Rare breed

With some of her mannerisms and personality traits, we often think of Khandi as a "rare breed".  The County Licensing Agency made it official with their categorization of her on her dog license.   Once I explained to them that the most reasonable picks on their drop-down menu were "Anatolian Shepherd" and "Greyhound" somehow mixed together, and that this was the closest thing to Afghan Kuchi I could find....they have officially called her a "rare breed".  We love our little rare breed doggy.   I think she is a "one of a kind" in Larimer County, Colorado.

Camera Shy

The Puppy Rescue Mission has issued an invitation to dog owners - "Photograph your dog in 4th of July attire to add to our photo album".  As I look at the pictures that people have sent in, I am amazed.  The dogs are wearing sunglasses, hats, scarves - you name it, they are wearing it.  So as I run errands I get the fantastic idea to run into the Dollar Store for 4th of July swag for Khandi to wear.  I don't want to spend a lot because I know she tends to be camera shy, so I pick up a total of $4.32 ($4.00 of stuff plus 32 cents of sales tax) of 4th of July bling for her to pose with.  Not a huge investment on my part.  Then the fun begins.  After ten failed picture attempts, only a couple pictures even come close to being able to be submitted.  How do these other dog moms get their dogs to cooperate so easily?  It is all I can do to get her in a picture without looking like I am abusing her.  Here are some attempts.

 By the time we were done struggling with the sunglasses, one of the lenses had already popped out and I had lost my patience. I then move on to the "pet my belly" strategy, which results in a picture of a dog looking pensive with her ear somehow missing from the picture.
I try draping red, white and blue Mardi Gras type beads around her neck, which only causes panic from her and absolutely no pictures being shot.
In the end, I have to settle for the bandana and a sleeping dog.   I guess I won't be sending a picture in to Puppy Rescue Mission for their album.    

Underwear no more

As I work in my office I hear various noises coming from the hallway.  Usually this signals that I need to get up, check on Khandi, and see what she is eating. My other three dogs are usually lying in the office with me, so I know they aren't typically guilty.  Since Khandi has a constant need to go outside and patrol, I leave our patio door open a crack for her.  I never know exactly  where she is or what she is getting into until I hear that telltale chewing sound.  Kind of like "out of sight, out of mind".  I'm always hoping for the best. Today it was more of a ripping sound.  I got up to investigate and found that she had been in the pile of laundry I had irresponsibly left on the floor near the washer.  Irresponsible on my part because I know better to leave anything on the floor with her around, yet I didn't preemptively pick the pile up.  So what do I find her with?  A pair of my underwear, actually one of my favorite pair.  They were pink camoflauge.  "Were" signifying that they are "no more".  She took great pride in ripping them to shreds before I could confiscate her treasure from her.  She looks at me with those giant brown eyes and wagging tail and all I do are take them from her and throw them in the kitchen garbage can.  A stern "no" to her, and she rolls on her back in submission.  "I'm sorry, mom" she tells me, and I can't get mad. Just one more thing to add to her list of chewed up items.  So far, her list consists of:  four Directv remote controls (some still in operating condition), one nightgown, one patio chair cushion, one box of bandaids, one pair of Ipod earbuds, one bathroom rug, one afghan (ironic)...., one pack of gum, multiple newspapers...the list goes on and on.   Not really any worse than any other puppy.

Why I call this "inside the wire"

Khandi has a keen sense of territory..as in, this is MY YARD and anyone who approaches it will be subject to intense barking and scrutiny.  As we sat outside one evening watching the continual monitoring of the perimeter that she has taken on as her job, we thought how similar it must have been in Afghanistan when she was living on the Army base.  The reference to "Inside the Wire" is how the military refers to the safe area around the base.  We know that she was constantly moving in and outside of the wire in Afghanistan, as she officially could not be kept on base.  Her life was one of scrounging for food both inside and outside of the wire, sneaking on base for friendship and safety.  We now think of our yard as "inside the wire" for her. We are so glad that "our wire" is merely our fence and that there are no real dangers outside of the wire for her.  She takes her job seriously, this little girl. No one can get close without the Afghani alert system notifying us of impending intruders.   It is just her way.   Our world is a happier place with her inside the wire with us.

How I got to the here and now

Six months ago I was asked to foster a 4 month old pup from Afghanistan.  Sight unseen we picked up Khandi from Denver International Airport.  The past six months have been a life changing experience for us as we learn how to love a dog from a war-torn country.  She is now a permanent fixture in our family, as her soldier could not keep her once he arrived back in the U.S.  As I develop this blog, I will flash back to our experiences over these past months...we make progress every day as we teach her to trust and to love.