Della at Dusk

Puppies are cute, everyone loves them, me included. But at my core, I'm a fan of Della first and foremost. She was the dog we set out to save. Della was in a shelter and wasn't doing well. She was said to be terrified of men especially. When I hear those words I immediately think of former foster dogs with similar stories, including Maddie, Harper, and my own little girl Maya.


So when I heard there was a scared female cowdog in a shelter in Chesterfield, I didn't want to wait for Green Dogs to arrange a transport, I went to get her myself. Maybe it was the sliced turkey I took along. Maybe it was just getting out of the shelter. Maybe it was just the innate need in domesticated dogs to trust someone, and in a pinch, anyone. Whatever it was, she was quicker and easier to win over than the other shy, scared, girl dogs we've had around here. She bonded quick and she bonded strong.

We don't really know too much about Della yet. We know Della as a mother. She's loving and protective, everything a mother should be. But we won't really know Della the Dog until the motherhood phase has passed. That's when we'll be able to evaluate what she's like with new dogs, new people, children, etc. All I can say with any certainty is that the Midnight Slayer of Rabbits probably has a pretty strong prey drive.

Here are some pictures of Della and friends running in the pasture on the last few evenings.

She loves the pasture runs.

I was cutting grass and scared up a rabbit. Fortunately he
made a quick exit under the fence, but the girls spent some
time looking in case he came back.

The light was getting low and I was too far away to get a
clear picture, but this is joyful body language - tail up,
head up, high stepping, just for fun.

She will run with Theo when he runs after the ball
but she's not really ball-driven.

Hard bodies make poor pillows.
If you love your dog, you'll provide a soft cushy place
for her to lay her head.