The Bear is Back!

Some of you may recall that when Elsie was pregnant last summer, she became a bit more needy than usual: constantly pawing, needing to be touched, doing her "bear" pose for us to scratch her belly.

None of these behaviors was unusual for her; she'd just become more insistent and frequent in her demands.

Then she whelped her pups and became Super Canine Mom, barely knowing we existed and seeming to live only for her offspring.

Well, I'm pleased to announce Deep Run Elsie Bear (her official AKC name) is back:



She's her old self again, finally, and seems even more so now that she's completed her first post-pregnancy heat cycle without incident (again, we won't breed her until the summer).

Her infamous bear pose is back:


Now, granted, she's rebounded so well from the wear and tear of carrying and caring for pups that she now has too much girth. But I suppose that makes her all the more a bear, eh?

Poor doggies. All the stress and time demands of our recent family stuff has left them without their normal exercise routines. And we don't work Elsie in the fields or on the dirt roads around our home when she's in heat (too many stray dogs around). So she's been out very little the last two weeks.

Harrumph...that means even more girth.

Elsie's beginning to sound more human everyday: post-baby weight gain, winter weight gain, lack-of-exercise weight gain.

Okay...correction: Elsie's beginning to sound more like me everyday.

I guess she and I will just have to reduce our consumption and hit the dirt roads together!

Happy New Year Harrumph. (Yes, more exercise and healthier eating habits are on my 2008 resolution list. How about you?).

'Til next time,
Joan