Abbie came to us in April, right in time for Easter. We had just lost our beloved B&T coonhound “Chance” a month before and were eager to adopt another. Chance left huge shoes to fill, so we’ve had to keep that in mind as we’ve embarked on this journey with her. Abbie is whiny, neurotic, high energy, and wants to be the center of attention, which presents its challenges when you have two children under 3 and an elderly father! Thankfully she is every bit as intelligent as she is neurotic, so she learns commands quickly (although the stubborn hound in her doesn’t always want to do what we ask of her). I’ve worked a lot with her on jumping, leash-walking, and house manners and she still has a long way to go. But with a lot of reinforcement, and the help of an Invisible Fence for exercise, she has made considerable progress. She is a good friend to our cat, Leo, and is quite patient with our young children, the two most important things for us. During the day she is on the go, either playing with her stuffed duck, wrestling with her buddy Leo or running outside in her 2 acre ‘fenced’ area, which includes an acre of woods with many rabbit holes, deer trails, and fox dens to explore. At night she crashes on the couch until her last walk before bedtime, after which she curls up with Leo for the night. She thinks she’s a lapdog and will lay right on top of my husband while he is napping or watching TV. It’s obvious that she was abused in the past, so we are hoping that with time she will feel even more confident in us and her role in our family.

All the best,
Carol