Tootsie came into my life three years ago this month. Pictures from those early days have been popping up as memories on Facebook. I can’t believe how much my little girl has grown–from almost four pounds to nearly fourteen pounds.

Didn’t take long to see she was special. She is super affectionate–some might call it needy. Whatever. It’s very endearing. There’s no place she’d rather be than with me. I focus on this when she starts getting on my nerves.

I continue to be impressed with her intelligence. Finding new ways to challenge her is never-ending. When she gets bored, rather than stop playing, she throws in some invented challenge of her own. Some I get, some I don’t. Anything to keep her busy makes me happy.

Between me being a slow learner and her being more than a little stubborn, figuring each other out took time. Working one-on-one with a trainer for a while helped. I’m much better at figuring out positive alternatives to “No! Expletive, expletive!”

We’re most likely to butt heads in the kitchen. Whenever I enter the room, she thinks it’s time for a treat and whines until she gets one. Yeah. I say “no” then give her a treat to shut her up. When I’m cooking, rather than getting underfoot, she’s figured out to sit outside the kitchen where she can see if I drop something.

Unfamiliar people and places still make her anxious. She trusts me much more now and knows “It’s okay” means nothing is coming for her. She never barks when on the leash. Never. Now I put her on the leash to greet service technicians and other visitors before they come inside.

She got so anxious about walks I quit making her go. I get her harness and leash and go to the door. If she wants to go, she comes running. If not, we don’t go. Anymore, she almost always wants to go and beats me to the door every morning and evening for a walk around the block.

If I get down on the floor, she comes running from wherever she may be to wrestle. She kicks off every match with the dreaded Tootsie roll, but hasn’t drawn blood for a long time. Escaping any hold I throw her wasy is the goal. She often wants to go another round when we go to bed.

Daily play time is mandatory. The game is almost always fetch. She makes it easy by bringing me the ball and even pushing it closer when I can’t reach. Indoors, she never has to run very far and is happy to play for hours.

Weather permitting, we play outside every day around noon and again after it cools off some in th evening. I throw the ball as far as I can. She dashes after it so fast, I wear glasses to keep scratching-off-debris out of my eyes. I shoot for 15 minutes or as long as she’ll keep playing, whcihever is longer.

She also comes running anytime I stretch out on the couch for a little face-rubbing before laying on my chest. At nap time, I lay on my back in bed and she settles between my legs. At night, she lays betweenn my arm and side with her head on my shoulder. In both cases, she eventually nuzzles her way under the covers to get closer.

I’m the focus of her attention all day, every day. It’s very sweet and more than a little exhausting. She’s finally learned to settle down beside me when I don’t want to play.

We get along better all the time. Her antics make me smile several times a day and frequently laugh out loud. She’s a world-class cuddler too. All in all, I’d say Tootsie is a pretty good little dog.