Tessa

Profile

3/27/06: The Mississippi girls (Tessa & Josie Belle) arrived on Saturday, 03/25/06. Thanks to Triple R Pets (triplerpets.org), the girls have made it safely to Minnesota and into the RAGOM family (thank you Colleen & Claudia)! They arrived without names or histories, but both appear to be about 2 years of age, had recent litters of pups, and rely on each other for comfort. They are social, friendly, and affectionate, and appear to be in good health (we will see the vet tonight). Both have gotten along with resident dog Kellie without any problems. I managed a 3 dog walk with ease this morning - Tessa pulls a bit, but Tessa & Josie walked side by side and I was able to hold both leashes with one hand, and resident dog Kellie with the other. Luckily, we only encountered a meandering squirrel, who appeared to have no idea that we were stopped a few houses down, waiting for him to climb a tree.

Tessa is a nurturer, and when she isn't trying to lick resident dog Kellie's face, she is nuzzling me for affection. At some point in her history, she was hit by a car, and had her right back leg amputated. It doesn't slow her down a bit - in fact, she pulled the hardest on the 3 dog walk this morning. I have seen her run at full speed across the backyard ... in response to a barking dog down the street - who I am sure she would have gone to affectionately visit, if it were not for the fence and gate stopping her. She manages all the steps without a problem, and allows Josie to take her food, toys, and treats if I am not careful. This morning she woke up my daughter with a gentle lick on her face (5:17 a.m.) - since the rest of the household was awake, she didn't want Hannah to miss out on all the fun.

Josie has stalked our bully cat from the moment she realized he was here. Despite numerous attempts by bully cat to reclaim the house, Josie can't quite seem to let him be, and both cats are currently playing it safe in the basement. Josie likes to carry around as many stuffed animals/balls as she can hold in her mouth at one time, and appears to be the more dominant of the two. She has a wiggle walk ... her back end sways from side to side, perhaps being accustomed to pregnancy? While she appears to follow Tessa's lead at times, I think it's with the ulterior motive of making sure she's not missing out on any good stuff. Josie will steal everybody's food, treats, and toys - and everybody seems to think that's ok.