With most of my posts focusing on the anticipated arrival of our human baby girl, I realize I haven't really introduced the girl who currently has run of the house, Allerton Dakota (Ally). So blogging world, meet Ally, and Ally, meet the blogging world.
We adopted Ally through the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief & Rescue on Memorial Day weekend, 2006. We believe she's 2.5 yrs. old and probably a Chesapeake Bay Retriever (Chessie)/Lab mix. We're not 100% sure on any of this because her life prior to the spring of 2006 is a little murky. You see, Ally was actually abandoned in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. After being rescued, she spent some time in a few shelters, waiting for her original owners to claim her. When the given time had passed with no claims, she was transferred to a kill shelter (like many dogs, post-Katrina). Praise God, this is where the CBRR folks found, rescued, and got her into their adoption system. She then spent time in two CBRR 'foster' homes - one in FL & one in GA - before we selected and adopted her. Her name, Allerton, is after Robert Allerton Park, one of our fave college date spots. And her middle name, Dakota, is a tribute to Rye's homeland.
It's amazing how perfect a fit she's been with our family, considering her traumatic past and the fact that we'd only seen pictures of her before adoption. Like most Chessies, she is very people-friendly and incredibly loyal (sometimes this means she's possessive around other dogs). She's also pretty intelligent and strong willed, which means we have to keep her mind stimulated and challenged, or else she finds ways to do this on her own.
It's now difficult to remember life before Ally joined us. And we're excited (and maybe a little anxious) to see how she welcomes the newest family member. I can't point to any certain signs that she knows I'm pregnant, but she has been curious about the recent changes around the house, and some of the new baby toys (which she thinks are hers). We think she'll probably be a little jealous for attention at first, but are hoping her loyalty will extend to the baby and she'll become one of the baby's first friends.
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