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UPDATEBackCrystal is feeling more and more at home all the time. Her sense of humor is really coming out. She's taken to chasing Gabriel and then when he jumps up on the chair she turns around and looks at me and smiles. She is so proud of herself! She will wait until he walks by and then run after him. I don't know what she would do if she caught him, but I don't see that happening. She tried to chase Sabrina, but Sabrina just gave her the stock 'whatever' look and sauntered away. Crystal doesn't play with toys, but I guess that's a form of entertainment, anyway, especially if she can get a rise out of someone. Even me. This morning she was lazing around on my bed, stretching, and I was in the bathroom getting ready and she kept whimpering. So I would stick my head in the door so she could see I was still there. Then she would whimper again. I would do the same thing. Then she would whimper again. Then I would look in and she was laughing at me! She was just messing with me! Once she knew I was on to her she jumped off the bed and layed down in the hallway (rather than circling!) watching me until we were ready to go for our morning walk. She is such a card!
She loves to go for walks and early Saturday evening everyone was out walking so she met the Bichon sisters. So there we were - the Maltese, two mini Schnauzers, two Bichons and Crystal. She didn't growl at anyone! They were all busy sniffing each other, yet when I took her to see my mom earlier in the day, I think I might have told you that she growled at the two MALE dogs she met there. So she seems to growl only at male dogs which makes perfect sense to me!
She is eating well and is happy and not circling so much anymore. She lays on the rug watching me fix dinner (I feed her first) rather than just circling, or follows me around and the rest of the time I hold her, watching TV, reading and she sleeps right beside me in bed. Yesterday morning she layed her head on my pillow for a bit, then layed her head on my shoulder. She is SUCH a lover!!! She's my adorable little moppet-head!
She has really made herself at home! I'm so glad because sometimes older dogs grieve for their previous owners for the rest of their lives and clearly, she is not grieving about anything. I think her previous home(s) before she was rescued was just not a loving environment and she is making up for lost time. I think she circles when she's stressed and there isn't any stress here.
UPDATE (18 May, 2006)
Crystal is such a lover. Although she is slowing down a bit and her cataracts are getting a little worse, she still loves her walks, meals, treats and lying out in the sun for a few minutes in the afternoon. She's wonderful about being groomed and sits quietly for me to clip her and has finally come to trust me to clip underneath her tail, which she always hated before. I know the previous owner probably pulled her around by her tail so that may have been why.
She is such a baby. She sleeps right beside me, always touching me and if she gets chilly, she crawls under the covers and snuggles right up to me. She likes to sleep in, so I take Wizard and Fergus for a walk and by the time we get back, she's usually awake and ready to go. She likes to walk with Wizard, so Wizard gets two walks every morning, which he also loves. The other day after the boys' walk, I found Crystal in bed on her back with her arms straight up in the air sound asleep. The angle of the attached pic doesn't show her arms up in the air very clearly, but it was hilarious! She is truly adorable with the sweetest personality. Everyone just loves her, and she them!