One Year Later

It’s been quite some time since I last visited the Blogosphere and I missed you all. I have to admit that for the past six months, I have been suffering from an acute bout of lazyitis. I was first diagnosed with this condition, which makes me not really want to expend any energy, about twenty-five years ago. Couple that with my chronic “UMI Syndrome” (Unable to Maintain Interest), and I have been utterly unable to motivate myself to post something new for a long time. There have been many times when I meant and wanted to post something new, to reconnect with you all, but my condition has just completely precluded me from doing so. As of now, there are no known cures for Lazyitis and UMI Syndrome, so, I must apologize in advance to my followers for my extended absence.

A few months ago I went back to work, this time at a company on Wall Street. It’s an interesting place to work and I could fill a bunch of posts writing about my job. But you guys don’t really want to hear about that, do you?

Instead, let’s revisit Lenny, our Bichon. This Sunday marks Lenny’s first full year with us. As you may recall, we adopted Lenny from Plain and Fancy Animal Rescue in Pennsylvania. Lenny had been rescued from an abusive puppy mill who kept him caged for the first 5 years of his life.

first time we meet Lenny. We fell in love and took him home with us

When we first got Lenny, he was a very frightened dog, especially scared of men. Because all he had known was life in a cage, he didn’t know how to do anything that one associates with being a dog. He didn’t know how to walk on a leash, he didn’t know how to go up and down stairs, and he didn’t even know the difference between being inside and being outside. Any little sudden movement and this fragile boy would jump and run off to find a hiding spot.

The first 3-6 months with him were very hard. We had to train him how to be a dog. Walking, house-training, taking treats. There were many times when my patience was tested. I would walk with him for an hour without him doing any business at all. All the more frustrating, when my husband (who he was frightened of) would walk him, he’d do everything within 15 minutes.

After a few months, he finally started to get comfortable in his new life. He learned that he loved treats, he loved to be next to me, and most importantly, he learned the power of begging for food. And when treats weren’t available, he developed an appetite for my shoes – especially sandals.

He also learned that he had toys to play with. But his favorite toy is nothing more than the inner cardboard roll from a roll of paper towels. He takes treats down the middle and LOVES to tear them apart. No matter how many toys we get him, he always returns to his Amish roots with the cardboard roll.

Finally, after many years of neglect, Lenny has finally learned to live the life of leisure that a dog is meant to have. Here are some highlights from Lenny’s first year with us:

first smile

first grooming

my first ever ticket (every time I walk Lenny he tucked his tail under is belly. On March 12, his tail was finally up for the first time. So, I took off his leash for 5 sec, took a picture and as soon as I as got up to put the leash back, officer Perez was right behind me writing me a $100 ticket. He didn't even listen to my explanation. Oh well, another donation to the city of NY)

first vacation to Ithaca (Lake Cayuga)

vacation to Lake Keuka

first swim

first boat ride

first xmas

first airplane ride (not only that he was in business class, he also sat on my lap the whole time)

beach

Lenny is definitely a different dog than he was when he came to us a year ago. Of course, he still barks at my husband, but truth be told, some of the time, my husband deserves it! I hope that Lenny lives a long, healthy life with us for years and years to come. For those who are hesitant to adopt a dog, I hope Lenny proves to you that any dog can be rehabilitated. All dogs deserve to live and be happy. Just give them a chance, lots of love and definitely have a lot of patience. The rewards are incalculable.