22-081 Betty Lou , now called  Cookie , is a 2-year-old rather petite (25 pounds) spayed female Goldendoodle. The owner was given  Betty Lou  by a friend of a friend. She is 80 years old, lives in a mobile home; she soon realized she could not train or exercise  Betty Lou .  Betty Lou  will run and pace if she gets anxious, so the vet put her on anxiety medicine. She lived  with a 12 -year-old female Chihuahua that would not play and a cat that hid and would not play. The owner was told she should keep the dog on a leash in the house for a year so she could grab the leash if the dog was doing something she shouldn’t. However,  Betty Lou  chewed the leashes. She was already up to date on vaccines and spayed but needed tests for heartworm and valley fever. She is a sweet dog that wants to be close to a human. At her new home with an adopter and her son in Phoenix, she will have that op portunity, as she will have a nice-sized yard in which to run. When the transport was completed, our AGR transporter noticed that  Betty Lou  ran back and forth in a frenzy in the back yard, but for a short distance, then would double back and repeat. She also saw her “shadow chasing” on the floor in the kitchen, but there were no actual shadows or lights at the time. These might be reasons that she was put on trazadone for anxiety.  Betty Lou  had very little room in the mobile home park; the owner stated that she was likely abused, according to reports from the groomer. Sometimes bonding between an adopter and a new dog takes some time, which is why we have a settling-in period of three weeks before we even mention the word finalization. We also do not want a dog's name to be changed until the family is sure they want to adopt. It did take a couple weeks for the adopter to realize this is a pretty cute little dog and to really like her. She changed the name to  Cookie . She has kept her on the trazadone but reduced the dosage to 1⁄2 pill twice a day. At our suggestion, she also hired a behaviorist. The dog was afraid to go out the dog door, and she was not good on leash. Both problems were addressed  and fixed with just one visit from the  trainer. The adopter said: 

My son and I adore  Cookie  now. She was afraid of the doggie door when she came to us but now goes in and out all the time. She loves to walk and meet the neighbors. We have a conversation pit in our home. It is about 2 feet off   the floor and  Cookie  bounds in and out of it without using the step. Her special little quirk is she loves to chase sunbeams and shadows. 

Happy new life,  Cookie , with a family that now appreciates and loves you for who you are.