Varick Vale

6/23/15 - TJ photo, his new housemate is Momma Maggie ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ I thought I'd give you an update on how TJ is doing. The short version is that adopting him was without question the right decision for us! He is absolutely the most lovable little dog we have ever had. It amazes me how quickly he realized that he was home. He is nearly house trained already (with a few occasional accidents) and has learned to go to the back door when he wants to go out. He sits down when it's time to feed him, even though he is so excited to eat. He knows his name, sits, speaks and even stands on his back legs when we tell him to. Learning to speak took about ½ hour. I couldn't believe how fast he learned it. (He is always interested in learning something and pleasing us.) From the day he came home, he sleeps at the foot of our bed and does not get up at all during the night. Of course he is very playful when the alarm goes off, but that just helps us wake up faster! He loves to play "go fetch" and usually I'm worn out long before he is. He even tries to trick me when he brings his tug toy back to me. Sometimes he'll try to duck under my arms, and other times he tries to jump over. If he beats me at this game and gets by me, he brings the toy back to me for the next throw. He is a joy to be around, even when he's up to mischief -- which is pretty often. If Rusty's personality is anything like TJ's, the Thompsons are going to LOVE him! Last week at his doctor's appointment TJ weighed in at 19.4 pounds, and the Vet says that he is happy and healthy! He doesn't get scared at the Vet and even sits still when he's getting his shots! He just loves people so socialization has not been a problem. We're going to enroll in a local obedience school this spring. (I call it Charm School) It's not that he is a problem by any measure, but there is a local trainer that I know personally who specializes in Beagles and TJ is so smart that I think the training will be good for him and us. He is starting to lose his baby teeth and loves to chew, but we're giving him plenty of things to chew on so he doesn't wreck the house. I guess what I want to say once again is THANK YOU to you and everyone at Safe at Last for taking such good care of our little boy while he was with you and for bringing us together. Things happen for a reason, and TJ becoming a part of our family has been a blessing! I'm attaching three pictures of him to this email. One is him sitting in our kitchen. I had to send this one because he is just so cute. Another one is of him sound asleep with his favorite teddy bear again, so darn cute! And the third one is him lying next to me on his back, completely sprawled out and sound asleep! I think that picture shows just how comfortable he is with us and his new home! Thanks again for all that you do for these wonderful little animals. Without you and everyone at Safe at Last, I never would have met my new best friend! Tim