of a Puppy Mill Dog (Entry 8)

Karen, one of CPCRN's foster mentors, has graciously allowed us access to her diary documenting the journey of Flopsy, also known as Rusty, from the puppy mill to her forever home. The diary will be broken up into short sections and posted. Check back for new entries in the series entitled "From A Pauper To A Princess - The Journey of a Puppy Mill Dog". (Previous Journal Entries: Entry One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven)

5/23/07
Tonight was the third night of play. This is so exciting! Something else Rusty has begun to do is come to the back part of the house when I take our dogs to the bedroom for bedtime. Usually, Rusty will stay in the kitchen area until they are crated, and then I would go out to the kitchen and pick her up and carry her back to the bedroom from the kitchen, but at least while I’m tending to the others, she gets curious enough to venture back there.

5/24/07
A nice birthday present for me this afternoon, when I looked outside the window, Rusty was laying on the grass, playing with a toy! Only MacKenzie was outside with her and she was actually watching Rusty. Rusty had a rubber toy MacKenzie had taken to the grass earlier. It was in her mouth, and she was tossing around her head a little. Then, Rusty turned over on her back with the toy still in her mouth and pawed at it with her front paws. This little one is simply amazing and I feel quite fortunate to be going through this process with her.

When Rusty stopped playing, she came trotting towards the house with what looked like a bounce in her step and a Cairn smile on her face. Tony and I both agreed that she looks so much more relaxed than she has ever looked before now.

5/28/07
Great things happened this evening when we went outside for final potty. Rusty had gotten one of the egg-shaped toys that our kids worship. She was rolling around in the grass with the ball in her mouth and would give it a little toss and grab it again. Spin in circles with the ball; just having a great time.

Holly and McDuffy started playing, so Rusty ran over to join them. The three of them rough and tumbled for quite some time. McDuffy ran over to the pool, jumped in, then jumped out and raced across the yard. Rusty was in hot pursuit after him! Her tail was high in the air and she had a huge smile on her face. McDuffy continued to zoom around the yard and Rusty zoomed after him. It was wonderful!! McDuffy would stop and roll and Rusty would play bow at him. Then McDuffy started to play with Rusty. This is a first, because he’s been laying back with her. It’s as if he could sense her apprehension. McDuffy and Rusty played rough and tumble together for a little while longer, and then it was over.

It was now time to go inside and go to bed. When we went back outside to get Rusty to come in (our daily routine), she seemed to go into one of her severe panic modes again. It was so strange, one minute she was as happy as a lark, the next minute, she was panic stricken. I’m wondering if it was a reaction to the over-stimulation and she didn’t know how to react when she came back down to earth.

To Be Continued ...