To start we would like to give big thanks to Ringo’s previous owners for doing such a wonderful job of raising him. It is more than obvious that they invested quite a lot of love and time in training him. We also want to thank all the people of NEARR especially Ringo’s foster family for caring for this special boy so well. Now it is our turn and we could not be more delighted.

On the first day, before bring him home we stopped at the Lynn Woods Reservation for a walk. Thinking it might help to burn off a little energy before meeting the cat. Ringo was a riot, not knowing which scent to cover first and I image that it will be like this for a while until he becomes familiar with the area. We met some folks with their dogs along the way making Ringo was very a happy pup. Discovered that he pulls on the leash and he is very strong so we have bought a Gentle Leader and have begun work on the pulling.

Next was a close encounter of the cat kind. Things went as good as can be expected. Ringo wants to give Smokey some loving but Smokey does not want anything to do with him. Later that first night Smokey let Ringo know who is boss with some hissing and a few swats of his paw - no contact but close enough to let Ringo know he should keep is distance. Everyone is co-existing now and that is okay.

After inspecting the house, finding the toy basket and then the bedroom it was on to the yard, which got a good inspection and a christening. We have a few squirrels who think they ruled the yard but Ringo let them know that a new sheriff was in town. He also let all of the surrounding neighbors know as well. He is not used to the neighborhood sounds and smells and does a lot of barking. If he continues, I will speak to the trainer about what can be done.

Nighttime is a great time. Ringo as you know is a cuddlier and he makes these cute sounds as he is falling asleep. For the first few nights, S. slept on the couch with Ringo and I in bed but we have worked out a systems and now we are all in bed together. In the early morning hours, you will even find Smokey with us.

Earlier this week we took Ringo up to New Hampshire. I was a little worried that going to NH would be confusing to Ringo and I think that at first, it was but he settled in pretty well. The best part about the trip was when we got home. I believe that Ringo recognize it as being home.

We are now preparing Ringo for next week when S. and I go back to work. Today we left the house for an hour, for the next few days we will leave for progressively longer periods. Things went well today and we fully expect that to continue.

As you know Ringo came with a list of commands that he knew but we have discovered a few more to add to the list; Heal (can do this one fairly well), Speak (this cannot be a surprise) and, Dance (he jumps up so you can hold his front paws and dance).

It goes without saying that Ringo loves his toys and he has no problem letting us know when he wants to play and with which toy. We are having lots of fun with this never having had this experience with our other dogs.

S. and I are learning to distinguish between the sounds and we make sure to lavish Ringo with lots attention including hugs and kisses in an effort to allay his fears and to help Ringo believe that he will be with us forever. When all is said and done things are working out great. We are just as excited today as we were the day we were approved to adopt him. We are looking forward to the coming weeks as Ringo becomes more trusting of us, the whining dies down and the he opens his heart and takes us in.

Here is the one year update for Sam and Maggie. A year has gone so fast. They are both doing fine. They have both slimmed down a lot, in fact, Sam is looking skinny. They both enjoy their treats, but I try to keep them healthy. They love their green beans with supper and carrot chips when they come in from playing in the yard.

We had a good summer. I rented a “dog friendly” cottage in Maine where we spent a week. They enjoyed the sightseeing and even lunched at The Maine Diner. They both enjoy a ride in the car, no matter what the destination. I took them for a walk on the beach, but to my disappointment they had no interest in the water (I thought they were labs?). Sam’s most recent adventure was a run in with a skunk in our backyard. He took a direct hit to the face, but once he got cleaned up, he doesn’t seem at all bothered by it. His face still smells a little though.

Maggie celebrated her 11th birthday last month. She has no problem running up the back hill or jumping up on my bed at night. Maggie also loves to retrieve rocks for you. She won’t play with a ball or stick, but toss a rock and she’s all over it. Sam loves his red, rubber ball and won’t have anything to do with any other ball. He likes you to throw it for him, but he won’t give it back. He carries that ball everywhere. Despite all that, Maggie and Sam both prefer to just lie on the couch and watch TV.

Thanks so much for connecting me to this pair. I’m so happy to have them. They keep me very busy and entertained.

We take Katie Lynn everywhere we can! G. took her to work on Monday and Wednesday of this week; she stayed home with me on two days; and, we had to negotiate the 5th day because we both wanted to hang out with her! Last weekend, we also took her to a Tufts football game, where she charmed all our friends. So, she’s getting lots of love and attention from a plethora of people!

I used to say (before we adopted Katie) that it is hard to meet people in a new community if you don’t have kids or dogs. We both have been surprised by how many people strike up a conversation with us when we’re out with Katie. We have met some great people in the past two weeks, some with really great dogs. Through them, we have learned all the best places to take Katie to hang out with other dogs. What fun! During the past two weeks, has felt more like home to me, than it has over the past 1.5 years we’ve been here!

Katie Lynn is in great health. She weighed in at 66.8 pounds, which the vet said is a fine weight for her frame. I did talk to the vet about weight maintenance and exercise. On weekdays, she had been getting about a 30
minute AM walk and a 45 min PM walk–give or take. On the weekends or days I work from home, we’ll usually go somewhere special for a longer AM walk. I have been noticing that towards the end of our longer walks, Katie does seem to slow down a little, so I was worried it was too much. But, I was told that we were on target and that I could even work her into jogging now and again, too.

She is so good off lead. Very responsive and attentive. She has been off lead a bunch of times with G., and he commented to me that she’s better off lead than on, which says a lot because she’s pretty good on lead! She pulls sometimes, but I’ve noticed that she pulls only when she’s prepping to go to the bathroom. Today I’m going to take her to Hale Reservation in Westwood –I hear it is THE hotspot for dogs in the area. I’m hoping it will give her a chance to run freely for a while…

We both have enjoyed how playful Katie is. When she first picks up a toy (especially a bone), she loves to circle around one of us, wagging and grinning and vocalizing how excited she is. She’ll do 8-10 laps before settling in for some intense gnawing. Her preferred chewing position is standing on her hind legs while resting her front legs and torso halfway onto the couch or stair. The entire event is hilarious to witness, especially if you are the center of her circles!

I shot a bunch of pictures yesterday of her outside. She hammed it up for the camera, so I hope I’ll get a couple of good ones to send to you when they come back from Snapfish.com.

The other night we watched the Red Sox together, three of us sprawled across the couch and foot stool. Katie Lynn was in between us, getting attention from both sides. She was in bliss. So were we. (And, the Red Sox won, to boot!)

It’s hard to believe we have had Willie for 2 months already. J. and I can’t imagine life without him! We have been to 3 obedience classes so far and he has been a star student. He’s great with the trainer and J., but not so obedient with me, as I tend to give in……I have a hard time being strict with him, but I’m working on it! He looks at me with those sad hound eyes, and I have to look the other way so I won’t give in!!!

I took Willie to the dog park and he loved it. I was a little apprehensive about letting him loose with dogs, as he can be very aggressive sometimes on the leash. Well, I opened the gate and he just took off – running around, sniffing the other dogs, playing….I couldn’t get the smile off my face. It was so nice for him to be able to run free, and not have me behind him with the leash! He got along with all the dogs, big and small, and he seems to like being chased. Every time I looked, he was running with a pack behind him. A little girl was throwing a ball with a lacrosse stick, and when she put it down, Willie and another dog picked it up and were parading around, obviously entertaining everyone. So then the kids started chasing them to get it back. It was really cute. So now that I know he is good with other dogs, Willie can start going to doggie daycare during the week. He passed his “interview” and I had a hard time getting him back into the car – he didn’t want to leave…

So, things are going extremely well. He’s locked into his daily routine and seems very content, as are we!

This will be my official check in for what I can’t believe must be 6 months. I also can’t believe what a great dog Jackson has become. He is loving, funny and very smart. We play a lot. On our afternoon long walks in the woods I will hide on the dogs and they have to find me, Jack is the best at this. When I’m in the yard Jack has learned how to escape but just to get on the other side of the fence and wait for me to find him…. then I open the gate and he comes in. He loves to get “stuff” he’s not supposed to have and carry it around until I discover him and after a brief chase he goes into his crate and that means “games over”. He knows when I’m going out and gets into his crate without asking. Right now he’s at my feet waiting very quietly for whatever we do next. I just love this dog!

Just a note to let you know that Angie and Woodford are doing well. We had a fun summer with them. The attached pictures show Angie shaking off after retrieving a ball at the beach in Cape Cod. She did a lot of swimming this summer. If she had her way, she would swim for entire days… Another picture shows Woodford with ears flailing taking in a sunset and lots of smells up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. They were great traveling dogs when they came with us on vacation up to Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick. We celebrated Woodford’s 8th birthday on the trip by the ocean. He was obsessed with sniffing crab shells. We were amazed at how much people up there love labs! They had a healthy summer too (no vet bills!).
Thanks again, NEARR!

The Adventures of Duke the Wonder Dog

Being retired now I am fortunate to spend a lot of time with my best friend, Duke. I think he likes me because this morning I was taking a break from my activities and went out on the lawn to sit in one of our Adirondack wooden chairs down by the lake. Duke followed me down and when I sat down he decided he would like to sit with me. Not beside me but on me. He climbed up in my lap and with a little careful maneuvering managed to curl up in my lap like a kitten. He wanted to be close. Duke weighed in this week at 92 pounds at the vet !!! He’s definitely a lapful of hound. He has done the same thing with D. when she goes down to sit in one of the same chairs by the dock. If I’m on the computer he is underneath my chair. If we’re eating he’s under the table .We don’t feed him table scraps. He just needs to be close.

Duke and I recently discovered a wonderful trail in the woods that is his and my favorite. It follows a brook for about three miles through the woods. I let Duke off leash as soon as we are clear of the dirt road where we park. This place is Duke’s personal amusement park. He loves to splash in the brook and swim where the beavers have dammed it up. He drinks constantly from it so I don’t have to carry water for him. After he swims or splashes he comes out and it’s as if someone flips a switch on his back. His jet engines kick in and he races back and forth for all he’s worth. He will go about fifty feet up the trail and then stop and look back to see if I’m coming. If I delay he races back to find me. Sometimes I hide behind a tree and scare him. He never runs off and always comes if I call to him. We do this trail about 3 times a week and he is always excited to go back. I’m buying new snowshoes so that we can hike in the winter time as well.

Another favorite place is nearby that was turned over to a land trust that is run by the New Hampshire Fish & Game department. There are wonderful open fields and streams that many dog owners take advantage of to let their dogs run. It is a good distance from the highway and there again, Duke is put on leash until he is a safe distance away from it. Duke’s two favorite words are “Walk or Ride”. His ears perk up and the tail wags. His favorite snack is “Greenies”. He recently spent a week dog sitting his cousin Pudge, my daughter’s blind Beagle. They got along very well in spite of Duke’s size. They played very well together and Duke enjoyed the company. I had my hands full but that’s what retired dads are for.

Duke was in the top six of his class at his first “fundamentals” training . Yes, there were only six dogs in the class. He soon learned that the “click” meant good things would be coming his way and he did quite well. He had to be introduced to the “gentle leader”. He will be entering an “advanced fundamentals” soon. The one problem area that needs work is his excitement level when someone comes by or he meets up with other folks who have a dog. He forgets the clicker training and just goes wild. Hopefully, we can get him to settle down but he is only a year old so his excitement level is very strong. Other than that we wouldn’t change a thing about him. He’s young enough to have that devilish charm that we love and he’s just a loveable guy. Very clingy but that’s better than indifference. His energy level is unbelievable but that again is a good thing. We wanted an active dog and we certainly got our wish. He has lots of Kongs and other toys and will play long into the night if we will play with him. D. rolls around on the floor with him in the evenings and they spend quality time together.

Duke needs to work on his movements when we go kayaking. He likes to poke leaves or whatever in the water and has rolled us over once. Fortunately we were close to shore but there were witnesses who laughed hysterically.

Duke is well cared for, loved and has a great life at the lake. I think he wants to stay.

Felix is settling into his new home very well. He’s getting along better and better with Sadie every day, and she has taken to laying on his bed from time to time for some company! Felix seems to feel really comfortable here. We go for a walk in the morning, and then play some ball while I have coffee. Then comes breakfast, after which he follows all around the house while I get ready for work. It’s great! He seems to be bonding with me and Sadie perfectly, and he responds to my voice very well now. It is so great to have a second pup in the house now. Sadie’s energy is also picking up as well! I think she missed a companion, and having Felix here has given her quite a boost. When I go to work, Felix has begun to recognize me saying “It’s time for work”, and goes over to his bed and settles in, just like Sadie. After work, we play ball for a while, then go for a walk, after which it’s time for dinner.

All in all, it has been a great experience for Sadie and I adopting Felix and introducing him to our home.

Macfarland is doing great. He’s our big “Noodle Head” – a very silly boy! Mac, Murray and I hiked Rattlesnake Mountain for Mac’s first time this morning. He had a great time. He loves to go on adventures. Murray is really enjoying Mac’s personality and they really seem to have bonded.

Mac is settling in great in our home and our routines. You don’t need an alarm clock around here because Mac is our doggie alarm clock. Every morning at 6:30 am “cock-a-doodle-do!” He gets a little overexcited in the morning and wants to run around our house like it’s a race track. Timeouts have helped him to correct this behavior and he is making a lot of progress. After about 9:00 am he calms down for the rest of the day – it just something about mornings that get him going. It’s funny – he is just so incredibly happy, he walks around with a silly smile on his face.

We continue to work on small issues like his obsession with socks (he is constantly grabbing a sock from somewhere and carrying it around). He has plenty of toys and I always trade a sock for a toy (he’s got a stuffed donut that he loves).

We love our “Noodle Head”. He is a great dog and has become an integral part of our family.