Eddie officially adopted

five inches of snow fell last night in about 26 degree temperature. Eddie stayed in his hole by the tree and has dug most of the wood chips away so he is resting on bare ground. There were some Eddie foot prints on thin dusting of snow covering the deck and the bean bag bed look as if he might have slept there for some time last night. I moved the barbeque from the deck and stacked the firewood in its place so that the deck walk way is now clear. I'm glad the change did not deter him. I would not know if he has been making a practice of sleeping on the deck since he can easily hear my foot steps inside the house and leave before I can open the door to check on his where abouts. He is always in his spot by the tree in the mornings though.

I had a friend visiting for a few days, and Eddie seemed much more comfortable coming near the front of the house to get treats. I'm still encouraged that he is just observing and thinking in his doggy way about the safety of the house. I'm beginning to think that negative stimulus counts for much more than positive stimulus which makes sense from a survival point of view. I'm hoping that the absence of negative events might eventually over time translate to positive. If enough time passes with nothing bad happening to him as a result of the new sounds and changes to the house then perhaps that will count as a positive.

Also this week I officially adopted him from the Humane Society. Nanette was good enough to come out for a visit with the paper work. Eddie was really happy to see her and recognized her right away. She told me that several of the dogs at Gabbs had been infected with the Distemper virus and seemed a bit "looney". According to Nannete it is possible that Eddie had a mild case which might explain some of his behavior and his inability to connect his actions with sounds that he causes. I'm thinking that he is a non-causal dog in his understanding of the world. although one indication that this not true is that he is getting more comfortable eating from his bowl. He seems to be beginning to understand that he is the cause of the noises the bowl makes when it moves. It is clear he is still studying the situation.

Ir is just afternoon and Eddie is up on the road sitting observing as I type this on the deck and Niko hangs out on the bean bag bed. roughly a month ago he would have at least come done and lied down by the gate at the edge of the deck. It is not clear why he has become so much more apprehensive but I think it is safe to say that he is perceiving much differently than me or Niko. I have been making much more noise than when he first arrived. I Think eventually he will adapt and hang out with us again on the deck and in the house. Time will tell.