Breakthrough moment

Grace came into the living room earlier in the week and jumped up into her favorite spot on the couch. She rolled around, knocking many of the pillows off, and then sat down. She didn't get upset when the other dogs got onto the couch and she didn't mess on it either, so I decided to give her a chance to see how she would do.

She laid down and started chewing on a rawhide that was there and even let Bear lie behind her (she doesn't really like having the other dogs behind her). She spent some time looking down at Ella and letting Ella sniff her mouth (and, placing her paw on Ella's head - like a queen, but, since Spirit also does this when she is near a higher ranked dog, I think it was a submissive gesture on Grace's part).

Then, she did something really special. She came to the end of the couch nearest to where I was sitting and knitting and allowed me to pat her. She didn't move away and very clearly enjoyed it. She was almost ready to jump into my lap for a cuddle. Almost, but not quite.

I am just happy that she chose to spend some time out of her crate without coaxing from me - she took the initiative herself.