A Play Date with Olive

Guess who’s still up for adoption?

Sweet little Olive, rescued and fostered by my good friend and neighbor (and fellow blogger), Jen.  Jen and her husband Jason are first time foster parents who just couldn’t look the other way when they saw Olive suffering at the end of a short chain, tied out in the heat with no food or water.

     

The other day I bribed Jen with cocktails Jen was kind enough to lend us Olive’s services, so we could practice “Look at That” with Cooper.  We met at a nearby park where Jen and Olive hung out and practiced Sit’s and Down’s and leash skills, while across the way Cooper worked on not going bananas while Olive was in view.  I gotta say, he did amazingly well.

As a reward for their hard work, we brought Olive back to Foster House for a play date.  Cooper was ecstatic to have a puppy to play with again, and Olive was totally jazzed to make some new friends. 

This is the weird thing about Cooper’s nerves – they completely disappear with his leash.  As soon as we unclipped his leash and turned him loose with Olive (under strict supervision, of course) his fears evaporated and he pounced on her with a play bow, wiggly waggy tail, and classic Cooper smile. 

I’m sure the fact that we were “on his own turf” may have had something to do with it, but it does give me hope that, with time and continued practice, we’ll be able to overcome his fears completely.

Do you need some puppy love in your life?  If you’d like to add Olive (or Cooper!) to your family, please fill out an application with Agape Animal Rescue.

~