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Ellie, full name Eleanor Grace, is a 15-month-old, 60-pound mutt originally from Georgia. She and her brother was found as strays when they were about 2 months old and taken to a vet's office. Ellie developed the stress-induced form of mange and spent several months at the office before coming up north to Eleventh Hour Rescue in Rockaway, NJ. She was fostered there with lots of love for about 2 months before we adopted her in February of this year.
We think she's a mix of Labrador Retriever and Pharaoh Hound, based on her looks and demeanor. She is a sight and a scent hound at times. Whatever her ancestry, she is a rascal, a sweet soul and a great companion. Zero aggression, loves other dogs and even cats (though our four felines are still adapting to her presence) and is smart. She quickly learned sit, stay and even "high five", in which she'll jump up and tap your hands with each of her front paws.
I half-jokingly call her my "therapy" dog. Since walking her for a good 70-90 minutes a day, my cholesterol has dropped! And having to build her feeding, play and walking schedule into my own has helped me stay more organized and focused--a good thing for someone with ADD. She's my therapy dog, too, because, as a massage therapist, I'll soon study to become a certified canine massage therapist. Ellie will no doubt give me plenty of opportunity to practice; in fact, she already has. We have our "zen time" each morning after our walk: she gets massages and belly rubs, I get to stretch with her. She just makes me (and my partner Lynn) laugh at times from pure joy--hers and ours.
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