Soo. It's been a while since I logged in and checked on everyone. To be honest I have missed having the challenge this year but in a way a little relieved as I don't think I would have had time to blog. 

Looking back on my last post, it was about the passing of dog Indy. She is surely missed and what we have come to realise is that animals are a huge part of our lives. I was going to say pets but pets don't really describe them as they really are family to us. 

It was not long after the passing of Indy that we adopted a kitten. I have never been a cat person and often said that we would never get one. With Indy no longer around, Haven and Rochelle were finding it really tough so I agreed we would go the kitten adoption drive just to "look". To be honest, I was 90% sure we would end up adopting one and sure enough we did. Or did the kitten adopt us? Note quite sure about that one. 

Her name is Mocha and she has won my heart. I didn't think I could love a cat but she has totally changed my view of cats. She has me wrapped around her little paw. Often she will jump up at 5am in the moring and sit on top of me waiting for a morning cuddle, or walk all over my keyboard during the day while I'm trying to work. 

A couple of months after adopting Mocha we felt we were ready for another dog in our lives so Rochelle and Haven started checking out the SPCA website. We ended up going down to check out a different puppy but decided he would not be the right fit. They then introduced us to Minnie and we all fell in love with her. 

Then we got her home....

We told the SPCA that we were after a family dog and that we have the neighbours kids often coming over and jumping the fence. We also have lots of visitors as we host a church group at our place every fortnight so wanted a sociable dog who was good with people and animals. 

What we got was a highly reactive young puppy who barked at everyone, chased cars along the fenceline, lunged at cars when on the lead, howled like she was being murdered when she saw other dogs or animals or people. 

I called the SPCA and told them we were bringing her back but after some thought we agreed to engage an animal psychologist/trainer up here and get them to check her out. After our initial meeting it was 50/50 but they gave us the confidence that we could actually help her get over her fear so we decided to keep her and I am glad we did. 

It has not been an easy road and has taken a lot of my time which is why I have not been around. However it has been worth it. Minnie has made leaps and bounds over the last 4 months or more. She still loves to chase cars along the fenceline, still likes to express her massive emotions with her voice but everyday she is getting more and more confident. We have built a strong bond and she really trusts me. I understand her now and she understands me. She loves going to doggy daycare twice a week and has the neighbours dog over for playdates during the week. I can walk her without her totally losing it and she can now look at things without barking blue murder. Most importantly she is a loveable goofball with our little family and is constantly making us smile and laugh (rather than crying which is what we did in the first few weeks)

She has however developed an unhealthy addiction to tennis balls so we need to manage that and reduce her cravings. 

Anyway that is why I have not been around. I will hopefully post a garden update soon as there has been a lot going on and the garden is looking pretty good. I'm excited about the potential harvest this year. 

Hope everyone is well and I will try to find time to look over everyone's past blogs.