Happy Gotcha Day CupKate!

It was 5 years ago that I saw this pathetic little face on Petfinder.com


I had several emails and phone calls back and forth with the foster coordinator. Since Kate was a 3.5 hour drive away, we all wanted to be as sure as we could that this was good fit. The FC’s priority was getting Kate into a home that would help her. She wanted her to go to someone who would help her get over her issues and not just accommodate them. My biggest priority was Bella. I did not want to end up with a dog that would make her life miserable.

It was a win-win. Although, there was some questioning on that first day


First step: Remove some fat!


I don’t know if you can really tell since you guys don’t see her IRL, but man-o-man was she out of shape. The dog that can go all day now could only run for about 3 minutes before she had to lie down! Getting her in shape was pretty easy as following Bella around was her number 1 priority. Everything else has definitely been a learning experience for both of us. Kate is both the easiest and most difficult dog I have ever worked with. She really is an easy keeper. Quiet, non-destructive, travels well, good with others. The struggle for both of us has been dealing with her worrying.

This she has always done a lot of


She’s the dog that Can’t Be Wrong


Progress was also hindered by the fact that she didn’t know what toys were


And wouldn’t eat treats


There were many times that I looked at Bella and said, “what the hell are we supposed to do with this dog?” :-)

After about a year of shaping, trying to get her into toys, she just decided one day that maybe balls were kind cool. I was sitting on a bench at the park throwing the ball for Bella. I looked up and noticed that Bell didn’t have the ball. Of course, I started to get annoyed. Who’s untrained dog am I going to have to chase around the park for 20 minutes to get my ball back? It was Kate! I think the day Kate discovered retrieveing was the darkest day of Bella’s life. Haha. It’s been all down hill from there.

The Kateness was born


She is the perfect example of Be Careful What You Wish For


She also quickly caught on to the She Who Holds The Ball Rules The World thing. Need a break? Don’t let it go.


It’s been such a joy to watch her change. My favorite is just seeing her enjoy herself. Just have fun or hang out or just be without worrying that some unnamed horrible thing is going to happen any minute.


I say to her often, “I love you even though you’re the most clingy and annoying dog I’ve ever met.”


Bella loves her, too, even though she may prefer a little more personal space from time to time


To celebrate, we had a little peanut butter last night. PB is the one torturous thing I allow myself to do to my dogs. Watching progression of irritation cracks me up ever single time.

We start all very excited that something good is coming! Bella gets all smiley


Kate tries hard to keep her shit together. What she really wants to be doing right here is screaming in my face.


Then we get our first tastes and life is good.




Well, life is good until you have been licking for about 3 hours trying to get the damn PB off you face.

My face is tired


This is not so fun anymore


I’m going to kill you in your sleep


No, no, let me. I sleep closer to her head