Emma the Beauty Queen

Our beautiful girl Emma - the border collie/black lab mix.  She came to be a part of our family when an evil coworker brought puppies to the office where both my husband and I work.  Even the strong and manly hubby couldn't resist the power of a puppy.  Emma is named after Emmitt Smith - running back from the Dallas Cowboys.  She is sweet and loyal, smart and she tries so hard to please.  Her vocabulary list is amazing and if I worked with her more she could add many tricks to her list of the standard sit, down, lay down, etc. She is definitely a herder and likes to know the whereabouts of all family members.  When I am downstairs and my husband is upstairs she lays on the stairs so she can see both level and keep her eye on what's going on.

Her hearing is off the charts which results in some noise related anxiety - fireworks are the worst.  Thunder (we call it the T word because if you say thunder she hides under the bed) is a close second. In fact - she has made the connection between rain and thunder so even if its just an uneventful rain shower - under the bed she goes. She loves her toys and is smart enough to know the difference between the ball, rope, dog, giraffe - its pretty cool.  She is not an outside dog - outside to her is only for walking and going potty. Being raised in a household of cats has results in a few cat like traits as well - she does wash her own face with her paws like the kitties.

Emma gets along well with all the members of the family.  She does have the need to chase Aggie the black kitty for some reason which is not all that popular.  She is a patient and gentle dog who lets kitties bath her, ferrets climb all over her and hedgehogs stand on her snout. She is gentle with her siblings as if she understands she is significantly larger than they are.  She loves my husband - they have a very special thing going.

Emma is a lovely girl.  There are times when we come back from a trip but have not yet picked her up from the kennel that we experience the huge void in our house when she's not around.  She is the source of much love and a good laugh and I am so lucky to have a dog that is laid back and not demanding.  She is happy to let us sleep in and is pretty independent about entertaining herself with her toys and her brothers and sisters.  We are very lucky to have her.....