"Give It a Month"

That's what I told myself often during the sometimes difficult moments of adjustment that we (errr...cough, cough...I) had during our first days with Willow (moments like walking into the kitchen and finding her eating my precious egg salad, and making a middle-of-the-night discovery that she had pooped on the bathmat, etc.). "After a month, this won't feel so hard," I would comfort myself. "You'll know what you're doing and what to expect from Willow, and she'll have settled into a good routine. Don't judge how things with her will go until you get to November 14, because certainly by then, life with Willow will seem a whole lot easier than it does now!"

That was pretty good advice. ;-)

For the most part, I have gotten used to having Willow...and we have figured out a good routine with her that includes inside and outside time...and life with her does seem easier than it did back then. For one thing, we haven't had any more egg salad OR poop episodes, so that counts a lot in her favor. ;-)

Last evening, Jeff and I were talking about her; and I mentioned something about how I tolerate her. "Really?" he asked, surprised, I suppose, by the lack of my customary effusiveness, "that's all?"

"Well," I responded by way of explanation, "I do have all the work of her."

Maybe he already knew that I wasn't as indifferent to her as I was seeming to be; but whether or not he did, I was about to find out. You see, during one of her outside breaks last night, Willow took off and was out of sight in the darkness in a very short time. Jeff came into the house and told me what had happened, and suddenly the piercing of my heart told me that my response to her wasn't one of mere toleration! But I will say that my immediate concern was for my children: I knew they would be so very sad if anything bad happened to Willow. So maybe I really do just tolerate her--all for the sake of Jeff and the kids!! You think? ;-)

At any rate, it didn't take me long to hustle into a coat and shoes, and I joined Jeff outside as we searched for her. She turned up outside our neighbors' house (and he called us this evening to ask what we had been doing in his yard with a bright flashlight at 1:00 AM!) ;-), but it was a bit of a hassle to catch her. Jeff thinks she has some hearing loss, and that didn't do anything to help us get her back. Plus, her desire for freedom was running pretty high; and of course, she has no idea of the possible consequences of that "freedom," especially living as close to a well-traveled road as we do. I know I heaved a big sigh of relief when we safely had her inside our house again!

This evening, she tried the same trick again, although this time she ran away when I was bringing her from the pasture where she had been with Jed to the house. Always before, she had made a beeline (seriously, you did NOT want to get in her way!) from the pasture gate straight to the kitchen where she knew some of her favorite food was awaiting her, but tonight that wasn't enticing enough, and off she ran.

I cannot tell a lie: I was less than thrilled about her repeat performance and was not looking forward to traipsing around the neighborhood on a very cold night, looking for a dog that didn't even have the good sense to come in out of the cold and into the warmth and shelter of our home! But fortunately, she stopped to socialize with the dogs that live at the neighbor's house directly in front of us, and we were able to catch up with her there.

Well, now that we've seen what antics she's trying to get away with, I know not to take her outside without a leash, even the short distance from pasture to house. Maybe someday she'll learn better sense, but until then, we need to keep her safe!

I've told you the most recent hard things about having Willow, but let me also include the good stuff. First and foremost, she is so, so sweet with the kids. We are so grateful that they are getting to experience such a loving, friendly dog; and that by itself is worth a lot in my book! She learns quickly and doesn't repeat some of her early mistakes. She literally helps me take more breaks, especially to appreciate nature. I'm learning anew that crisp, cold nights have some of the most magnificent displays of stars you could ever hope to see. ;-)

As time goes by, I am definitely learning more about Willow--her habits and quirks, her body language, her favorite things, etc. I'm hopeful that, just like this first month of having her has made the task seem much easier, so the coming months will see all of us settling more and more into life together.

Because already, it's hard to imagine life without this sweetheart. :)