Rosie the Rescue Dog Settles in

When you look at her sprawled on our couch, you would never believe the rough transition we had integrating this pup into our lives. She's a smart, sweet dog, and we're very glad we stuck through the tough moments, but she was a trial when we first got her.

We don't think she had ever really been outide, so although the adoption information stated that she was house broken, that wasn't exactly true. We adopted her in late December, so frigid January days found us outside begging Rosie to just "go potty." We tried walking her on a leash, having her circle us on a long leash and taking her where we knew there were other smells. She could walk up and down our street for ages, sniffing but never squatting to do her business. If anything moved, a car door slammed, a branch blew or another dog barked, she would forget what she was supposed to do, and we would have to start the process all over again.

Two years later, she can still be difficult. She likes to have her front paws on pavement or concrete, and she still will startle fairly easily. But the key was basically just patience. She has a couple spots at the top of our yard where she will usually go, but often we have to walk her across the street so she can smell another dog. On these cold winter nights, I still bemoan that she is picky about her spots, but we just have to give her plenty of uninterrupted opportunities to do her business.