02/23/05
She is doing very well, loves her hikes! She has made the house hers, and has added some extra warmth to my bed where she loves to lay out and sleep. She is a funny dog and talks at me when I stop to rest while we hike and she is ready for more, its very funny the look she gives me lol. The kids adore her and they play a lot outside. Currently we are working on crate training her some because she likes to use the front room at weird times to go to the bathroom. All shots are now current, and as far as I can tell all is well.

02/21/05
So far things are going well.  He really acts like he has been here forever...just made himself right at home.
He is a funny guy and will go outside with me, but within a few minutes runs back in the house thru the dog door, lays on the quilts on the living room floor and waits for me to come back in.  It will take him a bit to realize there is no chain here.
He also smells to high heaven.  I have brushed him some and tomorrow will make a beauty parlor appointment ASAP.  My friend came over last evening and walked into the house and immediately said...What is that smell!  Too funny.
I appreciate your offer to help if I run into problems.  Linda Benson also wants me to call her too.  As far as I can tell, he is a sweet pooch and I should be able to handle what comes up.  I think Ellen will too as she has politely snarled at him when he is too excited and he immediately put his head down and walked away.

02/17/05
Hi Tina,
Well not only does she like plastic, she has gone through 5 of Chico's stuffed animals. ha ha!!!!!  They are all totally disembowled. She is still food aggressive and we hope to get her over that but if not that's ok she's not too bad with it. She is very protective with the toys too, she doesn't like to share much. Her and Chico are best friends.  They love to go bye bye.  Nakita is so funny, when I'm on the computer or doing something and she wants attention, she puts her nose under my arm and lifts it so it lands around her neck and she will keep doing it until I acknowledge her presence.  We are having a blast.  She is well loved and a permanent part of this family.

Tina I wrote:
I am so glad she's getting along.  I was hoping you guys were able to deal with her food aggression.  She's so weird about food that I actually found it kind of funny, in a "I hope she doesn't actually take my arm off" way.  Didn't I warn you about the plastic?  She was always trying to chew on my son's plastic toys.  Not any of the other ones (most other dogs want to go after his stuffed animals), just the plastic.  And she chewed the nub off of my pooper scooper right after I washed it off and put it away!  :)  She is such an imp. I really am glad for you guys. We loved her too, but weren't interested in adopting right now.  Please continue to keep us updated and feel free to send pictures!  :)  By the way, you're welcome.  She is an awesome dog.
-------------- Original message --------------
HI TINA,
NAKITA IS DOING WELL, WE LOVE HER TO DEATH.  SHE WILL EAT SNACKS OUT OF YOUR HAND BUT DOES NOT LIKE ANYONE AROUND HER WHEN SHE IS NEAR FOOD.  SHE LIKES TO EAT OUT OF CHICO'S DISH INSTEAD OF HER OWN SO WE WILL PROBABLY BE SWITCHING THEM FOOD BOWLS, WE FEED THEM BOTH IN SEPARATE ROOMS SO THERE WILL BE NO FIGHTING.  SHE'S FITTING IN HERE GREAT. HOPEFULLY WE WILL GET HER TO BE DOING BETTER WITH HER FOOD AGGRESSION, AND IF NOT, WELL THINGS WILL STAY AS THEY ARE.  SHE SLEEPS ON CHEYENNES BED WITH HER AND THEY BOTH GO TO SCHOOL WITH ME.  ONE THING ABOUT HER, SHE IS FASCINATED WITH PLASTIC AND LIKES TO TEAR IT APART IF GIVEN THE SLIGHTEST CHANCE.  WELL KEEP IN TOUCH AND WE WILL WRITE MORE LATER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HER. 

Tina I Wrote:
As Niki's former foster mom, I just wanted to say hi and see how she's settling in. I don't know if any of the board members have contacted you since I'm not privy to that information, so I wanted to send you a note myself. I hope you guys are enjoying her as much as we did, and getting along ok with her food issues.   
What does Chico think of his new sister? I hope all is well, please write back.

02/14/05
We have adopted Mars and he is absolutely wonderful!  We love him so much > that we couldn’t imagine our life without him.  Our vet says he is in perfect health and we think he is the “perfect puppy” too!  He comes when he’s called, he can sit, leave it, and tell us when he has to go out (most of the time). He sleeps through the night, he knows “bed” is his crate and he seems to like being in there when we are not able to keep an eye on him.  When we walk with him on a leash he walks behind us and leaves the leash loose.  He’s lovable and fun and way more than we had hoped for in a puppy - all we were going for from his picture was “cute”!  So happy that we were able to adopt him!

02/13/05
So far so good. Bear got home and loved the back yard. Princess was interested in him, but wasn't quite sure. Bear showed a lot of interest in her, as if he wanted to play. We have just kept everybody their distance and used the crate. We let Bear out of the crate in the living room on a leash and played with him a bit, he was having a blast. We took some pictures of the very happy boy. We took Bear and Princess for a short walk this evening they enjoyed each others company but didn't try to challenge the rules of one dog on one side and  the other on the other side. They were really, really good. Just with the little we have done with Bear on a leash today, there has been a large improvement since even this morning. So far so good, but we are taking baby steps. 
Everything will fall into place in time.