Do you remember Ollie the huggable puggle that arrived to us sort of unexpectedly? Well, it's his birthday!!! He is 2 years old on October 18th!!! Here is an update we got from his Mommy along with some recent pics of him with his siblings, his trainer & of course, Ollie as the "fur piece"!
"Ollie came to us from a wonderful foster home. However the first 17 months of his life were not wonderful. We did not know all the details of Ollie's life before he came to us. But it is clear he was poorly treated. Ollie was head shy, reserved, fearful. He resisited affection. He had some socialization because of his foster parents but had a long way to go. However, it was so obvious he craved love, attention and affection.
On the second night Ollie was with us he cried and I put him in bed with our Harley and me. Harley is Ollie's Frenchie mix sister. The next day was Easter and we had company so it was stressful and tiring for Ollie, so I picked him up. He was tense but I held him and kissed him and his head fell forward and he was asleep. From that point he was bonded to me.
Now at the same time that Ollie came to us, we also adopted Noah who was very ill. Noah needed alot of care to get him on his feet. I think in a way that was good, odd to say I know. But in caring for Noah, Noah bonded and Ollie saw that. Harley was very loving to Noah and she also welcomed Ollie in. Each day as Noah got stronger and all three played, they bonded as a pack.
Harley is a very loving dog. She is a world class kisser. Noah one day asked to get in on a kissing fest. And after awhile, Ollie asked to get in. Over time a very sad little boy became a very loving boy. He is a kissing machine and Ollie has bonded to the rest of the family now as well. At first he needed me. Now we are all his family. He sleeps on my sister and her husband when I am not home. She holds and cuddles him and each afternoon my brother in law takes a nap (at 80 you can do that !!) and he calls out "Ollie, nap time!!!" and Ollie runs in and jumps on his lap and they take a nap together. Ollie's nick name is fur piece because he spends so much time sitting on my shoulder. He loves to nap like a baby on my shoulder.
Ollie is a very active boy and sometimes at bedtime he is not ready to settle in. On a night like that, Harley kisses him to sleep. He just loves that! Ollie sleeps with Harley, Noah and me. A few nights ago Harley had a little tummy trouble and she had some reflux. I had to change her pillow case and settle her back down. To do this I had to turn the light on. The reflux scared Harley. So I picked her up and rocked her and then settled her back into bed on her pillow and covered her up. Both Ollie and Noah moved in close to Harley so that both were up against her to comfort her while she went back to sleep. All three are very physical with each other meaning that they cuddle and snuggle together and with us. You would think they were from the same litter and had never been apart with closely bonded they are!
Today, Ollie is a happy, care free boy. He greets everyone who comes to my house with great joy. He loves company. He kisses everyone. He hugs everyone. He plays with the other dogs in the neighborhood. He plays with the kids as well. Everyone knows Ollie, Harley and Noah. No one is afraid to approach them. The joke in our house is that no one comes to see us, they come to see the dogs. Ollie has a special fan club. He is a favorite of my neighbor whose name is Jason. Jason holds Ollie and cuddles him and tells him he loves him. One day I had to tell Jason to leave the Puggle at the door and no one would get hurt, as he tried to leave with our baby!!! Another big fan of Ollie's is Will. Will is 15 and loves Ollie, too. Ollie cuddles extremely well with him.
Ollie graduated from school. The trainer said he has done so well especially given that the original place he came from, where he was crated all the time, was the worst form of cruelty they could be inflicted upon a dog. To see him happy and learning week to week made the trainer feel good.
If you meet Ollie now, there is only one trace of the place he lived for 17 months. He remains head shy if you approach head first too fast. But he immediatly relaxes into the caress of a gentle hand. I think this is habit now and not fear. The same movement from the side or under does not get that reaction. He runs from no one. He runs to everyone for a hug and kiss. Last night was my sister's birthday and we had company. My niece and her boy friend stayed after everyone else left. We sat in the living room to watch TV. All three dogs cuddled on the sofa with us and went to sleep. My niece and her boyfriend are in the top 10 favorite people list with all three dogs.
Ollie is smart, sweet, loving, cuddley, playful, impish. Ollie is fun and who ever had him before has no idea what they gave up and what they are missing. I would not miss this time with Ollie for any thing. We love him, adore him and are proud that he is ours. He was meant to be our baby. Ollie is home."
Oh little Ollie, how you have grown... how you have become what you were meant to be. Today & every day we thank Heaven for Ollie's forever family!!!
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