Angel's Spay Day

Angel got spayed on Friday. She's almost six years old; this should have been done years ago, but better late than never.

She was very curious at the vet's office, and
not particularly scared or nervous.

Angel has been coming out of her shell, showing us more of her true self. She is a female shepherd to her core, with everything both good and difficult that goes along with that. She's attaching herself to me and working out her position in the pack. She'd like that position to be at the top, of course, second only to me. She hasn't challenged Maya, but she has tried to fill any position that Maya leaves empty.

Angel has been sleeping next to my side of the bed on the floor, next to Sparky, in Vince's old spot. I gave up on the crate after she escaped from it the second time. I gave up on trying to leave her in the kitchen at night after she tore through the gate that keeps all the other dogs on one side or the other (except for Maya who just jumps it). She doesn't like to be apart from me. She's a female shepherd.

If I get up during the night, she slips up into my spot and I find her laying up against my pillow when I return. This morning for the first time she and Maya were both up on the bed together. Maya was ok with that, but not when Angel tried to get closer to me than Maya was.

I haven't hiked with Angel yet but I will as soon as she recovers from today's surgery. The little bit of leash walking I've done with her tells me that she will be new to it and she will pull where she wants to go.

She investigated the space, must like she
has done here at home.

I have found her in the bathtub on two occasions, and also
the shower stall in the other bathroom. If there was a bed in
either spot I expect she would use it.

Some nights she has at least started out by sleeping on the
rug in the bathroom.

This is Angel on the bed with me this morning,
pushing her luck with Maya.

Angel is a pretty girl and quite petite. She weighed only 48 pounds today.
She needs to put on some weight, but she will still be a small shepherd, maybe 55 pounds.

She's still sleeping it off in a crate in my office
as I am writing this Friday evening. I expect she
will wake up in a while, then I'll get her outside.
I'll give her the choice of where to sleep tonight.
She might even be content in the crate, for once.