"Fawna"

Contributed by member, Nonoma

My Fawna is now 12.2 lbs., almost 16 weeks old, and is losing her first teensy front teeth.  I want one but wiggling them grosses me out.  She swallows them of course.  She has lost her cute puppy fuzz and is developing Sheltie fur, mostly the ruff around her neck and a bit of a skirt on her rear.  See how long her nose has grown.

Yesterday we were out by the blackberry patch and Fawna was sniffing around happily.  We unknowingly disturbed two browsing Sandhill Cranes who suddenly screamed out ear-splitting, non-stop "caroooooo-carooooo-caroooooo's."  Fawna came straight up in the air (me too) and flew back a yard or two, then sat down to thoughtfully observe and contemplate. 

Fawna has tons of toys and her own heavy-duty toy box.  It is a sturdy plastic restaurant clear-away tray.  There are particular toys she always keeps in the box.  If you take one out, she will return it to the box when finished playing with it.  Other toys are always to be outside the box (her favorite ones).  She spaces them equally across the floor.  That gives her room to run between them I guess.  I think she is particularly neat and precise.  A girl after my own heart!

Fawna has a delightfully sweet personality, loves everybody, and is almost perfectly housebroken.  She has trained me to take her outside when she barks at the outside door or at the upstairs gate.  Like most Shelties, Fawna has a mind of her own, knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go for it.  She knows the command "sit" well.  "Come" she recognizes when she feels there is something worth coming for.  "Wait" is something she recognizes as a brief pause.  "Stay" we are still working on.  Of course all the commands depend upon whatever else may attract her puppy-butterfly attention span.

 I am happy to be a puppy mom (although I never get any housework done).

##########

REMEMBER: Doggy Tales is Reader Contributed! If you have, or have had, a furry, finned, or feathered friend you were fortunate enough to share your life with, we want to hear about it! Contact Miss Mae via the email on the Profile Page and your article will be featured in a future Monday segment.