my dog a whole lot better. He's a very opinionated, strong willed mutt. Three "adoptions" in three months, with people bringing him back to the shelter each time as a failed rescue. That's when we adopted him (altho we didn't know about all the prior failures). I can understand why, we just refuse to call him "failed." And he has learned and adapted pretty well. There are just some things we're arguing about when it comes to his place in the "pack". I'm hoping this will give me more info.

I'm not well, and on a lot of days that leaves me with no energy at all and a depressed mood. I'm afraid I'm making it worse (harder) on Lexy than it should be. Although on my "good" days I make sure to give her all the love, pets, and adoration I can give her. And I've seen the difference in her on those days. I need to make sure (at least to myself) that she's not thinking my "bad" days are because of her. IOW, does she feel empathy with my bad days, as I do with hers? Gotta tell ya, my cats are easier to understand than this one dog! (LOL) I miss the almost automatic empathy and understanding I had with my border collie and my Leonburgher. They were such smart, intuitive dogs. I know on some level, Lexy is just as smart. She just displays it in different forms. (sigh)

He was a Bernese Mountain Dog and Beagle mix. His mother weighed 22 pounds and his father 100 pounds. There was some trauma around the birth and the mother, don't remember exactly, but anyway he was difficult. He would often drop down and seem to be dying. The vet said there was nothing wrong with him. So, we took him to a highly recommended dog "psychologist." The guy observed our dog, Banjo, for about 15 minutes and diagnosed him as a "con artist." He said that Banjo was manipulating us for attention. So, he helped us maneuver out of that and into a normal relationship. Again, I can't remember exactly how we worked it out but we did and he was the love of our lives. (This was over 20 years ago.)

Lexy is pretty much a drama queen, herself. Her new harness came in... this one mama can actually put on her. The other that was given to us took too many marbles to try to figure out, and she couldn't stand still that long. But now she's jonesing for a walk. Unfortunately, it's a little too hot for her tootsies at the moment. I've told her later, when it gets darker. I think she understands, it's just not what she wants. So, she sits here giving me the side eye!