LUNAIt seems that every year at Christmas time, we have a special rescue dog that fills us with the holiday spirit. This year it was our Star. This beautiful little Eskie was found roaming the New Jersey hills and was promptly shipped off to a local shelter. When Diane Gonzalez got the call about Star, she rushed over and was smitten right away. Star is a stunning, sweet Eskie girl whose owners never came to look for her. After enough time had passed, the shelter turned her over to Diane, who took her home for Christmas. When I first met Star at Diane's, she was in lock down because she had not yet peed. Diane and I were then to take two hour shifts for the next twenty four hours, walking, cajoling and begging Star to pee. |
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At long, long last, this sweet angel climbed into a mountain of raked leaves and let go. We watched in amazement at the girl who may have the largest bladder capacity in the canine world. Once the blessed event occurred, Star got the hang of peeing on more regular basis. And so, we could not find any other faults with her...except that she was tempting Diane into keeping her. |
| Just before Diane's resolve weakened, I suggested the Mehlman family as Star's adopters. Jeff Mehlman had been in touch with me for a few weeks asking just the right questions, and getting my usual long winded answers. He and his family had decided that the Eskie was the right breed for them, and I suggested Star, because she is so good, she almost doesn't qualify as an Eskie. |
The Mehlmans came along just in time. Diane, and son James (above) were almost ready to keep Star. |
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And so, I met Jeff and his kids, on a blistery cold December night right before Christmas, and Star was a giant hit. She sailed through the holidays with her new family and is one happy, happy little Eskie. Her name has been changed to Luna, and she is charming this family more each day. Here is Jeff's first report: . |
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Denise, Luna is one terrific girl. She bonded with everyone in the family almost immediately and she has behaved very well in the house (a couple of accidents, but who can blame her given the transition she has been through). Just four days after we got her, we took her on a trip to visit family for the holidays. She travelled well and stayed fairly relaxed among the many new faces at some busy holiday parties. She particularly enjoyed playing with her "cousins," a pair of extra large golden retrievers, and she loves bounding through the snow. |
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Luna is pretty good at obeying commands and I expect she will get even better with some obedience training. We are crating her in the bedroom at night. All I need to do is grab a treat, usually a greenie, say, "kennel," and she goes right in. I give her the greenie and shut the door. The funny thing is that she never eats the greenie until I let her out in the morning. |
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We are crating her in the basement when we leave the house, right next to the door we use to exit into the garage. She does have some separation anxiety issues, particularly with me. These may be transitional and I expect them to lessen with time. Overall, she is a remarkable dog and has charmed almost everyone she has met. Thank you so much for matching us up with Luna and for all your valuable help. Jeff |
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