Hannah goes to town and settles in...

It has been years since I've had a puppy. Hannah has been a blessing in a way. She fills my heart with joy when I watch her run willy nilly through the sprinkler like a toddler on a hot summer day. She plays with the heart of a terrier.

But I want her to be sociable and a good girl in public. 

So Saturday I put her in the car and not in her crate. I wanted so see if she'd sit in Charlie's pet booster [she is too big!] and ended up putting her in the back seat with the seat folded down. She promptly laid down and was quiet. She didn't get excited, jump around, or whine. She was so quiet [unlike Charlie]. 

When we got to town I parked on a side street and got my doggy poo bags attached to my backpack. We walked around the Farmer's Market so she could get a feel of the downtown with traffic and people walking by. 

Hannah's response to seeing people and strollers was pure puppy bliss. She bounced and strained against her harness. 

I let her bounce around for a bit to reduce her high energy. Then I picked a place to squat down and lean against a building so she could watch people walk by.

After a few minutes, she sat and watched too. She turned often to see if I was okay. We got up and went around the block. 

We came to a spot where a Brass Band had set up. Viroqua is filled with music everywhere in the downtown on summer Saturdays. 

Hannah was afraid of the players [or the music??] at first. So I sat down and let her watch. The guys were playing a tuba, a horn, drums, and another brass instrument I didn't know the name of.

Quickly they realized that we were watching and they all turned towards us and smiled and played to Hannah. I guess they could see the joy on my face and watch Hannah go from being frightened to a wiggly waggly pup who seemed to enjoy the music.

I dropped some cash in their donation box and we entered the Farmer's Market with the rest of the crowds. The Market allows pets and so this was a new experience for her too. She met a Collie, a Rotty, a Cavalier, Lab, Poodle, and some other very large dogs. All the owners asked if they could sniff each other. Hannah did the proper thing of getting down low on the ground to submit to the big dogs.

We stopped at two of my friend's Vendor tents and Hannah took time to settle down each time. She sat and watched people wagging furiously if anyone stopped and asked to pet her.

A boy parted from his parents that were watching us.

"What is your dog's name? Is she a puppy? What breed is she? My folks want to know because she is so cute!" A couple other folks had stopped to watch.

"Her name is Hannah and she is 5 months old. She is a mutt or as I prefer to say, an All American Dog. Her mom was supposed to have been a Rat Terrier and anything else in her heritage is a guess." 

"Are you going to DNA here or find out more? Where did you get her? How big will she be?" These were questions from the parents of the boy.

I answered, "I won't do an DNA test because she is what she is. She came from a Foster Home. As for how big will she be? I don't really know. She might get a little taller. I picked her because she was part Terrier and I like Terrier energy and playfulness."

I don't refer to Hannah as a 'Rescue Dog' or as an 'Adopted Dog' because I feel the muses in charge of the Universe put us together for a reason. We both needed something.

She a home. Me? Help with mending a broken heart. She wasn't rescued, she rescued me.

And how is Charlie handling this new addition these days?

He is finally accepting her. He plays with her, chases her, and then tells her when he is done. They have figured out their places in my life.

Charlie is still in charge of the house. Hannah Belle is allowed to snooze next to him and he has accepted the fact that she too likes to sleep at night with us. No growling, just snoring.

Funny thing is, I get better sleep with them in bed at night. Plus, I never need an alarm to get up. Hannah creeps up to my pillow at the first hint of dawn and snuffles my face carefully.

Charlie joins in and despite efforts to NOT get up, I start laughing and wake up.

After years of sleeping on the love seat and listening all night for hubby, this feels like the lap of luxury.

My early mornings are easy. Make coffee, feed the dogs, and have some quiet time before going out to do summer time chores. 

Charlie has his chair:

Hannah stretches out on the couch:

By 7am we are out the door on our way for a walk or some other adventure. With the heat of summer, we do early morning adventures and outdoor work.