My dog and I

Gabe won't be one year old until August, but he is old enough now that I have very few typical "puppy" problems:  he doesn't chew on things, and no longer digs things out of the trash can in the bathroom (yuck).  He's house-trained.  He's beginning to pay attention when I call him.  I can safely relax in the yard letting him run freely and know he isn't going to run away; oh, he may go out of sight behind the house, but if I call, he comes.  On the mornings our little girl doesn't come early, he and I are outside watching the day wake up.  He is a nuisance to the cats, but they deal with him.  He weighs about 17 pounds now, which I consider a perfect weight.  

He has become the exact dog I had hoped for:  My little buddy.

After his first trip outside when we first get up, Gabe demands some lap-time and petting, so that's how we start our day as soon as I get my first cup of coffee.

Sometimes he thinks about kissing me...

But I don't let dogs kiss me, especially on the mouth!  However, he may as well go ahead and kiss me, because that beard of his has been dragged through every kind of corruption a dog can find on a farm.  He seems to keep a collection of dried horse poop in the yard so when I call him to come in with me, he grabs a chunk of poop and brings it in.  I never notice it until he drops it on the carpet.  

Here he is guarding a piece of trimmed-off horse hoof.  He has these all over the yard, too, and sometimes sneaks them in the house.  I much prefer hooves over poop; I can pick them up and toss them, leaving behind no tiny chunks of manure on the carpet.  

He loves to fetch a ball and (usually) brings it back to me, so this morning I decided to see what he thought about my Aerobie Superdisc, which is a Frisbee for folks who can't throw a Frisbee very well (like me).  I've had a couple dogs in the past that lived to chase a Frisbee, Sadie in particular.  I tried it not long after I brought Gabe home; he was interested, but was too small a puppy to manage the Frisbee, so I put it up.  This morning I got it out, and it was a rousing success!  Well, except for the fact he kept running with it.  I'd ask him to bring it to me, he'd come running and go right on past!  He was so excited at this new toy and game.  I came in the house and got four tiny pieces of hot dog as a reward and gave him a piece when he stopped and dropped the Frisbee at my feet.  I'm pretty sure that will do the trick, because he is very food oriented.  

This little guy continues to cost us a fortune, because I buy expensive food for him and get him groomed every other month.  He loves traveling, but sometimes it isn't convenient to take him along.  We board him at Bed and Bones, the same folks who groom him.  They don't keep the dogs caged up.  The small dogs run and play together, and likewise the big dogs.  Gabe loves going there.  I'm thankful to have them out here in the country.

I intend to send the link to this entry to the people who blessed me with my little buddy.  They've had some misfortunes with their dogs lately and have been pretty depressed, and I'm hoping this will brighten their day.  Thank you so much, Rose, for bringing me and Gabe together.  He owns me.  

Cliff likes him too.