1/8/2009
Their life has changed dramatically. I didn't know where the evolution would finish as they had such a late change in life. But Lila, the dog that was afraid of everyone, continues to get more and more attached to us. She's Mike's little baby. She runs in circles when he comes home and does this little trilling sound which is so cute. And the big guy is my shadow. He just waits for me everywhere I go. They may be thrilled with us, but the feeling is more than reciprocated.
Anyhow, keep in touch.
Happy New Year.
Karen and Mike

1/16/08
Happy New Year to both of you. Hope the holidays were good.
Just wanted to update you on Mr. and Mrs. Golden. They are doing wonderfully. We always knew Sampson was special, the way he just plopped down and became part of our life. The true surprise is Lila. After the meds were done and her fears of just about everything have improved, what a wonderful dog! She is such a little mush. Always has to be lying on your feet and pushes him out of the way for extra pets. But there was that one time... I had them over in the park where they can run free. Sampson always goes exploring and has to be called back. But she sticks like glue to your side. So, when I got to the field it was wonderful to see them both running in big, wide, circles just having fun. No problem, they'll catch up. I was walking along until I got hit from behind by a Mack truck (Lila had been running full speed and just ploughed into me). My legs went out from under me and I ended up flat on my back in the middle of this big field. As I was trying to figure out if anything was broken, I looked up to see both of my puppies. How sweet, they're concerned. No, they were rummaging through my pockets for the treats. After I realized that I had nothing more than a bump on the head, it was pretty funny. Getting a little better on the walks, but they really don't know how to deal with other dogs. I call Lila the alerter. She barks her brains out, but if you drop the leash she runs the other way. But she does rile him up and he intimidates other dogs a bit. I may enroll them part days in a dog day care just to get them used to being around other dogs. Hopefully, they can go for minimum costs if I volunteer for a few hours. Of course I can't watch the Dog Whisperer anymore because the first bark drives Sampson into insanity. Not a big sacrifice. I have to admit that I was a little overwhelmed by these two at first. Mostly Lila with her lack of housebreaking and general neurotic behavior. What a change... I love these guys so much and I think even George has a place in his dog heart for them. Sampson comes to let me know when George wants to get in from the back yard. Anyhow, hope things are going well. Stay in touch. Karen

11/14/07
Sampson and Delilah update
I'm like the proud mom who never tires of bragging about her new kids. Speaking of which, should be interesting... Friday night my daughter gets in from college (she can't wait to see them). Then her twin brother and his girlfriend arrive Saturday (he's the only one who's seen S&D), followed by my oldest (23) and his girlfriend on Wednesday. These two are either going to be totally overwhelmed or love the extra attention. I'm guessing the latter. Anyhow, both of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and make sure you eat too much.
Karen

11/14/2007
Hi,
Just wanted to let you know how things were going here. They are both doing wonderfully and Mike and I are loving it. No housebreaking accidents in close to 3 weeks and that's with leaving them up to 6 hours when I go to work. I was able to work out a deal with my office so that I can work from home in the morning and then go in after lunch. So, I don't feel so guilty leaving them for hours. While I'm gone they have free roam of the house and happy to report that with the exception of one book which Lila ripped up about 3 weeks ago, no damage. The poor girl was absolutely petrified of the night at first. Now, she's getting much better. She's still a little nervous when I leave her to go out at night, so I don't much. If I do, she's heavily armed with rawhide chews and she happily chews away for hours. Lila is finally done with her Prednisone again. Hopefully, she's fine now. She seems to be... running in the yard, and playing fetch for long periods of time. Mornings are so cute, we each get a cold nose to nudge us to wake up and get moving. Sampson has a whole supply of toys that he insists on carrying around in his mouth. And Lila is the guardian of the chew rolls. They get no treats unless they're sitting, so anytime you bring anything out that resembles food, INSTANT SIT. Hey, why don't we get any, we're sitting! I just got a new car that will fit all the dogs so we're going to start going to this big deserted park around here so they can get in a good run. I'm guessing they're pretty happy these days. Thanks again for all your help with them. If you're ever in the area and want to come visit, we'd love to see you. Karen