Doing well (thanks!)

Almost a year ago my wife and I got our first puppy (I had a dog as a kid, but really this felt like my first as far as having to raise/train/etc.), a blue merle Pembroke Corgi/Australian Shepherd mix we named Evie. She was insane (or seemed like it), and we went through a few pretty hardcore weeks of "Oh my god, what have we done?" She was sensitive to handling, chewed on her leash, didn't know what the backyard was for, tore up the grass whenever she was out there, would occasionally throw tantrums when we tried to get her to go to the bathroom instead of tearing around the backyard at full speed, fun stuff like that. She was a terror.

Things are much much better now, but I wanted to post a general thanks to the forums and people here: I posted a couple times a year ago and got some great advice, but the thing I found most valuable was having the opportunity to read other people posting questions and realizing we weren't alone. I saw some of the same things we were having trouble with, and I also read about some issues others were having that made ours pale in comparison and it made me step back and realize, "this isn't so bad, and I can deal with it." So thanks very much.

Evie is doing great now. She's super smart, mischievous, energetic, incredibly sweet, loves other dogs (people, cats, anything really), fairly obedient (when she can focus), and still completely insane. And we love her. I'm so glad we were able to work through those tumultuous initial weeks (months). And I hope a couple others out there having troubles of their own might see this and realize there's a light at end of the tunnel.

A few more tidbits, since as a parent I just can't help it:

Evie has been learning flyball since spring. She's not anywhere near race ready but she's progressing well. Her team page is at Unorthodogs Flyball Club, and there are some videos on Youtube if you're into that sort of thing.

In early November we got Evie a "sister": a purebred Pembroke Corgi named Anya. There were a couple days of tension and resource guarding, but they're getting along great together now. Anya's a polar opposite to Evie in many ways: also sweet, but much calmer, more laid back, manageable, and shy around other dogs. Still crazy smart though. We should be taking more pictures and videos, but there are a few grainy pics at Facebook (again if you're into that sort of thing).

Anyway, thanks again!

- Matt