She LOVES playing in the backyard. The weather has been brutally cold here in NJ, so we're not spending as much time outside with her as we'd like, but she does get out everyday. Hands down, her favorite outside toy is her red Kong frisbee. It is the funniest thing in the world to watch her with this thing. She finds it then runs laps around our yard like a maniac. Her big, floppy ears are flapping in the breeze as she zooms passed you. It's a riot!. All four of us get the biggest kick out of it. :) Today, it was a lot milder than it's been lately so Allison and I were outside in the yard with her for quite awhile which was nice for all of us. A little fresh air is good for the soul and doggies with red frisbees!
Part of the settling in process continues to be fostering the bond between Zachary and Aubrey. This IS Zachary's dog, and he adores his dog for sure. He hugs, kisses and pats Aubrey constantly. He looks for her every morning and enjoys cuddling with her when he first wakes up. Sometimes I find him curled up on the doggie bed with her which is cute. She loves giving Zachary lots and lots of kisses first thing in the morning. It's all so sweet. Zachary makes sure he kisses Aubrey good-bye and tells her he'll see her after school each morning. Not too bad from the kid who was anti-school and anti-bus just six months ago! He also thinks it's way cool that he's able to get Aubrey to do tricks for him. He's especially likes doing "Bark!" with her. :)
One of the challenges we're facing is trying to gently break a little bit of the attachment Aubrey has to me. We just want to make the bond between these two forever friends as strong as possible, and now is the time to do it. Remember...it's only been a month that Aubrey has been home with us, but this continues to be a work in progress. Don't get me wrong, Aubrey LOVES Zachary, too. :) She is super excited when he gets off the bus every afternoon. She and I wait in front of the house for Zachary's bus to arrive. She's doing really well with staying at a "heel" and sitting when the bus pulls up instead of trying to drag me to the bus to get Zachary. While we're waiting outside each afternoon, she and I walk up and down the driveway and practice "heel"; it has definitely paid off. It's so funny though. When she sees the bus coming, she's sitting (barely sometimes!), her tail is wagging a mile-a-minute, and she is so ready to hear me say, "Free!" when Zachary walks off the bus. Once he's off the bus, she runs right to him. He says hello to her and tells her that he's home, and she jumps up to kiss him which he thinks is hysterical. Lots and lots of smiles all around. Then they both run into the house for more hugs and kisses....and, of course, treats. Zachary likes to give her Milkbone crunchy treats and Bil-Jac. He's often sitting on the floor with his coat still on while he's giving his girl treats and making her do tricks for him. It's really important while all of these things are happening in those 10 or 15 minutes that Allison is not interacting with Aubrey. Since Aubrey is so excited, I do need to give a command to settle her down, but even my interactions are limited at most. This is Aubrey's time with Zachary.
Zachary tells us everyday things like: "I love Aubrey.", "She's my best-friend.", "Aubrey loves me, Mommy." and "Aubrey is my favorite dog.". Hearing him say these things everyday and seeing the genuine feeling of happiness that Aubrey brings to his life is incredibly heartwarming.
Settled!
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