Changing Personality? Better Than Ever!

 Sassy's missing leg, amputated because of a horse kicking her, is the result of neglect from long ago. We adopted her because we could see her personality on the website featuring rescues.

Someone wrote a story about dogs changing their personalities as they grow older. Yes, they lose their puppiness, but Sassy seems to have more of those appealing qualities than ever before.

For example, she enjoys her little pranks. I was watching the news when she decided to put her claw on my stomach. She communicates with her paws a lot. This time she slowly dragged her claw on my skin. I yelped and she laughed. She does not just grin, but really laughs at the fun. My wife Chris said, "And you laughed." Yes, of course, but I am blamed for encouraging her. That was a one-time trick.

 Sassy tolerates her Voyager but loves the Town Car limo.

She returned to getting my attention with strange noises. I look up and wonder if something is malfunctioning. I looked up twice before I noticed it was the claw plucking at the metal shelf.

Some other claw tricks are:

1. Batting my leg lightly, which calls for something I should do.
2. Making the touch a little stronger each time.
3. Dragging her claw across my kneecap with some force.
4. Triple-dragging her claw, looking fiercely at me.
5. I often ignore that at first and say, "Watch Sassy." I know - it is my fault for encouraging her.

Once she has established friendship with someone on the block, she sits down on the sidewalk, in their way, until they pet her and talk to her about how sweet she is. I said to one, "You made her day." She said, "She made my day." If they are brother and sister, both have to pet her and compliment her.

One couple demands "love" from Sassy before we go. They cup a hand and Sassy pushes her soft muzzle into it, licking the hand. At that point she backs away and barks sharply. "Do you have something to do?" Bark! Bark! "Do you have an appointment?" Bark! Bark! Bark!!

Sassy is friends with a lot of dogs who bark at her and play tag a bit through the fence. She loves to get three pit bulls barking at her, so she only needs to be nearby to hear them on alert. She loves to walk "innocently" near their wooden fence to start a ruckus. She watches me because I discourage it. That is just as much fun for her as seeing her favorite huskies and shepherds. She has overdone this at times, so she acts like it is just another stroll in someone's  front yard.

Sassy walked into view to be in this photo. Our granddaughter went over backwards and held the pose, laughing and unhurt. Sassy upstaging her made it even funnier.