I told Michael I would write about our "new" dog quite a while ago. I've put it off for entirely too long.
For starters, I apologize to those of you who know "Quaker" and wonder how he's been. In short, he's great! He's acclimated to our home and routine and our family and friends have received him with gladness. We get countless compliments on how handsome he is. We also get numerous comments concerning his size and the repercussions we'll face if "he grows into those feet". He loves to play and bound around the house with his toys. We learned early on that a standard tennis ball is a waste of time. He bites through them and shreds the carcass in about thirty seconds. We found some that last longer and he loves to fetch them (if there's a treat). If there isn't a treat involved, he loves to play "keep away" and it's fun to chase him around (but only for a while because he's in a lot better shape than I am).
One negative trait is the fact he's not a late sleeper. I've come to dread that big wet nose in my face as I'm trying to sleep at five in the morning. It's ok an days I have to work but he can't tell a weekday from Saturday (ughhh). A few weeks ago, he had a weekend bout with something that caused him to throw up anything he tried to eat or drink and earned a trip to the vet on Monday morning. They X-rayed him and saw a "mass" in his digestive tract but couldn't tell what it was. They kept him under observation and X-rayed him again in the afternoon and saw it was moving but he still wasn't well. They had us leave him overnight and the next day he acted like he felt better but nothing had passed through. We took him home and kept a close watch and after a couple of hours he finally went but it was a lot of work. Being the curious sort, I had to see what the mystery mass was so I took the grenade apart and found a big wad of something that looked like quilt batting. All I can figure is he ate a stuffed animal or something and it plugged him up tight. There wasn't any fabric to go with the stuffing so I don't know what it was or where it came from but we've kept a close watch ever since. To date, there's been no repeat (thank goodness).
We just graduated from our first round of obedience classes. He did really well most of the time and really enjoyed the other dogs. He was by far the best looking, most advanced dog in the class. Of course we had the advantage of having him come mostly trained to do the things they were asking us to teach. It was fun though and I needed the education more than he did.
He does need a little work on house manners. Roxann taught him early to get "out" of the kitchen when she says so. He quickly figured out he could ninja in and get into the garbage can when nobody was watching. After a couple of sneak attacks, I ruined that fun by putting a stick through the cabinet handles preventing him from opening the door where the can is. He retaliated by taking a brand new cube of butter off the counter and slipping into the other room to have a late snack (that should help lubricate the next mass of batting).
For starters, I apologize to those of you who know "Quaker" and wonder how he's been. In short, he's great! He's acclimated to our home and routine and our family and friends have received him with gladness. We get countless compliments on how handsome he is. We also get numerous comments concerning his size and the repercussions we'll face if "he grows into those feet". He loves to play and bound around the house with his toys. We learned early on that a standard tennis ball is a waste of time. He bites through them and shreds the carcass in about thirty seconds. We found some that last longer and he loves to fetch them (if there's a treat). If there isn't a treat involved, he loves to play "keep away" and it's fun to chase him around (but only for a while because he's in a lot better shape than I am).
One negative trait is the fact he's not a late sleeper. I've come to dread that big wet nose in my face as I'm trying to sleep at five in the morning. It's ok an days I have to work but he can't tell a weekday from Saturday (ughhh). A few weeks ago, he had a weekend bout with something that caused him to throw up anything he tried to eat or drink and earned a trip to the vet on Monday morning. They X-rayed him and saw a "mass" in his digestive tract but couldn't tell what it was. They kept him under observation and X-rayed him again in the afternoon and saw it was moving but he still wasn't well. They had us leave him overnight and the next day he acted like he felt better but nothing had passed through. We took him home and kept a close watch and after a couple of hours he finally went but it was a lot of work. Being the curious sort, I had to see what the mystery mass was so I took the grenade apart and found a big wad of something that looked like quilt batting. All I can figure is he ate a stuffed animal or something and it plugged him up tight. There wasn't any fabric to go with the stuffing so I don't know what it was or where it came from but we've kept a close watch ever since. To date, there's been no repeat (thank goodness).
We just graduated from our first round of obedience classes. He did really well most of the time and really enjoyed the other dogs. He was by far the best looking, most advanced dog in the class. Of course we had the advantage of having him come mostly trained to do the things they were asking us to teach. It was fun though and I needed the education more than he did.
He does need a little work on house manners. Roxann taught him early to get "out" of the kitchen when she says so. He quickly figured out he could ninja in and get into the garbage can when nobody was watching. After a couple of sneak attacks, I ruined that fun by putting a stick through the cabinet handles preventing him from opening the door where the can is. He retaliated by taking a brand new cube of butter off the counter and slipping into the other room to have a late snack (that should help lubricate the next mass of batting).
He loves the water. We have a small wading pool and he lays in it to cool off. Unfortunately, his body is four feet long and the pool is three and a half feet wide. It's funny to see him with his chin in the water and his butt up on the edge of the pool. He's a bright boy however and he knows how to swap ends so he cools his entire torso.
He also likes herding my grandsons around when they come over. I try to explain to the boys that their running and screaming only excite Quaker more but they can't put it together. They sneak in and see if he's waiting for them near the door. If not, sooner or later one of them makes a break for the back door and the chase is on. Sadly, little Carson, the youngest and smallest of the boys is generally trampled in the stampede and ends up crying. He's starting to be afraid of the dog and we're trying hard to intervene and make sure he doesn't get run over. Because Carson is so small, Quaker often tries to herd him around. We've taught Carson that a squirt bottle is a mighty weapon in the hands of a little guy and he's holding his own for now.
He also likes herding my grandsons around when they come over. I try to explain to the boys that their running and screaming only excite Quaker more but they can't put it together. They sneak in and see if he's waiting for them near the door. If not, sooner or later one of them makes a break for the back door and the chase is on. Sadly, little Carson, the youngest and smallest of the boys is generally trampled in the stampede and ends up crying. He's starting to be afraid of the dog and we're trying hard to intervene and make sure he doesn't get run over. Because Carson is so small, Quaker often tries to herd him around. We've taught Carson that a squirt bottle is a mighty weapon in the hands of a little guy and he's holding his own for now.
I really didn't mind it much when our kids came over and brought their dogs. There's a Cocker Spaniel, a Yorkshire Terrier (which was preceded by a couple of dachshunds), two Labrador Retrievers, a Bijon Frise, and Xxon. We had a Lab of our own but he had to be put down. As you can imagine, it's quite a pack when they're all together. It's fun now to go to their houses with my beast of a dog and watch the looks on their faces as he makes himself at home. As I see it, turn about is fair play. Besides, he really is a well mannered guy so he doesn't create too much trouble.
I've walked more in the last couple of months than I have in the last fifteen years. I committed to working with Quaker to keep him in shape. It really is good for both of us. I dread the hottest past of summer but our daily routine of walking first thing in the morning and again late in the evening offsets the midday heat. There's days that I just don't want to go and days when he just doesn't want to go but so far, they haven't hit on the same day. One or the other of us looks over with the "Oh crap, you really want to do this now?" look and we head out to see what adventure awaits us. We live in the country (sort of) and it's definitely a dog lover community. Roxann can tell where we are by the barking of the neighborhood dogs as we go by their respective homes. A few of these folks have taken it to the extreme and when eight or nine dogs are barking, it can be a distraction. There's also goats, donkeys, peacocks, ducks, horses, sheep, and a pig or two to check out as we go. Doctor Doolittle would have plenty of conversations if he chose to live near us. I forgot to mention chickens. We have several and now, thanks to Quaker, we have one less. He captured one hen that got into his side of the yard a few days ago. Roxann rescued the bird and he hadn't hurt it so we put her back thinking she would learn her lesson. Chickens don't learn lessons like other creatures and she pressed her luck again. This time, I wasn't as observant as Roxann and he had the hen for quite a while before I caught him. I found him laying in a big circle of feathers with a limp chicken in his mouth. When I took it I quickly realized it wasn't dead. In fact, there wasn't a puncture wound on it. He had pretty much plucked her bald but hadn't bitten her so I put her back in the coop and kept an eye on her. To my surprise, she was up and acting normal in just a few minutes. We gave to some friends who also have chickens because we didn't want to risk another chance encounter. I feel good knowing he's gentle like that. I hate to imagine the carnage he'd create if he acquired a taste for fresh chicken in a rural community like ours.
I've also taken him to work several times. My coworkers like him and a few have even brought treats to keep in their offices. There is a police task force in the building next door and I get comments from them whenever we're out taking a potty break. Their K-9 guy would love to get his hands on Quaker. He says he's got "the look" that makes bad guys nervous. I don't disagree - neither does our office cleaning lady. I don't believe she's a bad guy but if I want my trash emptied of my floor vacuumed, I have to take Quaker out of the building when she's around. She's starting to warm up to him a little though. I've assured her he hasn't eaten anyone lately and she's watched as I have him sit and stay. His manners and obedient responses are proof that he's not an out of control man killer (standing there with a stuffed pink pig in his mouth doesn't hurt either).
Well, I'll go for now. I hope all of you that know Quaker will enjoy this update. I feel bad about taking so long to say anything but like they say "better late than never" right?
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