Happy Anniversary, Teddy!

This month is an important milestone for Teddy. He was rescued one year ago from his former puppy mill life. I've only had Teddy for 9 months, as he lived with his foster mom for 3 months before finding his way to his forever home with me, but I felt like this was an important milestone. To celebrate, he and Ranger split a plain hamburger from McDonald's (maybe not the healthiest treat ever, but thoroughly enjoyed by all, and after all, isn't that what a celebratory treat is all about?!)

For the first 8 months he was with me, Teddy never approached me for anything - he never sought out my attention, never tried to sit in my lap, never asked to go outside, never begged for treats or food (although Ranger is teaching him that little trick.) Although he still obsessively follows me around the house, he doesn't act like he needs me for anything. Quite the opposite of Ranger, who kicks his back feet behind him like a bull if he wants something and is very vocal about letting me know if I'm not doing enough for him. But this month, for the first time, Teddy approached me for affection! I was laying on the couch, and Teddy came up to me and put his paws on the couch, asking me to pet him! The significance of that didn't hit me until later, when it occurred to me what happened. The next time he did it, I made a big deal of how smart and good he was, and I could see he was very pleased with himself. Now it is becoming a regular event. Who knows - maybe I'll get him to sit on my lap for longer than 15 seconds.