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Lexi Loo - the Nut Dog

Lexi has an adoption pending!!!

After a year, almost to the day, of having Lexi in my home, I received a call from a woman who was interested in meeting Lexi. She had seen Lexi on petfinder.com over a year ago when her dog had just passed away. Friends had found Lexi for her, but it was too soon for her. When she was ready to begin looking for a new dog, a friend informed her that Lexi was still available. She couldn't believe it. Lexi's new mom to be felt it was a sign that Lexi was hers. As she told me on the phone - she already loved Lexi and she felt maybe I had been keeping Lexi until she was ready for her.

Lexi has been having playing dates with her new mom and after October 11th she will attempt to spend the night with her new mom.

Lexi has gone through incredible changes in the year I have had her. From not being able to go anywhere public to participating in a parade with several other dogs and walking by several cars (still a trigger for her). Her last feat was to participate in the local shelter's walk-a-thon. Last year it was unthinkable to even bring her.

I know Lexi's new mom will take Lexi on new journeys and that in another year she will have had many more new successes.

March 31, 2005

It has been over 5 months since my last entry and Lexi Loo is still looking for her forever home. Lexi has gone through many many changes since October. When I look back to the dog she was in September, when she first came to me, I realize what remarkable changes she has gone through.
She no longer barks, barks, barks, at every passing item that goes by the front window. In the house her ability to take commands is pretty darn good. She will come off when jumping, chewing, circling etc. Doesn't stop her from committing the act but she sure does listen when you ask her to. Her enthusiasm for life is really coming through. She does everything with such energy and joy. This is not say that Lexi still does not have a certain amount of fears outside of the house, but her ability to focus on me and not allow the fears to take over has improved greatly.

In January Lexi began beginners agility. I just knew she would be a star in the making. In her first class, the instructer told me she would only be able to handle the jumps but Lexi went up the A frame. I knew she would do it when I saw her checking out the mini schnauzer doing it. In her second class she chose to go through the weave and through the tunnel. The instructor said her heart was beating hard because Lexi was doing so well. In her seventh class she went up and down the see-saw. The other amazing part of the class was Lexi initiated a relationship with the instructor without the instructor having to use any type of treats. She comes around much faster at trusting people. Although she still picks and chooses who she likes.

Lexi is an incredibally smart dog. Sometimes I am not sure how she accomplishes the things she does. For instance she managed to take off the metal lid of a peanut butter jar without putting any dents in the lid. She managed to take a pot at the back of the stove, remove the lid, leave the lid on the counter, pull the pot onto the floor and eat the contents of it without appearing to have tipped over the pot. Although it can be infuriating that she gets into so many things there is also a part of me that is astounded by her ingenuity. She quickly learned "if I sit real pretty I will get fed, get walked, be let outside to the backyard. There are endless possibilities for me if a sit pretty and look cute".

My wish for Lexi is that she find a home that is experienced in agility. She has such potential and the beginner that I am, I am just holding her back.

Oct 11/04

Lexi Loo Nut Dog has had many changes going on for her in the last 10 days. Lets see to start off, she accidentally (or maybe it wasn't an accident) locked me and my sister in the garage. Luckily for us, one of the back doors was unlocked. Lexi is finally learning we do not like her munching on our arms when she wants our attention. It took her awhile but she is finally learning what we will and will not put up with. It's the stuborness in her that makes her not give up but she is finally seeing it our way (yeahhh no more bruises). Lexi is also progressing in obediance class. She has decided that it is okay to join the rest of the class instead of hiding away in the kitchen. She even decided that she liked the teacher and that the teacher could use her to demonstrate a few commands. Of course that silly dog in the corner who made all the noise with the chair almost ruined it all and scared the crap out of her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to rush back to me or stay with the teacher for the treats. Lexi decided to stay with the teacher but get her back legs stretched out behind her incase she had to make a quick getaway. Lexi is also traveling in the car with me to as many places as I can take her. We stop at places like the mall or at a local shelter. Depending on how busy the place is, I either let Lexi stay in the back of the car and open the hatch (I have an subaru outback) or I let her out for a small stretch. I give her treats every time a person goes by so that she associates people with good things (the treats). Sometimes I get people to throw her treats. This works well with Lexi as long as they don't talk to me. Lexi has become slightly protective of me and now thinks that when people talk to me, they are threatning me. Of course, once she sees a person a couple of times, she stops doing this. Luckily for us, Lexi doesn't do anything more than bark. Lexi still finds going for walks in places where people are stressful but when there is just the two of us out walking together, she is great to walk on leash. She doesn't pull and generally stays by my side unless there is something she wants to sniff. Even then, she "heels" very quickly with just a "here" command.

Lexi has also made friends with a nice trainer in Texas who has a fearful male Australian Kelpie. She also will soon meet a woman locally who owns a femal Australian Kelpie. I figure I need to learn as much as I can about Kelpie to be able to understand Lexi better.

Lexi now sleeps in a large kennel at night instead of my car. I put the kennel up, put some blankets in it and a blanket over it to make cozy. I left the kennel door open but did put her food in there. Lexi chose to sleep in the kennel as I did not want to force her. She sleeps in there with the door open as I do not want her to feel trapped but want her to have a place she feels is a safe haven. If Lexi does go into agility, she will need to learn to stay in a kennel.