Nova has such a friendly, fearless personality and I really want her to stay that way. To keep her exposed to dogs and people, she is enrolled in a play group at my veterinarian's business. All dogs must have proof of vaccinations and good health, and be evaluated in a controlled play group before joining, so the environment is quite controlled. There are several fenced areas and dogs are placed in groups with dogs that compliment their size and play style. Nova usually ends up in a group with dogs bigger than she is, because she is a pretty rowdy girl! However, she has excellent "dog social skills". She greets other dogs politely, takes turns chasing and being chased, and knows when to back-off and take a break. All important things in a canine play group.
Today she started the morning with 2 adult Golden Retrievers and a Mastiff. In the area next to us the small dogs were playing and in that group was Cooper, a 10 month old Fox Terrier (Cooper's mom should correct me if I'm wrong about any of that!). Nova has seen Cooper in previous weeks, but they have always been in different play groups. However, they seemed to like one another and race each other up and down the fence line. Today Cooper joined Nova's play group and they had a great time! They have similar spunky, brave personalities. They both love to chase and box and play pretty rough. Perfect match! Nova is already a little bigger than Cooper, but I hope as she gets bigger they'll stay friends and continue to play together.
