Canéla’s First Year-End Review

Hi Canéla, come in and sit down. Sit. Yes, sit. 

There you go - good girl. I see you brought Douglas with you; that's fine, emotional support stuffies are a longstanding tradition in this house.

So you have been with us for a year now, a year as of... [rustles paper] January 24th! Wow, time really does fly when you are having fun. And I hope it has been fun for you too, but this annual review is a chance to look at the year that was, celebrate achievements and, you know, look for opportunities to improve.

You certainly have come a long way from the underfed mongrel we picked up in Canmore, that's for sure! You barely stuck your head out from the kennel on the trip home, and you snapped at Glory that night too. No, no, there are no hard feelings - you had given ample warning, we were just too unfamiliar with you to pick them up.

There were some concerns about allergies at first, but those all seem to have worked themselves out, because we all felt like you were worth the effort. You took to housetraining very quickly and have only had one indoor incident in the past six months - good girl! Let's see if we can go twelve in a row, eh?

With house training largely sorted, the next big opportunity is - well, how to phrase this... you can be a bit of a maniac, can't you? At the dog park you are generally very polite and good about greeting and playing with other dogs, but if you are on the leash, you leap and bark and snarl and sound generally like a daemonic werewolf. 

And heaven help us if you see a rabbit while you are on a leash! Last March you pulled me off my feet and my shoulder was out of sorts for eight weeks.

No, it is fine now, thank you, and no hard feelings - it was icey, after all.

You are also a little hard on your toys - yes, even Douglas - and your depredations often require intercessionary stitching by Audrey. But honestly, they are your toys, so it is hard to find fault with them being used as intended.

Also, I have to confess I find some of the places you choose to sleep in or the poses you sleep in to be unsettling as well.

But perhaps you have as little choice in this as we do. Mostly I am glad you are able to find comfort in our home, given that such coziness was inaccessible to you for much of your life.

Still, the organization is really hoping you take some time to reflect and can perhaps focus on not losing your damned mind when another dog comes within half-a-block of the house. Yes, we, will make allowances for rabbits that have the unmitigated temerity to sit on your front lawn.; I agree, that they should never feel welcome nor comfortable. What's that? Open the door just once, you say.

Sorry, dear - not a chance.

But honestly, that is about it - you don't chew things you aren't supposed to, you reserve your biting for playtime, mostly, anyhow, and you aren't too much of a mooch in the kitchen.

You are a boon companion during my workdays as well, even if you do get a little pushy if I need to work past noon. And how do you tell? You have shown no interest in clocks and wear no timepiece that I am aware of. Anyways, thank you for those times that you have displayed patience,even begrudgingly.

You have come from being somewhat aloof to being a creature that enjoys contact, plopping down for a cuddle whenever there is an open seat or space on the bed you can squeeze yourself into. There have been a few incidents where you have been disturbed when half-asleep and have responded with the fiercest of growls, though. And let me tell you, if I am getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, that kind of fearsome startling is not something I appreciate!

But I do enjoy our lunchtime walks (when it isn't terrifyingly cold or treacherously slippery) and I know Audrey enjoys her time with you at the Lauderdale off-leash park.

And not everyone is into dogs, but those who are certainly seem to appreciate you. I know my cousin Parker really enjoyed roughhousing with you and taking you for walks over Christmas.

And of course, we were presently surprised that you were able to graduate your training session last summer - once there were no other dogs present. Perhaps we will revisit that at some point in the future, eh?

At any rate, you have been a boon companion this past year, and we look forward to the next one together.

Shake?

Good girl.