Tara on Thursday

Since this is the first Dogs on Thursday in October, and October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month....

...today's DOT post is all about Tara! Just look how excited she is!

Maybe she doesn't look all that excited, but she is, trust me. She just hides it well.

Tara came to BritKnitterville on St. Patrick's Day in 2005. I had back surgery in January of that year, and while I was at home recuperating, I found Tara at the American Brittany Rescue website. She was found wandering the streets in a small town in Arkansas, and some kind soul took her to a local shelter. The folks at the shelter contacted American Brittany Rescue, and an ABR foster mom took Tara into her home to love her, care for her, get her healthy, and then place her in a forever home. (I have the greatest respect for foster moms and dads--I just know I would never be able to part with any dog that I fostered.)

Anyway, I contact ABR here in New Jersey, and they sent one of their volunteers out to do a site visit. We passed the test with flying colors, except for one area - the dreaded DISCIPLINE. On the paperwork, that area was under the "needs improvement" category, and the comment they wrote was "Lovingly applied, not enforced." I think that was a very tactful way of saying that Emma was acting like a hooligan. She was, I admit it. There was nothing I could do to keep her from jumping on the sofa and licking the reviewer's face. Oh, well. I'm OK with that.

Anyway, after several calls back and forth to Arkansas, Judy (Tara's foster mom) graciously allowed me to become Tara's forever mom. I was so nervous the day we picked her up from the Brittany Transport. Dad drove my sister and I about an hour north to the pick-up spot, and when we saw them carrying Tara over to us, all I could think was "that's not a brittany!" She was so tiny and skinny, and had the biggest eyes you ever saw. This picture was taken shortly after she arrived.

She would just stare at the toys and bones and balls, wondering what to do with them. How pathetic is that? She got used to the creature comforts pretty quickly, though.

She claimed the ottoman as her very own doggie bed...
...and sometimes even snuggles int0 the chair.

She has figured out what bones are for...


...and knows how to eat off of a fork...

...and even helps with the dishes.

She is a fashion-conscious girl...

...and likes wearing things her mommy knits for her.


Tara says, "Just look at me now!"
I often wonder if she remembers her time "on the streets". I hope not. I hope her memory starts with that St. Patrick's Day when she curled up on the back seat of the car next to her new mommy, and fell asleep on the long car ride to BritKnitterville.