JULY 13, 2023
Tomorrow we meet Laverne; today we prepare.
JULY 14, 2023
Welcome, Laverne, to Ani’s Orphans! No close ups for this sweet girl as she needs time and space to feel like her best self. Thank you, Bunny and Rhonda for fighting for her life. 
JULY 14, 2023
Laverne in the dern is safe beneath the fern.
JULY 15, 2023
The Vern Report
Our precious little baby is starting to rouse and seems calm, though surely apprehensive. I got this pic via zoom in so I didn’t have to get too close and threaten her. I love her sweet little face, and though I yearn to put her in my lap, I accept and respect that Vernie will always need to be loved on her own terms.
I added a few toys from Auntie Jen and brought a camera we’ll use to monitor, study and better understand her via surveillance. Oh, Laverne…. we’re all smitten for you! Especially your foster dad who dreamt that one night he’ll awake and find you next to the bed studying him for a change!!
She’s on her way up, guys and gals. Thank you all for the cheers. Thanks for caring about and believing in this special girl as much as we all do.
BoBo is moving on up AGAIN! For starters, the boy is feeling safe! He loves his cozy den next to Karen’s couch and has been choosing to go there when he needs to, though he’s got plenty of resting spots.
Frankly, I think the finds his entire home to be a very safe place, and he has a funny little way he communicates to Karen, who always listens, that he’s had enough of something and that she can stay outside but he’ll be retiring to the AC.
He spent the day today napping ON the couch and Karen reports that each time he hops up there, he gets closer and closer to her, and he’s been known to steal her spot if she gets up.
Meanwhile, on the leash, BoBo is exploring a little bit more of his surroundings and the world is opening up at just the right pace. He is a pro at ignoring the neighboring house of wackadoodles (Crazy Town) and tuning into the peace of the day. Except if there’s a cat in the bush…
He seems to like to have porch time with Karen before having her serve his breakfast, and we had to switch probiotics because he snubbed the first ones. He’s trying hard to convince her to switch back to the bowl from which he can inhale his meal, but Auntie over here is playing bad cop for <person written out of narrative>. 
Sorry BoBo we’re in cahoots!
Today’s big news is that the trachea and fish skin chews which were also previously snubbed suddenly struck his fancy. Whether a dog has a history of guarding resources or not, it’s wise to prevent it, but this little clip tells me that BoBo never wanted to have to resort to some of the behaviors that got him labeled. That he was pushed to his breaking point.
We’re less than a week in and in this clip BoBo discovers the chew is of value, and he had the option to retreat to HIS safe place to explore it.
As Gramma Karen says, “he’s gentle.” And he’s SPOILED! She got him a fountain that filters his water and he prefers it to a standard bowl. From death row to straight BOUGIE! 
JULY 17, 2023
The journey of The Vernie.
Sorry, Greene, but the girl has kicked out her pink stuffy to make room for a squeaky bunny and little ball she found! She loves the homemade menu and tonight we watched her (via surveillance) acclimate to her slow feeder.
I also left a new trinket for her to discover — an antler, also from Jen — and we watched her negotiate it and then take it into her den for review.
You can see she’s nervous outside of her cave — but resilient, brave, tenacious. And each time she emerges, she finds something that inspires her to come back out.
She’s on her way!
JULY 20, 2023
Today Laverne’s lunch is split between a slow feeder, a puzzle, a snuffle mat, and a scatter. There’s also a tiny Jolly Ball filled with goodies.
She doesn’t eat right away on the lunch shift. That’s because I am not her person and she hasn’t studied my habits the way she’s done with Brooke.
I peeped the cam, and noted the homemade food was conveniently consumed from the mat in its totality in record time — worth the risk!
The rest will keep her busy and engaged and moving around in pursuit of confidence, but I fear one day Laverne’s collection of trinkets will amass inside her crate and push her out! 
JULY 24, 2023
Impromptu interview with Laverne’s foster dad, Brooke.
Laverne doesn’t care whose name was on the transfer paperwork, Brooke is her person and I am but an accessory; an incidental part of her life (who happens to keep bringing new toys and puzzles and cooking for her!)
It’s her world, we’re all just living in it.
We love you, Laverne, The Vern, Ms. Vernie!
And Brooke — keep up the great work! We appreciate you!
JULY 26, 2023
Y’ALL!!
LAVERNE HAS ADJOURNED!!
JULY 28, 2023
Latest from Laverne:
Her world is expanding and she’s doing better than any of us imagined. Check out her body language as she explores her new and improved space!!
https://fb.watch/nRCRHM5wH1/
JULY 29, 2023
What can I say? Laverne is fascinating!!
I see her confidence growing by the minute. Brooke has been leaving her a special treat at the entrance to her den when he gets home from work.
She isn’t ready to know him yet, but she sure is thinking about it — especially when he’s in bed, laying down.
Vernie is working for all of her food – via scatter, slow feeders, Kongs, and other enrichment tools, and she has figured them all out with great delight. She mostly sleeps while Brooke is gone, though she does come out to discover all the fun things that have been left for her outside of the den. She’s smart, very curious, and funny!
She’s been studying Brooke, and leaves her crate when he’s home, but only if he’s watching TV (sedentary and out of her sight) or … when he’s horizontal in his berth.
Cookie has been keeping odd hours, so I was awake to hear the motion alerts at Laverne’s last night, and I watched as the Vernie barked incessantly at her poor foster dad who was, I presume, previously fast asleep.
But as of this evening, she’s using her voice even when he isn’t supine, and I think she’s testing to see if he’s BFF material. I know that he is!
We love you, Laverne, you funny, interesting girl!
And Brooke … thanks for sticking it out!!
JULY 31, 2023
Went to Laverne’s tonight. Dropped some meds and enjoyed listening to Brooke’s amazed curiosity about her progress.
He’s made her a second den on the opposite side of his flat into which he’s placed a few things she loves. His goal: to WASH HER OTHER BEDDING.
I didn’t see her at all, which is the norm. Brooke is her person and it is on his rhythms that she relies. My company throws a wrench into the predictability of their routine, but gone are the days she took to her cave for the rest of the night.
Before departing, I loaded and left 2 treat balls to discover – one that she’s seen before; the other one novel. They’re both full of freeze dried duck from Jen, and Miss Vern was already getting to work before I got back to Crazy Town. Jen is the mom with all the cool treats!
AUGUST 3, 2023
Left a wobbler for Laverne. Assumed she’d need time to establish a relationship with it.
……
Tonight Brooke casually reports that “oh, btw, she loves the new wobbler puzzle even when it doesn’t have kibble in it”…
AUGUST 8, 2023
The latest from Laverne!
She’s on the move and finding safety in Brooke. She’s gone from full retreat at the sound of his voice to being able to sit nearby and watch him while he’s supine—the movement of his lips nor the accompanying sounds send her away. She’s interested.
Included in Dee’s generous inaugural Chewy order was a camera which I have already designated to Team Vern. Soon we’ll have a second view of Vernie’s uprising, and more insight into what she’s doing while we’re all asleep.
Laverne the nocturne!
AUGUST 17, 2023
Brooke and I had dinner at our favorite spot – Mason-Dixon Cafe Fredericksburg– and caught up on ‘the turns of The Vern’ who has depleted the food I cooked for her and stashed in his freezer the day before we brought her home to the safety of foster care.
Brooke and I always fight for the check, so naturally this friendly competition spilled over when he asked what kind of wet food to use for Laverne’s various enrichment activities and **winks at our corporate backbone LJ, legal Jen** who is the REASON for our existence and who COULD possibly identify with my parents that day they resorted to nailing my window shut and putting a lock on the outside of my door so I couldn’t evade timeout. The wink because tonight I pulled the contract card on ol’ Brookie (of course in jest) and said that the document HE signed specifies Ani’s Orphans, Inc. supplies the food.