Luckie's "forever" home.

After the final decision to keep Luckie, we took her home from the vet clinic to recuperate from spay surgery, before initiating heartworm therapy. Also, she was about five lbs. underweight.

We loaded her in the back seat of our station wagon on a small rug. She meekly, quietly, slept a few minutes of the 20-minute trip home. At some point, it seemed she felt she did not deserve to be on the seat, so she got on the floorboard behind the driver for the rest of the way home. Best traveling dog we've ever had.

Arriving home, we opened the front door, and let the leash go. She slowly crept in, and circled the furniture in our living room which consisted of four lift chairs, a church bench, Moroccan round table, small table between two lift chairs and one lamp. She circled several times and meekly chose the oldest and most dilapidated lift chair. That chair is hers to this day. I cover it with sheets. She rarely ever attempts to use another chair.

The second important step was introduction to the dog door. One trip in and out--no problem and no accidents to this day, even when we rebuilt the back door and changed the dog door model.

We have dual adjustable king-size beds with additional back wedges. Since I sleep in a lift-chair she quickly began to adjust to her new found luxuries by claiming the vacant adjustable bed AND wedge.

However, she doesn't care for motion, heat and vibration. She quickly exits the room if you use these features. She often lays by my lift chair which has these three features. The controls hang down the side. She accidentally turns them on, and out of the room she goes. Not sure why she is afraid of these things. The beds also has vibration.

She is fed a good grade of dog food, but never seems full. I believe she would eat 40 lbs. of Pedigree if we free-fed her. It wasn't long before I was having to watch her weight!

Despite being abused by a man, she loves and seems to prefers my husband. This is wonderful for them both, because the three German Shepherds, who are known to be one-person dogs, tolerated my husband, and preferred me. Luckie learns that all men are NOT abusive.

Luckie did not know how to play with toys. but now she has a boxful, which are in various stages of destruction. In her other life, she probably just had litters of puppies and not much interaction with people.

Next: Luckie: toys, tricks and treats