Pupkin and Belle

Better late than pregnant...that's my motto.

I have been fostering Great Pyrenees again since May 2010.

That's the day Pupkin and Belle came into my life. I met Lori at the Westshore Petco to get

the girls...and remembered quickly how difficult it is to drive with Pyrs in the back seat...or at least how difficult it is to see out your rearview mirror.

I'm sad (and mad at myself) that I haven't been very good about writing here. I had them for over 7 months...and I'm certain had I taken the time to write I would have some very funny stories. I can tell you that Belle is fearless and loveable and goofy...and Pupkin was very timid at first but quickly became "my girl." If I was gone from home for too long...upon my return she would crawl up into my lap and sit on me...I think in an effort to ensure that I did not leave again!

Belle was a bit overweight when we got her...144 lbs...and not at all happy with her new exercise regime and diet plan. To make up for what she was lacking in kibble...she started eating socks. And dish towels. And she devised a plan that at feeding time she would wolf down all her food...and start barking to get Pupkin and Patrick to leave their food bowls to see what the barking was about...and she'd dive into thier food. They eventually caught on...but it took a few days. Belle's a smart girl. She even tried it with Troy and I once or twice.

When that plan stopped working she decided she'd just take what she wanted. You could be sitting there with plate in hand, gnoshing on lasagna...and if you looked away from your plate to say...chew and swallow...she'd seize the moment and gulp down whatever she could get her mouth around. More than once I had my hand down her throat in an attempt to retrieve a garlic roll or piece of meat...sometimes I won...sometimes I lost. Always I ended up covered in doggie slobber. Never once did Belle growl or bite or act aggressive...she just tried to dig in and hold on to that savory morsel of food.

And we discovered pretty quickly that the girls DO NOT LIKE RAIN. They didn't even like when the deck or grass was wet....they would NOT go outside in such horrid conditions. Living in Florida...it rains...a lot. Troy or I would have to resort to leashing them and walking them around the backyard until they did their business. Not sure if they were training us...but it worked.

Recently the girls found their fur-ever homes. Mike and Toni, a nice couple from Jacksonville. Two other dogs in the house and five cats. So far things seem to be going well. When he took the girls in to meet their new vet he reported back that Belle was down to 127 lbs...how svelte!! It was a very hard day...driving them to Jacksonville...actually, driving away was the hard part.

I still miss them every day...