Saying Good Bye to Palin

So, back in October of last year we adopted Palin as our first real family dog. Aside from a dog we had for two weeks when Olivia was a baby, this was the first time we'd had a pet other than a beta fish. Once we got started looking I quickly realized we might be biting off more than we could chew, but honestly, at that point it seemed too late to back out. Looking back I should have just done that, but I just didn't want to break my Lulu's heart and I really thought we might be able to pull it off with her love of animals and Manly's amazing patience.
When we found Palin she had been found in the woods as a puppy who's mother was ran over by a car. She'd never been around humans before, so she was VERY shy and scared of EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY. It was both great and a little hard in the beginning, because we didn't have to worry about her jumping up on the kids or snapping at us, but she would NOT come to us or even hold her head up around us. Olivia was a little sad that Palin wouldn't do "regular dog things," but we told her just to keep loving her and eventually she would start to come out of her shell.

Olivia started going out and sitting with her every day for several hours. She'd take a book out and read it while petting her and talking to her. After a few days Palin would be sitting waiting for her to come. A few weeks into it she started coming off the porch, and after a few months Palin would follow Olivia around the yard and Olivia even leash trained her. When we first got her she couldn't walk on a leash at all. Olivia was such a great trainer; she'd just love on Palin even if she was having a hard time. As time went by Palin decided that the Smittle family wasn't so bad afterall. She fell in LOVE with Brubbs. She'd follow him around and lick him and love on him. He'd lay on her and just talk and play with her. They were such sweet friends! Even Mia warmed up to her.

One day, after a few weeks we were sitting around the school table and Palin was sitting in the living room and she barked for the first time! The kids were SO excited that she did a "regular dog thing!" After that day there was barking at just about anything that could POSSIBLY be a threat.

Palin learned to dig and hide bones. She made LOTS of holes in our yard. She also LOVED to spy on our neighbors. She'd peek at them through the slots in the fence or under the fence. She learned to go for walks with us. She learned to chase after a ball and bring it back. She started getting excited when we'd come outside. This ended up being the start of her knocking the kids down, but it was just because she was a big girl and they weren't ready for that yet.

She learned to come in and sleep in her crate at night.  She learned to scratch at the window if she wanted to come in or wanted Olivia to come out and play.

There were strange things about her. She would not sleep in her dog house. She wouldn't come to Scotty. EVER. She loved leftover veggies. She had to learn to shake off when wet. She loved baths.

Sadly, a few weeks ago, Palin's curiosity started getting the best of her and she started getting out of our fence and going to visit the neighbors. This wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but we live on a REALLY busy street, and I couldn't imagine her getting hit by a car right in front of the kids. She also started killing a LOT of birds and squirrels. This would be totally cool if she lived in a normal home, but for Olivia, our future animal rescuer, it was torture! She would just cry and cry every time she'd kill one and bring it as a trophy to the back door. So sad!
Palin also started pushing down and scratching/biting the kids. While I would have loved to train that out of her I honestly didn't have the time or money for it. It's totally my fault that was an issue, but it also played into our decision.
Anyway, we finally came to the decision that it was time to look and see if there was something we could do. We contacted the shelter we got her from and immediately the lady who originally found Palin contacted us and said her heart and home were always open to Palin and that she'd come meet us and pick her up the next day.

It was the HARDEST thing we've had to do as parents. Olivia actually was the one to finally say she thought Palin needed a new home, but that didn't change the fact that she loved her very much and would miss her terribly! She spent the next 24 hours crying and loving on Palin. We took lots of pictures to put together a photo book. We went through all of Palin's favorite things to get her ready to move. Olivia took her for one last walk, then we said goodbye.

 Olivia sobbed. Ms. Lori(her new owner) cried for Olivia and her sweet heart for animals. She even told Olivia she was welcome to come help at the pet adoption days at our local animal supply store. Olivia was delighted to hear that. Ms. Lori promised to keep us updated on Palin's progress moving back into her home. We got this and several other videos.

It seems like Palin has made herself at home. She's doing great having all the land to run and play on and she gets to swim every day and play with lots of other dogs. We got one video of her chasing another dog. Olivia was so proud to see she was so brave that she would play tag with another dog!Seeing these pictures still gets me all sappy and feeling sad, but we know we made the best choice for our family and Palin. We'll miss you, Palin, but we are so happy for you to be in a safe happy home!