Well, someone at our house has a new friend and is feeling much better. As you’ve read, we lost our resident dog a couple weeks ago and it so affected Jasmine. She regressed to that shy breeder dog we first brought home. She didn’t eat, stayed in her corner and rarely wagged her tail. She would shake and startle. We couldn’t stand it any longer, so we brought in our second foster, Woody 13-094.

What a difference a week makes. Miss Jasmine is rarely in her corner unless she’s napping. Her tail wags frequently. She now greets us at the door when we come home. She’s eating all her food again. What is really amazing is she is being a leader too! Woody looks to her for cues about what he can and cannot do. HE follows HER! Because he is younger and more active than our resident dog was, he is showing her how to play. This morning, I found her with a tennis ball in her mouth!

This new found confidence has given her the ability to meet new people with greater ease. We invited our neighbors over after the neighborhood ice removal party was over. I noticed one of the neighbors petting a dog and suddenly realized it wasn’t our other foster or their dog. IT WAS JASMINE and she loved it!
Today she met three new people at the house today. I had foster brother on a leash (he just had surgery) as they entered the house. I turned around and there was Jasmine! When Melinda called her name she came over, tail wagging and got her strokes. Jasmine then jumped on the couch so the other two gals could pet her. The daughter, a 16 year old, who is normally afraid of our dogs, approached the couch and Jasmine prodded her for pets. The two of them were meant for each other! Unfortunately, they aren’t potential adopters. But someone reading this just might be.
These two creatures have a lesson or two for all of us. First lesson: We are better when we are with others. Second lesson: finding our strengths enables us to let go of our fears. Because I see this so clearly now, we know that Jasmine must go to a home that has another companion. That is her greatest need. Please help her get what she needs. She’s worth it.
