HAPPY TAILS: BAILEY

One day I was asked to give some ABC care to a new transport named Bailey. When I first saw her in the crate she was a lot smaller than I thought she was from the pictures I had seen and said “oh, you’re a peanut” (the nickname stuck), but her size was quite deceiving. As soon as I put the leash on her, off we went for an adventure in a hurry. She pulled me along and searched the little water gullly along the property. I tried to get her to lay down and relax and take in all the fresh air. She was having none of it. All she wanted to do was go exploring, i.e. hunting! So after an hour I had to bring her back. Then I was asked if I would foster her since she was having a hard time being crated for so long due to her high energy level and her dog reactivity. Of course I said I would. She settled in quite quickly, teaching me the things she already knew and what she expected of me. She was one smart cookie. She was an independent girl. She was not a lap dog nor a couch potato. She surely kept me on my toes demanding her 2-3 walks a day, 2-3 miles each. In the weeks and then months to come we learned to respect each other and gained mutual trust and understanding. Adoption events were quite challenging for both of us. She just wanted to be in the spotlight so much that she would make sure everyone in the plazas would hear she had come to town ready for action. She wanted to be the star of the show, as the little white star patch on her chest could attest to. So months turned into a year and although she did catch a lot of attention and everyone thought she was so beautiful, especially with that one blue eye and big smile, it never seemed to be quite the right fit. As year two of fostering her was around the corner, it became evident we had already found the right fit, exactly where she was. Although her prey drive has not waned she decided she likes being a couch potato and snuggle up together on those rainy days, making sure she’s in the middle of her Mama and Papa. She would rather go on adventures together rather than by herself. We have come a long way together since that first day, a lot of give and take, trials and tribulations, but I wouldn’t change one bit of it. We love every bit of her!