I was at adoptions yesterday (Jack got adopted - YIPPEE~!!!), so Paul was on 'pup-sitting' duties... And no problems - NONE... Neither from our PMP (Riley) or Simba... I'm pleased!

My husband is left-handed and once I observed that you shouldn't touch Simba with your left (only your right) and told my hubby, he's made a great attempt at not petting with his normal (for him) hand... It's going much better... Maybe someone in Simba's past hurt him with the left hand... Most dogs know food generally comes from the right hand, so they tend to look first at your eyes and then at the right hand... I wouldn't have even noticed this about Simba if I'm not normally a 'scooper' with these older Chis...

Simba's a frustrated male right now... He's got a crush on BeeGee and she's an "it" so she's not interested in a boyfriend at all... Some males even neutered still keep the drive to mate and I haven't been able to gain enough of Simba's trust to do a deep investigation of his genitals yet... Maybe it was an incomplete neuter? Dunno...

Otherwise, he's sleeping with us every night now and when I go to the family room to watch the occasional TV program, he comes up on the couch and tries to integrate himself with everyone... Sometimes he is successful, sometimes not... If not, he jumps down and settles in on the comfort pillows across from the couch... No longer does he stay retreated in the living room when I'm not there...

We're still practicing 'pick ups' and we're a long way from his ever letting me do this, enjoy it and look forward to it... Right now, he's tolerating me picking him up to cuddle... He becomes a statue and when you go to set him down, you better have a good handle on him, for he will leap (and possibly hurt himself) otherwise... I noticed this is the stage he was in with his owner, so I'm not unhappy with the progress so far...

I'm pleased he's eating well for me, exercising with the crew and for the most part, he's happy... I'll be happier when he makes that step forward from simple existence to honoring the moment with a human... Right now we're just 'live chickens' or food sources... There isn't that unbelievable bond that we all treasure so much... These little guys may be only a few pounds, but their hearts (if not abused or neglected) are as big as Montana and that's probably why they are such a popular breed... Even without a full tail (but those tipped 'sweetheart' ears), Simba is absolutely adorable... Now if we can just gain enough trust for him to connect emotionally, we'll have achieved a quantum leap in this rehabilitation!