12 October 2012

A new addition!


On July 28th I visited APA of MO to look for a nice Labrador Retriever or Labrador Retriever mix to bring into my home.  This is where I met Boo.

His name was Moe then.  He was one of the prettiest dogs I had ever seen.  He was seven months old and already 56 lbs. (!) They brought him to a room for me to visit him and when I taught him sit in just ten minutes I decided I could handle this puppy.  I had, you see, intended to adopt a dog that was at least a year old.  Adult dogs are after all calmer and easier to train after all.  I couldn't resist this face though.



Well... It has been more challenging than Boo initially led me to believe.  He has been "all puppy" since I brought him home.  He continues to chase the cat no matter what I do, which has been quite frustrating. We're still working on his pulling on the leash too.  When he is around other dogs he tends to hump them, so we are going to wait to make doggy friends until he's hopefully calmer in a couple of months.

We did make it relatively successfully through obedience training in spite of these challenges, though.  We worked through potty training and he is doing awesome with that.  He is doing better at entertaining himself when I am tired after work and just want to watch something on Netflix and surf on Pinterest, which makes for a happier mommy.  Of course most of the time his entertaining himself means playing with one of his four chew bones for five minutes and then lying looking bored while surrounded by toys.  Go figure.  Silly dog.

Boo is nine months now, as of the 28th of last month.  He must weigh close to 60 or 65 pounds now.  He's much taller and longer than when I adopted him.  He may get even bigger than this too.

Evidently he is a Labrador - Catahoula Leopard mix and the Catahoula Leopard breed of dog can get up to 90 lbs.  I sure hope he doesn't get that big!  Though he & I are making our way through puppy chaos together and he is a sweet boy I would not have necessarily adopted him if I had known of the traits of a Catahoula Leopard dog .  He might not be the best match for my lifestyle and I may not be the best match for his needs.  All the same, he really is a good dog, a very sweet dog, and I'm glad to have him in my life.

No comments: