Sofi asked to go outside this morning and I did not go with her. Brianna said that I should always go and encourage her to do her business, otherwise she will simply hold it. But this morning Sofi asked to go out, came in and asked to go out again on her own. She was exploring and she was fine. It is also snowing lightly, so she was chasing snow flakes. This is a huge improvement from just the last few days, when she whined after a minute outside. Yesterday she played with a stick for the entire time I was doing chores. She has no understanding of not being ableo to spend every minute with her. She will learn.
Then when Sofi was ready to come in this morning, she howled at the door, as she always does. Finally, Sofi feels at home enough to not need me by her side for every moment and that is freeing for both of us. It is 22C on the Gold Coast in Australia this morning. Taking a dog along, once again, would complicate finding rental units and working hours too, so Sofi is back with me for her next 3 years, when she will be 11 and ready to retire from the farm.
Sofi is home in her heart now and that is a great thing.