Riley...PA

Oh where to begin?!? I can't believe it has been over 2 months that we have had Reilly and nearly a year that we have had Maggie (Morgan) ! Although Reilly is definitely Bill's dog, he has warmed up to me nicely. If Bill is in the cellar, Reilly sits with his nose pressed to the cellar door. If Bill is outside, Reilly's nose is pressed against the storm door. No matter where Bill is, Reilly's nose is pressed to the door separating them! Reilly is beginning to warm up to me. He will climb up in my lap. He allows me to feed him, walk him, and pet him. If someone approaches us on a walk, he will run to me to protect him from the offending human. He actually allows me to pick him up! That was a shocker! Bessie was rescued as a puppy and has been with us for over 5 years now. She is the alpha, and does not hesitate to let the others know! She has started sharing Bill’s lap with Reilly, and sharing her dog bed with both Reilly and Maggie. SIX MONTH UPDATE: It has been over six months since he joined our family…time flies! As you know, Reilly is Bill’s dog without question. Reilly and I have been building our relationship and our trust through a slow, but positive, process. As I told you in our last installment; when Bill is not available, Reilly allows me to feed him, pet him, play with him, apply his harness/leash, and walk him. We have been working on his trust issues very slowly, and on his terms. Today Reilly and I had a major breakthrough; he allowed me to cradle on his back and rub his belly. It only lasted about 10 seconds, but his trust is increasing. He has also begun to generalize his trust to people he meets on our walks. He has been cautiously approaching our neighbors and allowing them to greet him, and sometimes, pet him. He is blossoming into a wonderful little dog! I am hoping that by the end of the summer, he will be able to accompany us to a neighborhood barbeque and be comfortable in that environment with all those people. I’ll let you know! As always, please feel free to use this e-mail to update Riley’s success story page. I want everyone to know what a great job AADR does in getting these pups ready to go to their forever homes, and giving the adoptive families the information, tips, and tools we need to have a successful relationship with our new family members. We are so fortunate to have found Maggie and Reilly through AADR! They both have fit into our family very well, and they both have won-over Bessie (for the most part). I have attached two photos (first photo under Morgan). The one is of Maggie and her “puppies”, and the other is of the three of them in the dog bed. Bessie is red and up front, Maggie is black and tan on the left, and Reilly is the red in the back. Please feel free to share this e-mail with the AADR community. Anne