One Dad, Five Dogs, and a Duck

Or ... How an ex-mill dog learns about living in a family

The way I see it, part of the job of foster parents is to teach these little mill babies how to live as part of a family. The only way I know to do this is to treat them as full family members and to help them to adapt to the customs and patterns that make up our life style.

So last evening Kenneth & I (Deirdre) retired to our bedroom to relax and watch a little TV. Usually I sit in my chair and Kenneth is more comfortable spread out on our king size bed. Under normal circumstances you understand, Kenneth is not alone on the bed. Everyone has to be up there with Dad. Luckily there is lots of space for the dogs to spread out with plenty of room for everyone's feet and tails.

Baylee is our alpha and she is inclined to carry her toy of the day around with her. Yesterday her choice was a stuffed duck that I brought back from the toy exchange at CRAP. So when she jumped up to be with dad naturally the duck went too.

As I have mentioned, Velour (foster girl) has taken quite a liking to Kenneth. She follows him everywhere. In fact, you can hear them coming as her leash makes a kind of dragging sound as the pair of them move around the house. From certain angles it almost looks as if Kenneth has a bright blue leash attached to his ankle or something. So naturally when we went to watch TV ... Val came along as well.

But Val (Velour) had never seen the bedroom before ... and you better believe she had never seen a king size bed either. Because I very much doubt that she had been invited into the boudoir of the mill owner and I am here to tell you that if she had smelt like she did when we picked her up on her Emancipation day, she would not have been in my bedroom either.

Poor Velour did not know what to make of this at all. First, Kenneth picked her up just as he did Lovie (Lovie is kind of old and her jumper does not work too well so Daddy needs to help her with some things, I am sure you understand!!) Val took about two steps on the soft squishiness of the bed and comforter and just about FLEW off the bed. I think she scared herself... I know she scared me!!

So.. OK just let her take her time and figure out what all this is about.
Everyone settled down, except of course Val. She trotted around the bed several times. She stopped and put her paws up and looked at her foster brother and sisters. She went and sat next to Kenneth on the floor... looking up at him piteously. So he picked her up again … and down she jumped. You need to understand that in the week she has been with use she had not jumped on to of off of anything at all... and now two big jumps in maybe five minutes.

Then the young lady went and sat on the floor next to foster dad and looked at him and I could just hear her saying to him... "Please come and sit on the floor with me". But he didn't. Bad foster Dad!!! Then she did it... she has done it two or three times before... so far I have not got a picture but I will... You know the way Toto sits in the WOZ?? Up on his rump... paws folded on his chest?? Well I think she has studied the movie because that is exactly what she does.

So Kenneth picked her up again and just held her in his arms until she relaxed and pretty soon she carefully walked over and lay down next to her best friend Kringle.

A few moments later I turned away from the TV and looked at the bed and everyone was asleep..

One Dad, Five Dogs, and a Duck - and my camera was in the other room.. So you will just have to use your imagination.

Deirdre, IA
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