Hala

Dear Linda,

All is well, very well, with Hannah! She is truly wonderful! I have renamed her "Hala," which is close to Hannah, and means "welcome" in Arabic. Also close to my mispronunciation of the Croatian "hvala" for thank you. Both are sentiments I like. She has a new nametag with her name and my phone number.

I couldn't imagine a better integration into my family. Hala doesn't chase the cat (too much), She is so respectful of my old girl, Walker and doesn't compete for food with Walker or Lacy. She and Lacy have started playing together, somewhat uncertainly, but play bows. Hala is underdog, makes herself lower in the play situation than Lacy, but Lacy doesn't really recognize that. Therefore, it’s pretty interesting with neither of them taking the top dog role.

We have been going on morning and evening walks. Hala **loves** her walks! She has learned where the door is and demands to go out and hop in the car. She is sort of food motivated . . . but definitely more walk motivated! We missed a long one yesterday, between my CPR training and work obligations, but we got in about 4 miles (for me, much longer for Hala!) this morning and will go out again before dark. I think she is happy and feels very much at home here. Despite the size of our backyard, she is not happy with it . . . not nearly as good as those walks in the woods!

We have met other adults, children, and other dogs on our walks. Hala has been friendly with all. She is still quite fascinated by Claire, my indoor cat, but Claire stands her ground and everyone gets along. Last night was quite a full bed with Hala, Lacy, and Claire all piled on. Keeps me warm on these cold nights!

Hala shows her insecurity in unexpected ways. For example, last night when I turned out the light, I moved closer to the center of the bed, disrupting her, and she cried. For a few days, she simply would not go up or down the stairs without a leash. I gave her treats every time we went to the basement and then out back, and she is now going eagerly downstairs and into the backyard. She learned, in 3 sessions, how to sit for her food bowl.

Her being part of the household has reinvigorated both Lacy and Walker. Walker now goes to the end of the street and down the rail trail with us, which she wouldn't do before. I thought it was because she wasn't able to, but perhaps it was because she didn't feel part of a group. She does now.

It is a great joy to have Hala in our house! Thank you for taking care of her until I was able to meet her. I think you would feel very good to see how she is. My only regret is that I have to work and so cannot take her on long walks every day. But we do get out to the park at least once a day, even in the dark, so she and Lacy can run in the fields.

One question, did she get a dose of Frontline or some other tick/flea preventative? If not, I want to get some on her right away. If so, I'll get her next dose ready for the first of the month. Ticks are still showing up!

Thank you, Linda!!

Polly