March 11, 2017
Hello Jan,
The girls are doing great. Today was a good day for pottying I think. Pandora is getting good as far as following out and in the patio door and is getting more likely to do her business outside. Calypso is still terrified of being outside and circles our feet when we stand in the yard with her. She will sometimes pee but she is going to be a little harder I think but as the weather improves so does our progress. I still think by the summer we will be good on housebreaking.
I think in general they are more confident in the house although Calypso only wants to be in my arms snuggled up under my chin or on my shoulder which is fine with me. Pandora really likes Norma and since they sleep in her room Pandora follows Norma a lot through the house easily which she would not do before. Pandora has also taken to wandering away from the family room to isolate herself in the front hall to sit on the "box" bench facing the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. I think that's her way of saying she wants to go up no matter the time of day. So Pandora has found her box. However Pandora also likes to snuggle in my arms as well but I think Pandora would prefer to not have to share the snuggles with another dog like Calypso. Most nights I am on the sofa with Calypso on one side of my chest and Pandora on the other held hostage by the fur babies and I wouldn't have it any other way. In other good news, in the beginning Redd was a little put out that the girls were crowding him out on the couch and taking his spot but now he is starting to jump up and smoosh his way in there and before these 2 girls Redd was not much of a snuggler but he is getting more and more of one as he realizes that the girls are getting petted and talked to because they are on the sofa and he chooses not to be. In that regard all is well. No nipping, a few tiny grrrrrs when one stepped on the other literally but nothing out of the ordinary. They are getting along fine.
Today for the first time Norma and I had to leave the house for 35 minutes to take Tara to the vet and no one was home with the kids at all so we blocked off the whole family room with a low gate and left all 3 dogs loose in there. We left the TV on and when we got home it appeared as if they were likely on the couches the whole time but no problems we could see and no barking when we left that we heard. Oh and the other day the hubby and I wanted to drive through and pick up meds so instead of sending the girls up to Norma or leaving them to themselves, we hooked their harnesses into the doggie chairs in the back seat and took Redd too. All the dogs were fine and happy and just sat quietly the whole 20 minute ride, It was fun.
When we wake up in the morning or someone comes home from work or comes into a room for the first time in a day they both are wagging their tails like mad and showing all the signs of being happy to greet someone. They still cower some when you are reaching over them to pick them up or when there are loud noises but that's to be expected I think. Calypso is very afraid of thunder so we are thinking of getting a thunder shirt for her. Pandora has not nipped at anyone since that one time. Pandora seems afraid of my cane so I cringe to think if she was ever beaten with a stick. There are dog beds all over the house and they use them sometimes but their favorite sleeping places are human laps.
I don't think the poor babies know what to make of the cats yet. The cats are taller and leaner looking but heavier than the dogs and the cats are friendly and are walking up to them nose to nose and often the dogs walk off or when it's time to eat the cats want to share the dog food and the dogs are somewhat afraid with the cats near their bowls so I shoo the cats away.
Overall they are doing great and we adore them to pieces.
Betty

April 1, 2017
Hi Jan
Just a quick update to say hi and to let you know that the girls are doing great. Calypso is still terrified of thunder and lightning Pandora is OK-ish but not really afraid. They are both still snuggle bunnies and they are afraid of unexpected noises here and there but they are coming out of their shells and venturing further and further into other parts of the house. All in all they're progressing. In terms of their comfort and their happiness I think they're settling in quite well and of course they're spoiled rotten.
Betty

May 19, 2017
Hi Jan,
We drove to Florida two weeks ago with our pack and they all were calm and happy travelers. Our little Calypso gets car sick in the morning after eating so we had to cut back on breakfasts for two mornings but otherwise no barking or noises or any problems with them staying in their doggie seats tethered to seat belts. They are playing with each other in the yard now and generally getting a little more relaxed except Pandora when she is around my husband. She really is tense then. I think it's the man issue. We still have potty pads down for them but they use them less than before so progress. They still love to snuggle all the time and Calypso likes to lie down close to and barely touching Redd. He's ok with it now. He and Pandora have issues over who should be on my lap first. 😀. So lots of hopping over the humans on stomachs and laps and reshuffling of positions all done quite politely. So that's it for now. They are all getting more and more integrated as one pack. They are a joy!
Betty

July 8, 2017
Hi Jan,
Just a short note to let you know the girls made it through the fireworks booming with the help of a bit of medicine and lots of cuddling. They really didn't do too badly considering they don't really care for loud noises like thunder normally. Pandora is 99% house trained and Calypso is about 75%. Basically if we are home we can get Calypso out often enough to keep her from going in the house but if we have to go out, she uses the pads. I think she will always have issues but I feel like they both have made so much progress that I am very happy where they are now. I did have one question I forgot to ask you. Are they related in any way?
Take care
Betty