It would be exactly a year this Nov 8 since we last drove out to SPCA Aylmer to pick up Riley and WHAT A YEAR it has been! Riley is just shy of 20 months, still less than 10lbs, but infinitely wiser and more confident than when we first met her a year ago.

Riley has had many experiences since we got her and I think it's really made a world of difference. She took basic obedience lessons last winter and has proven that there's a lot of wit behind that charm. When liver treats are involved, she's very eager to please. Her play (which consists of intense running and a lot of vocalizations), as well as her manners, have also improved considerably after we decided to send her to daycare once a week. From being called in the office mid-afternoon by the daycare saying "Riley's had too much daycare today, would you please pick her up?", the whole experience has evolved to being one of her most favourite things - barely able to contain herself when we drive up to the school (almost as much as when we go camping!).

We also take Riley to dog parks often (Conroy Pit and Bruce Pit are her favourites), and seeing her run like the wind, tongue out - and happy! - is probably one of the most gratifying moments for us. She plays really well with other dogs, and tries to mind all our commands when off-leash. We are thinking of sending her to a more intermediate obedience class this winter to help reinforce her recall, or maybe agility classes to help bolster her confidence (she is scared of most agility props).

When we got Riley, she did have some separation anxiety and aggressive chewing habits, but we have worked on both - and today, neither pose that much of an issue (other than maybe the fact that very few toys - not even "tough" ones could stand up to her chewing). She hasn't chewed any of our belongings in a really long time, and we have successfully left her with friends at our apartment when we've gone on vacation this summer.

I could write a novel with updates about Riley, but this will have to do. Suffice to say that she is doing really well, and we are SO grateful to have her with us. We keep an Instagram account (http://www.instagram.com/supariley) to keep track of her milestones and I think it's plenty of evidence of the huge difference we have made in each others lives.

Thank you again for letting us take Riley home with us a year ago!

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