Some new pics of Ozzie- first, his new favorite resting place- the top of my recliner! He's taken a liking to hanging out there in the evening, when I'm watching a ball game or reading...I have to say that he's the first dog I've ever had here to claim that spot as his own! And hanging out with his buddies at the Barking Lot, where I bring him for day care once a week. He's got other dogs at my house to play with, but I want to make sure he is exposed to new people and new dogs on a regular basis. He is a homebody, perfectly content in my house and yard, but he needs more positive experiences in new situations to improve his social anxiety.

We're having a nice weekend here, and I've been taking Ozzie out and about- I've really been working hard with him, lots of walks, outings and day care, and it's paying off! He came with me to a new local pet store today, just to look around- and was anxious, but NO BARKS to the girl he met- and after a few minutes of me talking to her, he sniffed her and let her pat him. Then another trip to the fire station- with nothing but friendly greetings- I was so proud of him that I got him a new marrow filled shin bone- his most favorite thing ever! He may always be aloof with strangers, but his social anxiety has really improved so very much!

This just cracks me up! It's Ozzie immediately following a bath- for some reason, being wet seems to precipitate a manic burst of wild energy, tearing thru the house and yard at top speed, over and over and over. Maybe it's his way of drying himself off- I don't know- but it's pretty hilarious! And his best friend Pixie is right behind him, cheering him on....

Ozzie has  new friend! My sister is in town, and came over with my mother this evening- now, this sister is afraid of dogs. She was bitten as a young child and hasn't forgotten about it. She was especially nervous about meeting Ozzie when I told her that he had issues with strangers- but asked her to do the "no talk no touch no eye contact" thing with Ozzie, and to wait until he approached her. As you can see, in no time they were friends! She loved Ozzie, and he was more friendly than I expected with her! It was so nice to see.

What a day! The Friends of Homeless Animals was part of the first super adoption event in RI, with 8 other rescues and shelters and over 150 dogs! I knew that Ozzie wouldn't do well at a large, busy event, but really wanted him to have the chance to see his sister Harriet again, so my husband brought Ozzie by for about an hour. Ozzie gave his sister a friendly hello and sniff as he does with every dog he meets, but didn't show any more interest in her than the other dogs he met. And yes, he did some barking at people, and we were careful to let others know that Ozzie is a shy boy and didn't want to be touched. It is certainly possible for Ozzie to be a part of events like this but it does require extra care- correcting him when he barks at strangers, but mostly correcting strangers when they try to approach him. He's a gorgeous boy so people naturally want to get to know him!

Although Ozzie was a good sport about  coming to a cold New England from Georgia, he is so happy that the warm weather is here! Ozzie loves the great outdoors, running with his friends, exploring the back yard and most of all, going for walks.  I've found that he's a bit critter crazy and will chase squirrels up the tree, and that he's always up for a game of fetch. He doesn't yet get the part where he gives the ball back yet! He'll just run around for a while...and I have another foster, Fed ex, who came this past Sunday- He's arond Ozzie's age, but a little bigger. I was told that Fed ex doesn't do too well with other males but he's made an exception for Ozzie- the two are getting along beautifully!