In July of this year I wrote a blog about a new dog my daughter adopted. He was a puppy at the time. Here is a picture of him from that blog.
He is still a puppy (he'll be 9 months on December 11th), but he has grown quite a bit and has developed a definite personality.
Here is a picture of him a few weeks ago (that's my knee in the foreground).
First of all, he weighs 61+ pounds. This makes walking him a challenge. He is very sweet, but as a puppy is also impulsive. He will run after a rolling leaf, a bird flying, or a squirrel in a tree. The squirrels are becoming rare now that the temperature has fallen, but the birds and leaves are in abundance.
When the dog runs, he drags me with him, until I forcefully stop him. Because of his size, I am tethered to him, a leash around my waist attached to his collar, and a second leash attached to his halter. He is not going to get lost, but I might be killed trying to control him :)
You can see the two leashes in this picture. The dog is sitting in very cold water. This is a cold weather dog.
Here is another picture that shows him in the driveway, with the two leashes, about a month ago. We had taken a walk and I was resting while he looked around. We wrap the metal leash around the soft leash to prevent him from chewing.
Fortunately, when he is not excited, the dog does respond to commands. He sits when told, and even lies down when told. This is a very smart dog. He is the only dog I've ever had that watches airplanes go by overhead. He has memorized the houses where other dogs live and leads me to them so he can hear them bark or look at them through the window.
This is my daughter's dog, but when she is at work, he is my responsibility. I'm his grandmother, and he knows that. He has a special personality for me, a special one for my husband, one for my daughter, and one for my son when he sees him.
He is calmest with my husband. He is also calm with me, mostly, unless I play with him. Here he is during my babysitting hours. I have thrown the ball for him and he has retreated to the bed. He is baiting me. These two pictures show him at play.
Notice the sheet on the bed. That comes out whenever I'm babysitting so he can play or rest on there and not get fur all over the covers. While it looks as though he will ferociously defend his hold on the ball, I actually can pull it from his mouth and he will not challenge me. He just expects me to continue the game.
When we first got the dog I worried he would not be gentle, but he has become very lovable. Here he is, sleeping on my daughter's bed (notice, he sheds a lot).
Back when I first wrote about the dog, I explained that he was joining a more senior member of the household, the cat. This cat is about 16 years old, but still nimble. We have it worked out so the cat can have peace. The dog still tries to chase it so we have to be very careful and protective. Usually, the cat will stay in its condo or downstairs when I'm babysitting the dog upstairs. Here is the cat peering out of the condo house.
Here is another picture of the cat in his condo, fast asleep. That's a scratch pole next to him.
When the dog is downstairs, the cat has free rein upstairs. Here he is sitting on the bed headboard.
And here he is sleeping on the bed. We don't bother putting the sheet over the cover when he visits. He's not so disruptive and doesn't come in that often. He likes his condo.
The cat has learned how to navigate around the risk of the dog. In the picture below, you can see the cat stick its head through the banister to get a drink. The dog is lurking nearby and if he approaches, the cat will merely pull its head in. If the dog investigates too closely, he will get a wack on the nose with the cat's ample claws.
The cat looks very happy and comfortable. But, this is a shared house. The same spot the cat is occupying in the picture, is also territory claimed by the dog. Here is a picture of him stretched out in the hall, right next to the banister in the picture above.
He straddles the hall and the threshold to my office. The scatter rugs on the floor we put down every day to minimize the mess from the dog. The gate that keeps him upstairs can be seen on the left side, next to the banister. And his chew toys can be seen spread out behind him.
Take my word for it: he is a handful. My days are busy with this dog. I do it for my daughter, and because I love him, but this has turned into quite a commitment.
When my daughter is home, the dog stays downstairs. He seems to have adjusted to this upstairs/downstairs lifestyle. I'm the grandmother, the babysitter, but my daughter is his companion, his keeper, his mother.
Here he is on the living floor, downstairs. You can see the Christmas tree next to him.
I did mention that the dog is very smart. I've had dogs before, some of them clever. I remember one dog saved my sister from cracking her head on concrete. I had another dog who could spell. If I spelled f-o-o-d, that dog would get very excited.
This new dog has an expanding vocabulary. He knows for sure: breakfast, dinner, food, water, Mommy, love, good boy, out, walk, no. He also knows my husband's name (Opa, which is what my granddaughter calls him), and responds when I ask, "Do you want to see Opa?"
I'm not sure which words the cat understands. He certainly knows his name. He may understand 'food'. But verbal intelligence isn't everything. This cat is smart. He has learned how to handle the dog. Sometimes I think he is in charge of that relationship.
He taunts the dog, I'm sure. He peers at him from a height, from a corner, from behind a door. When the dog approaches he gets clawed. It's a David and Goliath battle, but the cat is wily and, except for size, has the upper hand.
Will these two animals become friends? I hope so. I think back to a time when this same cat shared the house with other dogs, and the animals got along very well. You can see their relationship in the picture below. The sweet beagle in the picture is no longer with us.
The beagle was with us for many years. The beagle, and every dog we ever had, was a rescue, as is our current dog.
I hope this dog lives many happy years with my daughter. I know the time will come when I can't walk him anymore, because he'll be too big and I won't be able to handle him. But I believe he will be a loyal companion and trusty watchdog for my daughter.
Here's a parting shot. He spends a lot time at the beach, and loves it.
He sounds like a handful alright. We have 2 that size and two little terriers. They all respond immediately to voice command so we don't leash them. When we brought the 2 strays to the vet to be neutered and she approached one of them, Devil Dog, with a leash to lead her into the surgery, she jumped six foot high in the air peeing as she jumped, the dog not the vet, spraying everyone. with urine. The vet said she'd never seen anything like it.
😂
I love Devil Dog.
If I ever lost this dog I'd have to leave home and change my address. 😇 Definitely two leashes for this one :)
Let me tell you, it's almost impossible to lose a dog. Believe me I've tried it:)
😂
His ears are soooo cute! He looks so very happy sleeping, spread out on the floor; looks like he owns the space.
Your cat is equally adorable.
They’re lovely ☺️
Thank you, my friend @itsostylish. They are sweet. They both are highly socialized and like affection. That's good for us, as well as for them :)
Your daughter's dog sounds like a bundle of energy and love. What a heartwarming (and occasionally chaotic) addition to your family! 😊
Thank you, @curamax! He is all of those things--energy, love--and chaos 😄. He is a lot of work but he enriches our lives.
He's really very cute, and he does sound super smart. Is this a long-term situation? It seems like a lot to ask of you. And yet, maybe your daughter knows that it's good for you to be needed, and taking care of a wily young dog will keep you young! 😄
Wow, how did a dog prevent your daughter from cracking her head on pavement? You should tell that story sometime!
Hello my friend, @jayna. Before my daughter adopted him she cleared it with me and my husband. Even the shelter called us to make sure it was OK. He is a puppy. As an adult dog he will require less attention, I believe. Dogs settle down after a year or two. And you are right...it's good be useful, to make someone (my daughter) happy, to make the dog happy. It took a while for the dog to settle down enough to take petting calmly, but now he does, for short periods. My husband is the most successful at having these petting sessions. It's really wonderful to see, and very good for him, I think. Amazing how the dog is calm with him. Smart dog♥️
I have written about my sister's rescue before on Hive. We had a great Dane/St. Bernard that had been dropped off at our house when we lived upstate. My younger sister was playing on the back porch one day, and tumbled down the steep steps toward the concrete platform below. The dog grabbed her by the coat collar and pulled her to safety. My mother watched from the kitchen window. Everything happened so fast she couldn't get to my sister in time, but that gigantic, gentle dog could.
I do love dogs 🐕
He's a cutie and definitely looks energetic. What breed is he?
😇
He was adopted from North Shore Animal league, and they got him from Texas. They said he was a mix of Labrador retriever, golden retriever, husky and other unknown breeds :)). He certainly does love the cold and does seem to have limitless energy. From the look of his feet, it seems he's not done growing!!!!
White dogs are very beautiful to look at, white color of the dog is noble in my opinion. Some beautiful photos that reveal the beauty of your dog
Thank you @momins. He is a beautiful dog :)
We all love animals very much and it is good that we walk with them, it feels much better and our journey goes well and we complete our daily walk.
Yes, walking is essential. They need fresh air, sunshine and exercise.
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