ABBY

(10.29.09) “Still madly in love with Ms. Abbey!! I can’t believe it’s been a year since we got her, my time has gone by so quickly. I noticed recently that Shiner has finally taken her on hook-line-and-sinker. He cries when she’s gone and plays hard with her when she’s near. I continue to work on dominance issues; those have become slight, but involve cats now too. I’m like the center of a migrating fur ball. Abbey practices her commands often. She loves to “get shot,” often responding when I’m giving Shiner the command. She is very attentive and expressive. Her energy hasn’t waned with age; she still loves to take laps around the yard, scooting past Shiner. I hardly have to move and she knows the command I’m giving her. No more bending!! Better at distance . . .still working on distractions. The cats have grown accustomed to her too. She was beside herself when I petted Tigger and he turned to lick her leg. She didn’t dare move a muscle. She plays with the cats by charging them. They stoically stare at her, unflinching. She stops dead about 2-3 feet from them. The cats trust her though and walk under her at the door and near food. She still hasn’t gotten down the etiquette required to sniff cats. I think the cats are getting to like that invasion. She is still protective but polite. If she doesn’t know someone, including small children, she growls very quietly and sits neatly on my feet. I try to get people to pet her from the side, feeding treats, and she seems to respond well to that, relaxing and ceasing to growl. My husband, the one that acts like he doesn’t like dogs, stalks Ms. Abbey in the yard. She goes nuts when he comes home, wanting to initiate a play session. When he’s done he tells her, “That’s enough.” She stops immediately and mouthing turns to licks. He calls her Puff n Huff because of the way she snorts under the front door when we come and go. He especially appreciates her tenacity hunting rodents in the yard. This year we have had a lot of critters searching for water along the greenbelt. She’s funniest with the frogs. They bounce and she bounces with them . . .but never mouths them. All of Abbey’s scars have ceased to grow hair, but she seems to have little hairs growing that I hadn’t expected. The scar on top of her head looks like a little heart. It’s her way of reminding me how lucky I am to have her.