Lemon Packs her Bags -A New Adventure About to Begin

It has been a few months and a few dozen phone calls to plan in the making, but Lemon is making a new adventure very soon! Jerrad's Granny has dementia which is becoming more and more pronounced. In the last year or two she's had to move away from her home where she always had the company of a dog, into residence with one of her daughters. They have found in this time that WITH dog companionship Granny's memory vastly improves. They have a nice little five minute walking path just outside the loop and with the right dog, Granny might be able to take herself and a nice well behaved pooch out for little walks.

Now, about five or six months ago the idea was to find Granny a companion dog and adopt someone. However, I know in my gut that Jerrad's auntie doesn't know much about dogs, and that they would need a very special dog with some good foundation training on them to be a therapy pet for Granny without becoming a nuisance. AND, I'm pretty sure if/when Granny gets to the point where she would either need to go into a nursing home, or worse, that Jerrad's auntie most likely won't want to keep a dog. What a recipe for disaster all the way along. Get the wrong dog and it spells heartache for everyone, get the right dog but give them up in a few years (or sooner) due to Granny's health, and what a sad repayment for that dog's love and energy.

However, reality is, WE have the perfect dog for Granny. It's been witnessed the two or three times Granny has come to visit us, the two of them just hang on the couch most of the day, with Lemon in her absolute glory and Granny talking to her about goodness knows what, but talking! Lemon is flawless off-leash, quite impeccably trained in general (though her leash manners could use some work since she's rarely on a leash!), in the last year and a bit she has become very low energy, complete lap-dog.

So with permission of rescue of course, Lemon is going on an adventure -trial version- until around Christmas time when we will see if she is aiding Granny. If it is a good match, Lemon will stay until she is no longer needed -weeks, months, possibly years though you never can be sure-. At well over eighty years of age, it's a long shot that Granny would outlive Lemon. If Lemon can bring joy and function into someone's life that wasn't there before, and be snuggled with all day it is for the betterment of both. She will be coming straight home if she isn't working out at any time. And that is the important part. Even when Lemon's working life of therapy pet comes to an end -sooner or later-, she will have us waiting with open arms to bring her back. You never know. She might be a little bugger and get sent back home quicker than we'd think.

It will be bittersweet dropping her off and I'm sure I'll blubber like a baby (Jerrad too), but in my heart I believe this is one special adventure little Lemon is supposed to take.

What, an adventure?

No couch sharing... I could get used to that!

I will have all day snuggle privileges? 

Therapy Pet... we'll see.

We'll update how Lemon is doing as she gets settled in. We've always joked that Lemon was meant to be adopted by a person who ran a group home or similar with how much she loves people. I guess it wasn't so much of a farfetched idea to begin with.

Have fun little Lemon!! The pack will feel strange without your big ears and dose of little dog attitude.