I was speaking with a friend of mine last night about her, and I explained that "Well, she's a pit bull, and she's deaf, and she's food and bone aggressive with other animals, and she's currently got mange, and oh yeah, she's still not completely housebroken." We adopt out dogs that have one or two of these issues all the time - but ALL of these issues???? Did I mention she's my lost cause? I thought if I got her a CGC (Canine Good Citizen certificate) that would help, and she did very well with her first level of classes. It's my fault for being so busy that I haven't kept up with her training. And she really does well with being housebroken too - the few accidents she still has occasionally are also my fault (or usually my husband's fault for not keeping a close enough eye on her while I'm gone). The food thing is not a big deal - she just needs fed in her crate. And the mange is treatable, and currently being treated! Can't do much about her being a pit bull mix, or being deaf - but even those two have some advantages. Pitties are some of the most loyal and loving dogs out there. Noelle is funny because sometimes her ears stand straight up and sometimes they flop over, and sometimes just one stands up and one flops over. But no matter which it is, whenever she sees me or my husband, she puts her ears flat against her head and comes running to us, tail going crazy, as fast as she can. It doesn't matter if we were gone for 30 seconds or 3 days - her joy at seeing us is always overwhelming. In fact, like most pit bulls she does everything with her whole heart, in a single-minded pursuit of what she wants. So whether she is ripping up my husband's new pair of gloves, or giving kisses to me when I come inside from taking out the trash, she puts 100% effort into what she is doing. As for being deaf, that's a great thing when it comes to returning home after grocery shopping - I can come in, take my coat off and get all the groceries put away while she sleeps before she even knows I'm there! Of course once I wake her I have to be ready for her to show me how incredibly much she has missed me while I was gone. :-)
Noelle's favorite new trick (NOT my favorite) -- she jumps up on the coffee table when the dogs are playing! It's been hard to stop her since by the time I get to her she has usually jumped back on the floor and its too late to correct her. I did just let her get away with it one time so I could snap this picture not too long ago.
Here's a picture of her with her sometimes-floppy ears. One ear up, one ear down!
The best thing about Noelle, other than her 100% devotion to people, is her ability to cuddle. She loves to cuddle, and she has her own spot right next to me on the bed where she curls up and sleeps leaning against me with her head on the pillow. Not that she's spoiled or anything. But she just stays there even after all the other dogs are up and running around, ready to play. Every dog is different, but Noelle especially is one-of-a-kind, with her unique mix of devotion, laziness and determination.
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