I've been remiss about posting here as consistently as I should... Me bad... LOL...

Simba and I have been engaging in a mini love-fest on the nights "Idol" is on... I put his leash on him, he's ready to go before I am, and up on the couch he jumps, waiting for me to sit down and get the blankee on my lap for him to climb underneath... Then he scoots around so that he can come up and give kisses, get a bit antsy, hand out some more kisses and then settle in...

He's doing so much better the past couple days, despite all the busy and craziness that's been going on around here... His anxious zones are only about once a day, and sometimes not even then... He's figured out the 'lay of the land' now and rolls with the rest of the crew every time...

The doggie door is still too much for him to overcome and there's something about him and his head that prohibits him from trying it on his own... But he goes outside for potty each and every time, so I'm VERY happy with that progress...

He's also figured out the favorite spot of some of the other crew - on the chaise lounge or the doggie hammock, sunbathing every morning with everyone else... He really enjoys the sun and the slight breezes that come across the backyard...

Simba doesn't always come to me on command (but no longer runs from me either)... When I'm gone (even for just a few minutes to switch laundry loads), you'd think I'd been gone for ages... He is VERY happy to see me and jumps up like a jack-in-the-box... Dong, dong, dong... LOL... THIS is the human connection I was looking for and didn't see when he first arrived here... I'm not sure if it is the evening cuddles or the afternoon nap rubs, but he is looking forward to being petted and the human touch... Whereas initially he'd freeze or high-tail it in the other direction...

This week we've been working on crate training again... He wasn't too happy about it the first time I put him in there, even with a Kong, but today I was able to do it without a ton of crying and complaining... I normally leave the crate doors open around here (they are favorite napping spots by some of the others), but I believe in crates - if you have to evacuate, you can't bring your pets unless they are good canine craters... And vets really dislike dogs that can't tolerate a bit of time in their crates...

We are doing exceptionally well on lead now... Simba is not pulling from me or pulling in front of me... I think my other guys are still somewhat confused about why we are walking around in the backyard on lead, but they follow along too... (smile)... My guys are something else - I could not do what I do with other fosters without their help and efforts... Now that Simba is doing so much better on lead, he's headed into my vet's office on lead for a check-up... I haven't taken him to the park yet, watching for signs of kennel cough but (knock on wood), he's doing fantastic on the diet here, his coat is nice and silky as well as filling in where it was a bit thinned out...

He's a sweetie and has really come a long, long way... I just looked over and he's asleep in one of the doggie beds in the penthouse... What a sweet angelic face he has... Sweet, sweet, sweet!