5/30/15:

I wanted to send a little update on Aria (sleepy). Since I've adopted her she has been 100% my girl, but has always had a really hard time trusting new people. Dogs were always fine, women were better, kids were scary, and men were terrifying. She's been steadily getting better over the last few months but has really turned a corner in the last few weeks. This video shows it all. Running and playing with the kids and approaching all the men at the BBQ without fear. I've been hiking with her and keeping her socialized as much as possible and it really has seemed to help. She will probably always have some level of anxiety but she's SOOO much better now and has quickly become the best dog I've ever owned. Such a lover and so very smart. She almost has a human personality and even tries to talk to us. It's so funny! I just wanted to send this update and thank you for all of the work you do for the animals. I hope the mom and other puppies from Arias litter are also doing well. She's such a joy to me.

 

12/19/14:

Aria is doing great as you can tell from the video. She is back to her go lucky self and I would dare say that she is more energetic than when I first got her. I really think the surgery relieved a lot of the pressure in her head and she doesn't know what to do with herself. I just took the cone off of her as of yesterday and she is loving it. I am keeping a watchful eye to make sure that she doesn't damage anything but she has been really good about not scratching or being too rough on that side of her head. As long as she keeps up the good behavior I will probably keep the cone off. Her follow-up appointment with the eye surgeon is 12/30, and I expect that they will only have good things to say about her recovery.

She is growing up so fast and I really appreciated everything that you have done for her before she came to me. She is such a great dog and we are working with her anxiety with new people that she had in the past. She had a breakthrough about three weeks ago when we had a bunch of people over to the house for a birthday party. I was expecting her to hang out in her kennel if she got nervous… But it was a great day, and very unlike her, she came up to everybody for hugs and kisses. Ever since, she is still pretty shy but she has been a lot more open with new faces.

Today we set the bar a little higher and spent some time with my very young nieces and nephews. while she was a little afraid for a while, she got used to them as well. Other dogs (big or small) she does great with, Adult humans she's pretty good with too... Kids are taking longer for her to not be afraid, but we are working with her and making sure she's comfortable along the way.

It's a shame I don't have more time to work with her on tricks because I feel like she could be one of those long jump dogs at the fairgrounds. She loves jumping and running and water. Definitely an athletic dog and I love it.

 

11/12/14:

Aria is doing great and I love her to bits. She seems to have had a breakthrough in potty training over the last week and having accidents less and telling me when she needs to go outside more. She is learning some great obedience commands...  come, sit, load up (for getting in the car), and kennel (for getting in the kennel at night).  Still working on "stay" because she is a stage 4 clinger and won't leave my side when I'm home. lol  Her anxiety around new people is getting much better as well, although she is still a timid pup, and probably will be all her life. When she's home, her personality is hilarious and she cracks me up constantly as she plays with Brutus or her toys. She's just now starting to be interested in playing fetch, but has a hard time finding the ball with her one eye. lol. Even still, I think the ball-throwing is good for her eye coordination so I plan to keep working with her on that front. 

10/22/14:

Update on Aria. She's been doing great. Her shyness is going away and she's so smart. Quickly learning sit/come, no!, lol. Potty training is still in progress but she's improving there too. She and Brutus are the best of friends now. Often eating from the SAME bone, which is hilarious to watch.

 

10/8/14:

Aria is settling in well. She's playing with Brutus quite a bit and is pretty good about going outside for potty breaks. I'm really impressed by her so far. For a puppy she is learning so fast, and she doesn't whimper too much at night. I think she likes her special space. I think my biggest challenge with her is to help her feel comfortable in her own skin. She's such a lover from the get-go, but I feel like a lot of that has to do with being timid and she just wants to be held all the time. I'm trying to balance between making her feel safe and secure but without coddling her too much because I don't want her constantly being afraid of her own shadow as she grows up. The slightest noise makes her jump at times, but I'm sure a lot has to do with being in a new environment and in time she will grow out of that. She is really tough growling in front of the mirror, by the way. lol. 

As for now, she spends a lot of time with me, whether in the car or at my feet as I type this email. :) She was scared at first but is already much better with the big boys upstairs and is learning that they aren't too scary, and Brutus just wants to play. (he's a really big puppy at this point and doesn't realize that he isn't Aria's size anymore) So, I keep an eye on them to ensure they aren't getting too overwhelming for her, but there's lots of tail wagging and panting from all the energy so it's going well. Ace (the older dog) is loving that Brutus has a new younger friend and leave him alone to nap. We call Ace the grumpy old man because he pretty much ignores Aria and Brutus' energy. Everyday I'm getting to see more of her personality, which makes me love her even more. My friend and I both think Aria reminds us of my old family dog, Elliot. She's bringing back a lot of fun memories. Her first vet appointment is scheduled for October 14, and looking forward to learning more about her eye. It's still looking good to me and she is perfect when it comes to giving her the drops. I can tell that Lin did such a great job with her.