Hello, my name is SUSIE. I am about six years old and as you can see I am very pretty! I am a very calm example of the breed. I'm reliably housetrained, and will sit and shake hands on command. I learn pretty quickly - it only took about 10 minutes to get me to walk on a loose lead and not pull. Overall I'm a very nice dog and would do really well with an older person. After I was picked up from Linda's clinic, I went to visit my foster's mom's house (she is 91) and I followed her around and paid careful attention to whatever she was saying.
As far as getting along goes, Reilly and I touched noses and have since ignored each other. Semus, on the other hand has been doing his level best to 1) get me to run and play 2) make friends 3) show me he's the dominant Alpha boss-dog. So far he's struck out on all three. I started out growling and escalated it to barking and snapping, but he doesn't seem to get the message. He's too quick for me to get him, but I'm having NOTHING to do with him. He's pretty persistent, but I can be stubborn, too. Who invented boys, anyway? Fostered by Bill in KS.
UPDATE: Semus is really persistent. He managed to turn Miss Susie around in about a week or so and they are now fast friends. When she came to us, she was very shy. Now that she's had a chance to settle in, she runs and plays with Semus until he just wears her out.
She's gained some weight and some muscle from all the running. She joins in Semus' quest to keep all of the evil birds, squirrels, and rabbits out of the back yard. They both love to sneak around the corner of the house and run full steam into the flocks of blackbirds that are starting to migrate through.
Inside, Susie loves to snuggle on the couch with me or with Phyllis, but she won't get up on ANY of the furniture without an invitation. Somebody in her past either taught her some manners that have escaped my dogs completely, or she just wasn't allowed on the furniture at all and she's still not SURE it is OK around here -even though the other hounds are sprawled all over (Semus) or curled up (Reilly) in one of the recliners or other chairs. Susie will talk to us when she gets excited (generally at the prospect of supper) but she's not as easy to understand yet as Semus and Reilly -a different Gaelic dialect, I suppose.
I believe she really would make a grand little lady for a nursing home or for some older folks. I haven't tried her with children since we have none around, but I bet she'd be great with them, too.
