It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Saoirse update. For those who might be new to the blog, we adopted a beagle from a medical research laboratory last October. The last 10 months have been incredible — seeing her adjust to life in a home, make friends with other dogs, start to trust (some!) people, and in general relax and enjoy her life as a dog. Dog parks still freak her out a little, though she’s getting more used to them, so we try to make regular visits to Eric’s mom’s house, where she has a big fenced in yard and the dogs can play together in a more relaxed and less high pressure environment (sometimes those dog parks can be a bit intense!).
I’ve been wanting to take some pictures of Saoirse running to share here on the blog because it’s just a hands-down magical thing to see. Her ears are HUGE and they flap like wings when she runs. I finally remembered to bring my camera last time we went for a play date. And so here is the Saoirse’s ‘Ears in the Wind’ series.
It’s been such a joy to bond with her and to get to know her personality as she shows it to us. She is a total sweetheart — extremely affectionate and loving and sensitive. She still loves to burrow in the blankets on the couch and the bed and snuggle to stay warm. And she is *funny* — I mean, downright hilarious. What a sense of humor!
In addition to playing, cuddling and generally being a goofball, she *really* likes to eat. She got a urinary tract infection a couple of months ago, and while we were at the vet, we discovered that she had gained 5 pounds since we adopted her. FIVE! Yikes. Serious stuff. We’ve reduced her serving size of her delicious vegan diet and hopefully her weight will come down a bit. The accidents in the house have dramatically declined as we’ve learned to read her signals and she’s learned to vocalize her need to go outside more. Overall, things are going well and she has completely settled into life as part of our pack.
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I cannot WAIT to see that little bean again!
I can’t wait for you to come see the bean again, either. 🙂
She’s calling me too…
She’s ready for a visit from her grandhuman anytime. 🙂
What cutie bear!!!! I love that title “ears in the wind” as obviously it’s so appropriate. How did you go about adopting from a lab? I would love to do something like this.
luminousvegans — I know, sometimes I just stare at her for hours it seems like — she’s so cute. Re: the animals from labs — I know someone in a lab and periodically there are animals who need homes at the end of the studies they’re used in. If you’re interested, feel free to email me off-the-blog (as it were) and I can give you more information. I’ve had people travel here from out of state before to adopt animals. 🙂 serenityinthestorm@gmail.com
Katie, these pictures of Saoirse just gave me the hugest smile and feeling of joy. She looks so unbelievably free and happy, just the way all animals are meant to be! And, her ears, , they are the best. What a beauty!
Aw, I’m so glad the pictures made you feel happy, Carrie! I think it sure is hard to feel depressed or bummed out living with dogs, and especially dogs as funny and cute as Saoirse. Ha! Such a joy. 🙂
How Beautiful She is! These pictures are too cute! I shared them with my little ones, they got a huge kick out of ‘flying’ Saoirse!
Aw, so glad the little ones liked the photos! There are some kids in the neighborhood who have been waiting so patiently for almost a year to get to pet Saoirse (she’s very skittish), but she’s been letting them get closer and closer and I bet soon they’ll be able to touch her and give those ears some scratches. 🙂
I showed Philip’s son these pictures (we had been talking about animal testing facilities, yeesh), and he flipped out. “She’s just so… so cute! I just want to eat her face off! I mean, that’s not very vegan, but you know what I mean. I just want to nom her. Look at her!”
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Aw, that’s so cute. 🙂 So hilarious that he said “that’s not very vegan”. 🙂 How did you get talking about animal testing, btw? Such a serious conversation! 🙂
We read the book Vegan Is Love by Ruby Roth. It is excellent and very intense.