June 1st 2005 10:51 pm
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Well, we made it on our cross country trip to our new home in California. The desert is beautiful and the dogs love it. I'm careful to take a whole month to acclimate them to the new climate. Phoenix is doing much better. She walks much more respectably on leash, has a fairly solid "wait" at doors and will do absolutely ANYTHING for food-still which is good. She's shed out all her coat so she doesn't look quite so fluffy and I'm interested to see what she looks like this winter. She has certainly come far enough along that I think she's ready for her forever home. I'll have to take my time finding it though. She'll still have to go to a home that has some experience with assertive, high drive dogs. She'd do well in a home with an active family that is interested in being active with their dog daily or with a single person. She'd do well as an only dog or as a second dog provided the first dog likes to play rough and doesn't mind how serious Phoenix's vocalizations sound. She sounds soooo serious! But after4 months of careful observation I can say that it's just play. In fact she is learning to modulate her bark so she sounds more playful and less serious because my sheltie is wary of her-even though she has never harmed a hair on him.

We will probably start agility training this summer. I figure the more training she has, the better a pet she will make. This girl has come such a long way from being the wild thing I took out of the shelter just over 4 months ago. I'm so proud of her.