Old dog, new tricks

Meanwhile, how’s Whitney? Loyal blog readers know we delivered my retired Seeing Eye dog to her retirement home this past December. Her new/old owner Elisse (she and her family were the volunteers who raised Whitney as a puppy) has been keeping us up to date with the retiree’s adventures in her new home in green, hilly and quiet rural Pennsylvania and generously agreed to let us share her most recent update here as a guest blog.

by Elisse Pfeiffer

Good morning Beth.

Whitney’s living large.

Last night, I decided to read through your blogs, only to find out that you broke your wrist – ouch! I’m so sorry that happened to you and wish you a speedy recovery! I was also quite happy to hear that your time with Luna is going well. It must be a bit of a challenge to adjust to a new puppy, but at this point, you’re probably a pro. She looks like a sweet dog.

As for your old “puppy,” well, she is just fine and loving life. She follows me everywhere, but I’m okay with that. She is a very happy and loving dog, and as always, I’m amazed at her level of intelligence. We’ve been to a variety of parks here, and she’s doing well off-leash (as long as there is no water in which to swim, that is). When she is leashed, she is learning my stride, which is probably slower than yours and definitely slower than hers, but I’m in no rush. Actually, I think walking with Whitney has increased my pace which isn’t a bad thing! This coming week, I’ll be bringing her to the Jersey Shore. It’ll be a little cold still, but I’m anxious to see how she reacts to the sand and the surf and the seagulls. She’s become my little sidekick/companion and I love it! I will never be able to thank you enough for giving her back to me.

My older daughter is staying with us for a few months until she leaves for the Air Force in May, so Whitney has not only another human, but also a new cat in the house. At first, the cat was afraid of Whitney, and poor Whitney didn’t know what to do with the furry creature, but now, they are oblivious towards each other. I guess we’ll have this cat until my daughter gets a permanent location, but he’s a good cat so I don’t mind, and apparently, neither does Whitney.

I’ll close here for now. I just wanted to keep in touch and let you know that Whitney is doing well. Again, good luck with your recovery, and regards to Mike!

Hugs,

Elisse