Nichole, I am sorry you are having to live next to two "new" neighbors that seem to be a real PITA. Don't talk to any of them. Ever. If you must watch them, watch them from inside your home, but don't make it obvious. Even if they attempt to speak at you, pretend they don't exsist. Until you can move to a safer area, you must follow these rules. Don't walk anywhere, especailly alone. WHen you get a ride home, go right into the house. Don't EVER let anyone in your house. Tell your mom and aunt to watch your cousins at the door, so they don't open it for anyone. Keep the front door locked with a dead bolt ALWAYS. Keep your key close. Tell your aunt to have her ex hubby come and visit his children at the house, in daylight so all can see, in his patrol car and uniform. VERY important you do this. Let all your neighbors see him stop by and come in your house, at different times. Tell your aunt this, she will know why. Tell your mom you want mace for your protection, and carry it in your jean pockets. Don't tell anyone about it, ever. Not even your best friend at school. If you have metal detectors at school, don't take it to school, only use it on the weekends in your jeans pocket. I know your aunt doesn't want a gun, and a dog is alot of work to take care of, so I guess the mace, and a little street smarts is all you can do. Never talk to the nutty woman or her husband next door, ever. Pretend she is a tree, would you talk to a tree? Good luck honey. I hope your mom and aunt get the oppurtunity to move for your sake and the cousins sake. In the meantime, you have to watch your back.

Someone will take this sweet Lab and give her a good home. Me, I would have walked out the door with her, but I have a house full of 11 dogs, so what's one more? LOL Actually, my DH would have grabbed the dog, so I would have not had to ask, but then, he likes having a houseful. When we lost our little blind Shih tzu, Boo, we cried for 3 years. We moved to an apartment where we couldn't have dogs, so it wasn't an issue. Then one day on the net I did a search for puppy pictures and found a little blind puppy. Then I found a group for blind dogs and then on the group I found a blind German shepherd who had been badly abused and I found a deaf/blind cocker and his seeing eye companion who were to be gassed down in GA at Christmas time! Guess what family had not one but THREE dogs before they even owned a house! You should have seen us scramble to find a house where we could have all these dogs. We did it and the cocker and his seeing eye dog came here on Christmas Eve and the German shepherd followed a couple of weeks later. When you are ready -- you are ready! I have no idea why you would need to wait 3 months either. I have no idea why the scent of the first dog would confuse the second. I've certainly never found that to be a problem and heaven knows I've had opportunities to find out. Weed, I'm sorry for your loss. It's hard to bury a family member and some people need more time to grieve than others. You didn't forget Taco, you couldn't. It IS possible to choose a dog that does not match with your personality, I've done it myself. The responsible person then finds a compatible home for the dog, which you are doing. You don't need to feel guilty about rehoming a dog. It would be worse if you kept her and tried to make her fit into a situation that isn't working out. Dogs are cooler about rehoming than we are. She knows she doesn't fit and will happily go with the right family, you'll see. Peace, Jane and the Hole in the Wall Gang

We have 2 Shelties and the smaller one gets very involved with the TV. She loves Dancing with the Stars, but really any show where there's a commotion, loud music, or another animal gets her attention. Our TV is in a large entertainment center with cabinet doors below. She is convinced that what she sees on TV is behind those doors. Our other Sheltie doesn't have a clue about what is going on. Whenever his sister jumps or barks at the TV, he runs to the window and starts barking.

I do not have time or the energy right now to read through all the posts. Joe passed away Friday at 5:51 PM. I have so much to get done before I can get into my new life I am feeling a wee bit overwhelmed but I do have big plans for my future here and several fun projects to share with all of you and ask for advice. I just feel I need to get through the worst of it as soon as I can. Clearing out his clothes is so painful. And getting it done while I am still in shock and numb is probably the best thing for me. Then I will glam up my closet and start on all the other projects. I know Joe would not want me to be miserable. I have already been grieving for 3 1/2 years. We had a great 31 years and lots of wonderful memories.