Happy Owners 1

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Thank you so much for sending us a photo of Bonnie's mother, Taz. I am looking forward to seeing the photo of Bonnie's father too.

Our Bonnie has a great personality, and is very beautiful. She's affectionate, smart, loves children (we have 4 grandsons now--the newest is 3 months old), is gentle with our 3 cats, and is friendly with people, and other dogs.

Twice a week we take Bonnie to a very nice dog park, where she immediately made friends with a whole gaggle of large dogs--Bonnie is fearless, but not aggressive. (With fencing, the lovely park separates big and little dogs.)

Of course she is mischievous too--we expected that, as she is our second Boxer. Many "interesting" things have turned up in her "lair," a corner of our big back yard, which she has adopted as her own private area. She especially likes slippers, and pantyhose.

And like Boxers do, she has made up a bunch of games for herself--with her dog biscuits, treats, and toys. She throws them up in the air and catches them. Very creative. She loves to play ball, and is as good as a retriever, and she likes to bite the water when we hose the grass.

Like a baby in a high chair dropping stuff, she nudges her ball under the couch, and then whimpers for me to get it out--after I get it out, she nudges it back under the couch, and then whimpers for me to get it out again. Then she wags what's left of her tail and prances around. She has a marvelous sense of humor.

Now Bonnie is going to puppy school. She's learned to sit, lie down, stay (sort of), watch, wait, and her teacher is teaching her not to pull on the leash (which she does not do much anyway). She learns very fast, and when the teacher is not looking, Bonnie helps herself to the toys and treats the teacher stores on a shelf. We cannot help laughing--even the teacher has to laugh.

As you can see, Bonnie has added a great deal of fun and love to our lives. Our daughter lives in Massachusetts (a Professor at Harvard) with her 3 boys, and our son in Seattle (a Professor at U. of Washington), with his new baby, so it gets lonely around here. But Bonnie fills much of the gap for us. I hear my husband speaking "baby talk" to her when he thinks I'm out of earshot. And I am crazy about her.

Brenda, I admire you for being able to do "home schooling." I don't think I would have the patience. I am a retired Social Worker (worked mainly with Senior Citizens), and my husband is a retired Mathematician/Physicist/Geneticist, and currently a working professional trombone player.

Thanks again for the photos, and a special thanks for Bonnie. She is truly a joy.