December 27, 2022:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Bessie! She’s had a busy year, charming everyone she meets and making lots of new friends. She always enjoys meeting new people – big and small – and sits calmly for anyone who will scratch her back. She loves to go outside, walks beautifully on leash, but mostly enjoys chasing bubbles in the summer and making snow angels in the winter. She’s been nicknamed “Perfect Bessie” by the groomers, and we couldn’t agree more! Yes, she still barks at animals on TV, but oh what joy she brings to our family! She is healthy and happy. Thank you GRRoW for helping us find each other!

February 21, 2022:

Happy birthday to Bessie! Our sweet girl turns 9 today and we will spoil her with plenty of back scratches, playtime, new toys, and yummy food! Some scrambled eggs for breakfast, a little crumbled hamburger for dinner, and a nice new bone. She deserves it! We are so lucky that she’s joined our family. She has the energy of a much younger dog, but the manners of a senior. We’ve had so much fun exploring the neighborhood, playing in the snow, making new friends, and starting some additional obedience training (which means mom carries lots of treats in her pocket!). Bessie is a charmer, a cuddler, and an all-around awesome girl. We can’t wait to see what fun the next year holds! Oh, and if the groundhog sees his shadow, that’s okay. Bessie wants more snow!

December 29, 2021:

Bessie has found her forever home.

December 6, 2021:

Bessie had a busy two weeks but takes each day in stride. She is such a happy dog! Her wellness check at the vet went very well. She was a little nervous but loved everyone she met. Her vitals all checked out just fine, teeth look really good for her age, and she weighs 88.5 pounds. Regular exercise will help with that. No changes to her food or portions at this time. She had very dirty ears, which were cleaned, and seems to have a history of itchy skin. She still bites at her paws and legs daily, but we think it should settle down with more cold weather. She was so very happy to see the snow today! There will be lots of doggie snow angels in our yard.

A few days after the vet appointment, Bessie went to the groomer for a bath, haircut and nail trim. Again, she was nervous upon arrival, but went right in and behaved perfectly. Her auburn coat is so soft and shiny!

Bessie adores every person she meets, and they all love her! She’s a leaner, likes to be close, but isn’t a licker. So if you like to cuddle but don’t love doggie kisses, she’s your girl! She will move from one person to another to get as many pets as possible. But if we ask her to lay down she readily complies. She is foster mom’s shadow, but foster brother is her favorite playmate. Someone is home most of the time, but on the few occasions when we’ve all been gone, for up to 3 hours, Bessie doesn’t get into any mischief. We close doors to keep her off the beds, but she is allowed on the sofas.

Sadly, we haven’t met very many dogs on our walks so we’re still not sure how playful she would be. She varies between barking at them from across the street, or inside the house, to ignoring them completely. The breed, size and color don’t seem to matter – there’s no pattern that we can see. However, she consistently barks at dogs on TV. It’s so funny! We tried watching the dog show on Thanksgiving Day, but she kept running to the TV, barking and trying to sniff all the dogs. Then running to the window to see if they were outside. It all seemed very friendly, and was highly entertaining!

Most exciting of all, Bessie’s stocking is hung and ready for St. Nick to arrive tonight! I wonder what he will bring to such a good girl?

November 19, 2021:

Wow – what a gem! Don’t let her sugar face fool you. This sweet senior lady is lots of fun and has plenty of spunk! Bessie is very well behaved, intelligent, gentle, friendly, loving, playful and strong. She has been with us for five days and has become very comfortable. On her first night, she emptied the toy basket with such glee – wiggles and whines of joy. She enjoys fetch (indoors only so far) and tug-toys. When we let go, she just takes the rope or toy to the next person to give them a turn. Yesterday we discovered that she can hold two tennis balls in her mouth at once! When we are working, she sleeps on the bed in the office and just lets us know when she has to go out (4-6 times daily). Walks also bring her great joy. She loves exploring our neighborhood, walks pretty well on leash, and has the energy to run if we do – just not sure how far. This week she met several neighbors of various ages using very good manners, and she doesn’t overly react to other dogs. She will bark at people and dogs walking past our house if she is inside, and her deep, loud voice makes them look, but she doesn’t carry on excessively. In the evenings she loves being pet, brushed, and curling up next to us on the sofa.

Bessie is a big girl – tall, long-legged, probably around 90 pounds – but jumps and moves easily, so it will be interesting to hear what the veterinarian has to say about any necessary weight loss. She eats nicely, and wasn’t very interested in a carrot or a peanut-butter-filled Kong, but she’s always ready for a snack. 🙂 Her check-up is on Tuesday.

November 15, 2021:

Bessie is new in foster care. More information to come.