We adopted Ginger the pit bull in March and i just wanted to let you know how great she is doing and how much joy she's brought to our lives. (We changed her name to Penny, i hope that's ok. She didn't seem to notice!) She is so well behaved, we couldn't believe how easy the transition was. She is learning to relax on her leash and we're doing our best to make sure she gets alot of practice. She's not allowed off her leash when we're out and about because she's just too curious and will zoom off 'exploring' when she gets the slightest freedom. Hopefully we can teach her to stay close so we can do more things as a family. She is great in the car and our dream is to get her trained enough so we can all go camping together. We tried the Benton dog park once, but she got overwhelmed by all the greetings. We'll make another attempt when it's less crowded....or empty! She's learning commands like 'lay down' and 'high five' and we're working on 'wait' and 'roll over'. She's a smart girl, but her desire to give affection often overpowers her will to hold still. We'll get there! Our cat is insulted that she generally ignores him, but we appreciate her chill attitude toward him. At first she was very shy around our friends, expecially the men, and she would woof at them and cower, but she is so, SO much better at meeting new people now. We try to include her at get togethers and i think it's helped alot. When we go out of town she stays at my parents' house and chases lizards and the neighbor's horses all day. They adore her and she behaves herself very well. My parents are true dog lovers but they're very busy and take frequent motorcycle trips, so they can't have their own dog. Now they enjoy Penny frequently and they think of her as their 'granddog'. Our friends love to play with her because she is so easy to work up into a frenzy. Inside the house or out in my parents big yard, a few stratetgic moves can get her so excited that she'll jump up and run as fast as she can in big looping circles, or on her 'track' around the couch over and over, obstacles or not. When i come home from work and let her in to the house she immediately runs to our bedroom (where she knows i'm headed to change my clothes) and rolls around like a lunatic on our rug. Sometimes i think she spends more time on her back with her paws in the air than she does standing up. When people hear her story they can't believed how happy and sociable she is and we love to brag about her. She is very much a poster-pup for the power of a good home. i wish that she could teach a seminar on how much potential a pound dog -and a pit bull - has to be a great companion. Eventually we'd like to give her a 'brother' and can't imagine not adopting another foster dog. Please thank Tylyn and everyone else involved in her life for their care and energy. She has certainly been more of a blessing than we ever dreamed she could be.
I've attached some pictures we took in the park. Please feel free to use them and this email on your Web site and in any other materials.
Eternally grateful,
Kallie and Josh Markle
PS-- We keep intending to stop by Petco so she can visit you but we always seem to be out of town, or entertaining guests, or just plain busy on the 3rd Sunday of the month. We'll keep trying!