Those of you familiar with Tanner's story will remember that, when he first left the shelter, he was one very skittish pup. A scuffed shoe or a dropped plate would send him flying. Thanks to Eugenie's constant affection (she never took her hands off him) and my concerted efforts to reform my foul temper, he finally began to relax. First, we were able to coax him up onto the sofa for TV cuddles. Then, he learned to stretch out on our bed when invited. Of course, he stayed in the middle, close enough to let us touch him but far enough away to avoid us when he chose. Just recently, though, that's begun to change. When we're watching movies in bed (been enjoying Ric Burns epic documentary New York) he been allowing Eugenie to drape her legs across his body. And the other night, he curled up in my lap! I'd been busy working at probation and doing a hurry-up rewrite on my play so we think it was his way of saying that he missed me. Regardless, it was awesome to see him acting like the beloved family dog that he is.
We'll see how he handles the fireworks and firecrackers this week. Even if he freaks, we'll be there to buck him up.
note: Since I penned the 'June Gloom' headline, we've had most blue, sunny skies. Maybe my public kvetching moved the weather gods. Either that or we've been lucky for a change.
