my party girl...

[Nina&Bill]

I've posted about our rescue girl Amber numerous times & have received a lot of help from the forum members so whenever she makes progress I like to share :)

We've had Amber for 5 months. She's come a long way but she still needs polishing. Amber has a tendency to bark at any stranger that enters the house so I've been making a point to keep her corked with a Kong when repairmen come & to greet any friends with the goofy "look who's here" jovial voice. She's been responding well & I'm very relieved but this past weekend was going to be a big test. Yesterday we had our annual Mardi Gras party & there were going to be a number of "strangers" in the house, including a toddler. I didn't want Amber to feel overwhelmed so I made sure that she had toys on hand, a designated bowl of treats just for her & easy access to her crate just in case she needed some alone time.

Amber was an outstanding hostess:D. I was thrilled! She did bark a bit at the first couple to arrive but they have an Amber sized Lab at home so they weren't put off by her bad manners. She gave them a sniffing & then in they both came. As more people arrived she actually became more relaxed and in spite of the eventual house full of people she was relaxed & happy. She made sure to visit with everyone, didn't so much as nudge the toddler or do anything to alarm him (except for being the same height as he was), didn't try to beg or steal food and basically seemed to have a great time. Actually she was great with the toddler, seeming to view him as just a shorter version of the rest of the room. At one point she did plop herself on the couch next to her auntie Roseanne (she knows that Roseanne is a softie & I promptly told Amber "off!" but let Roseanne stay :)) but she was really a good girl all night. No barking after that first vocalization, either. She was a smiling wigglebutt all night long & seemed to have a wonderful time.

So it's safe to say that this year's Mardi Gras party was an all around success :D! And happily Amber had a wonderful party.

Nina

[Brooke&Ryan]

Congrats Nina!! It's so great when you have successes like that! :D

Brooke