Isabella.

After a probation period deemed necessary by me, I renewed my friendship pact with Isabella. Surprisingly, she tricked me into it.

See, we have been in SD for 6 months and Isabella was making new friends. She stayed back home with my Russell cousins. Then, all of a sudden we picked her up on the last leg of our journey home. Mama Roo and Daddy Bear brought her right home and acted like we've had her this whole time. They are petting her and feeding her treats. Telling me I love her and encouraging me to pet her, I decided they were trying too hard so I revolted. Refusing all  contact was the most obvious choice. Isabella ignored me and I ignored her. The setup was genius and figured we could just keep it going for a year or two. After my slight run-in with a large overbearing dog, they have all given me a little bit of anxiety. Just when I was coming to terms with the fact that I'm not a dog person, those blasted french poodle eyes got the best of me.

It appeared Isabella had a plan for our friendship (or lack thereof). The interesting part is that she was all secretive about it. She didn't act like she wanted to be friends, but I guess there were some outward signs. For example, sometimes she will just get really close to me and lay down. Here and there she would sneak in a lick right on my face. One time I caught her waiting outside my door after my nap. Mama Roo and Daddy Bear must have been in cahoots with this animal because they would always talk about coming home to the puppy and how cute she is. Apparently, she had them laying the groundwork. 

Today was the day I caved.

Mama Roo heard me saying, "nice, nice, doggie, nice" and she walked in to see me petting Isabella by myself for the first time since we have been home. I thought it was a valid moment to preserve, so I just let her snap away. Once I gained some courage from petting Isabella, my natural thought was to share some kisses.Realizing this was fun, I even let out a few giggles. Maybe this whole "a dog is a girl's best friend" thing can all work out.

Now that I'm thinking about it, this friendship could be very beneficial.....hmmmm. Off the top, I'm thinking table scraps, blaming her for things I did, talking the pup into doing something I don't want to do.....smart move Lulu, smart move. She might have tricked me into all this, but the joke is on her. This is going to be a great arrangement.
-Lulu