Happy New Year everyone!!

Has everyone made their New Year’s resolutions?  People still make resolutions-right? 

Well Daisy and I like everyone else were sitting inside today (we live in New England and got walloped with a snowstorm last night) sipping a mimosa (what else are you going to do with your left over champagne?) and wondering what resolutions we should make this year.

We were watching TV and I saw (no lie) five commercials requesting people to call the number on the screen and make a donation to the ASPCA. 

These commercials are just so sad.  All these poor animals that have been given up or rescued from horrible situations and now need loving homes.

Oprah also had an episode on the other day, a follow up to her puppy mill episode.  I tried to watch it but had to turn it off, it was so sad.  They had on an adorable Pomeranian dog that was missing a leg.  It had been cut off with a wire cutter.  The dog is fine now but is still missing a leg.

These things have helped me decide what my resolution is.  I am going to do everything I can to help abused and homeless animals have the loving homes they deserve.

To get this resolution jump started, for 2009, and beyond, Daisy’s will donate 5% of all sales to the ASPCA!! 

This is Daisy.  

To know her is to love her.

My name is Debby and Daisy is my crazy Cairn terrier

Daisy is a rescue that I adopted just over 2 1/2 years ago.   She was originally with a family that just couldn’t handle all her energy so they gave her up to a shelter.  When I went to the shelter to see her for the first time, I accidentally dropped a glove on the floor and I fell in love with her the minute she picked it up in her mouth and ran away with it.  I should have known then I would be spending quite a bit of time chasing her around trying to get things out of her mouth.

I also discovered, very quickly, that Daisy had not been socialized properly.  She was horrible with other dogs.  We would go on walks and she would immediately start barking and would get very freaked out whenever we passed another dog.  It made walking her very difficult.  I do not have a yard so we had to walk all the time.  It took a while (a little over a year) to get her to be able to play with other dogs.  I got her into a playgroup. She went 3 days a week, for an hour each day, to continue with her socialization and to help her get the exercise she needed.  She lasted there about 4 months before getting the boot.  She starting reverting back to her old ways.  Allegedly starting a couple fights with other dogs.  I choose to believe that the other dogs started it and they picked on the wrong dog.  Daisy does not tolerate bullies.  She is a small 20 pound dog on the outside but she believes she is a Doberman pincher on the inside.

It has been a year since the eviction from playgroup.  Daisy now attends a daycare 2 days a week for the entire day.  She loves it!  She runs from the car into the building and starts barking as soon as we get inside.  Letting the daycare workers know to come out and let her in to play with the other dogs.  I am in awe at how far she has come with her socialization.  She is still a little on edge when she is on her leash, barking when a dog passes us but it is nothing like what it was when she first came home with me. 

What we really need to work on is her respecting me as the pack leader…