I heard the tears in your voice
as Wooly Bear Patter left his first home enroute to his third, so I want
you to know that he is doing well. At first he was tentative with Vera,
Charlie, and me. (Who could blame him?) But by dusk he and Charlie were
flat-out romping, racing up and down the slopes, cutting corners, tumbling,
rolling, twisting, leaping and turning -- truly wonderful to watch but
impossible for a clumsy camera operator like me to catch! Wooly Bear has
a trick he plays on Charlie: he races flat out, then stops on a dime and
does a 180 while Charlie goes whooshing past, has to come to a screeching
halt, turn and try to catch the older, wiser fellow. So they are fine
together. Vera has also accepted him, probably with relief, as she settles
into her new role of Queen. She stays near, watching, but doesn't feel
a need to join in. I am reminded of Elizabeth II on her balcony: now all
Vera needs to perfect is the wave!
We had a good night. After
dark, when all the animals were settled into the barn and I settled into
my chair to watch television, with a single leap, Patter arrived in my
lap, turned around twice, and settled down, eyes closed, chin on the arm
of the chair. He slept while I enjoyed the soft, warm companionship, watched
television until bedtime. Then when I went to bed he slept nearby in the
same chair. So he probably has accepted all of us and we are certainly
glad to have him here. This morning he and Charlie have already gone out
in the dark, returned (Patter first at the door), and had a wrestling
match or two in the kitchen so I think we are on the way to becoming a
small pack.
Although Patter didn't want to eat his supper,
he has been drinking plenty of water. I'm off to Goochland sometime this
morning to get him his own food bowl and some chicken and
brown rice to tempt him to eat if he still declines
to eat this morning when I feed the others. If he's figured out that he
lives here he may be ready to have breakfast. If not, I'll get something
into him -- maybe yogurt. Thank you for telling me he didn't want to eat
when he first came back to Hickory Hill. He's a sensitive fellow who's
had a lot of changes in his short life so I'll give him space and time
to adjust (at his pace, not mine).
Thank you for the obvious love and good care you and others have given
these two wonderful dogs. I no longer feel quite so alone up here on my
windy ridge.
With appreciation,
Linda
