June 5, 2005 - 10:01 PM
This morning, at 6:15, I was awoken by a very happy Geneva. I have no idea of why she woke up or seemed so energetic, but she was. I took her outside in case that was the reason, but she didn't do a thing. She just wanted to be playful and excited. I had her rest for about a half hour and then, we began our morning routine of feeding, relieving, grooming; oh yes, and somewhere in there, I took a shower and got ready to go too. smile
At 8:45am, the bus picked Lyle and I up with Madison and Geneva at our sides. We were headed to the monthly Rainbow Girl breakfast. Geneva was very calm getting on and off the bus and laid nicely at my feet during the ride. At the breakfast, she lay at my feet under the table, except for when I'd call her out for friends to see her and say hi. She does really well with getting attention from others and then getting back to business when I tell her something.
We got home a few minutes before 11:00, and I decided to take advantage of the current weather conditions (no rain) and Geneva and I took off to walk around the block here in the park. Lyle surprised me and he and Madison caught up with us halfway down our street. We encountered no dogs this time, but Geneva did still need some encouraging along the way to keep her pace up. Even having Madison behind her didn't kick her into gear. But the pace issue, although something needing to be worked on, is not concerning to me, because, I don't like too fast of a dog, and she does pick up when I remind her to "hop up" or give her a gentle directive with her leash.
Around noon, my friend Andrea came over for a visit, and especially to meet Geneva. Andrea was petting Geneva and Arabelle and Madison at different times, and at one point, while Geneva was between her and I, Arabelle came over and gave Geneva a kiss. This was her first step in truly accepting Geneva. Then Andrea & I went next door to help my Mama Dee (my very special next door neighbor) bring in her groceries from the car, and of course we ended up staying and visiting for a while. Geneva was left at home with the other dogs and Lyle and my daughter Amanda. When we returned, all 3 dogs were waiting near the door, but Geneva had not been making any noise. She just patiently waits for me to return. I love it!
Later in the afternoon, Geneva and I headed down to the clubhouse to turn in our rent check to the office. The managers were there and so we stayed and had a nice visit. Going there and back, she did great! I'm still so impressed on how quickly she picked up being able to walk on the right side of the street and how to find our house.
When we got back, Geneva seemed so proud of herself and was eager to run and play. When Arabelle and Madison play, Geneva acts like she wants to join in, but seems as though she doesn't know how. So she'll run a little near them and then comes back to me. I'm sure in time though, she'll figure it out.
Tonight at around 6:00, Amanda, who had stayed home today sick, showed a 103.8 temp and so I called a friend to come take us to Urgent Care at Group Health. Geneva worked beautifully into the clinic and wherever we had to go in there. Walking with her was so natural and felt as though we'd been doing it forever. Jeanette came back and picked us up at about 7:30, and Amanda is home resting in her room. I'm sure the antibiotics will kick in soon and she'll start feeling better. Again, when we got in the house and I removed Geneva's harness, she just seemed so happy and proud of herself. She ran around, wagging her tail and just being happy girl.
Geneva's favorite spot to rest in this house is under my desk. I do spend a lot of time here, but she even goes under when I'm not at the desk. What's special about this for me is that this was also one of Arabelle's favorite places to be when she was working for me, but has since found another spot.
Well, as you can tell, what I thought was going to be an uneventful, lazy Sunday turned into quite the opposite. But I'm feeling more confident than ever that Geneva and I are right for one another. It sure is an exciting time for both of us.
Hugs & wags,
Cindy & Geneva
