No, not a new son. A dog.
We found him on Craigslist, met him on Sunday and brought him home the same night. So far, he's a dream dog. He needs a little training, but he's gentle and sweet and good. He came with the name "Jake" and well, we liked it, so we kept it. It was under consideration for our kids' names list early on, but didn't work so well with our last name.
He's almost 5 years old. Half Beagle (Snoopy), half Malamute (Alaskan Sled Dog). The beagle we have to be careful of (if he's off-leash and finds a scent, he'll follow it without regard for the human chasing behind him), and the Malamute we need to train (he PULLS when we're walking on a leash, as if he was pulling a sled through the snow!) I've procured both books and videos to help in the training. Now, if only he'd read the books...
He's a nice compact size for our compact house. He's calm. He helps keep the diningroom floor free of crumbs. He's a great motivator for Brian's exercise routine (he walks him AM and PM for 30-45 minutes.) And we hope he'll be a good calmer and companion for Sam. (I've read wonderful things about dogs with Autistic/Aspergers kids.)
Brian had dogs growing up. This is my first. Wish me luck!
Good Luck! How old is he? Our dog's puppy stage lasted almost two years. He's finally that wonderful dog that sleeps all the time and loves his walks...not pulling and yanking me around town anymore. He just turned 5.
Posted by: Allison | 01/12/2010 at 12:15 PM
Oh my gosh!!! He looks like my dog Chuck's long lost brother!!! Check out the similarities: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=503459&id=1609555994
Posted by: Katherine R. Willson | 01/12/2010 at 12:18 PM
I've always had dogs, love dogs, enjoy dogs. This guy looks terrific. I grew up with Beagles as my dad liked to hunt rabbits and beagles are great rabbit dogs.
I hope he is a very good fit for your family.
Posted by: Debbie | 01/12/2010 at 05:41 PM
Aw, what a cutie! I love the paw over the face!
Posted by: syndi | 01/12/2010 at 10:35 PM
If you learn how to teach him not to pull tell me please! Our puppy is 7 months old and pulls like a steam train :)
Have you read: A friend life Henry - The True Story of an Autistic Boy and the Dog that unlocked his world ? Its amazing - I read it in astonishment and its really good!
Posted by: verity | 01/13/2010 at 04:32 AM
He's lovely!
Posted by: Rebecca | 01/13/2010 at 05:37 AM
Yeah! I love dogs. I'm sure the kids (and adults) will have lots of fun. I have a wonderful training video to stop him from pulling. It's fast, easy and works on any type of dog.
Posted by: Merriann | 01/13/2010 at 08:59 AM
Hmm....I'm not seeing the Malamute, especially if anyone could ever describe him as "compact!" :)
You might try the Gentle Leader http://www.buygentleleader.com/View.aspx?page=dogs/products/behavior/gentleleader/description for the pulling issue. Just please don't use a choke chain or a prong collar!
I hope you have a great time with him, and he becomes a great member of your family! He's adorable!
Posted by: Colleen | 01/13/2010 at 09:24 PM
My sister has aspergers syndrome and she loved dogs. She was great with them, it was something she was exceptional at. We didnt know she had aspergers, it wasnt something very "known" then. She is 32 now and she still loves dogs. She was patient with them and they behaved better for her than they did for me. She wasnt patient in all areas, but this she excelled at. It made her feel very good because there were areas she struggled in. I didnt know why she struggled with things when I was a kid, she was just my best friend. I think Sam is a lucky kid to have you guys as his family! Oh, I found your blog through Renee's blog.
Posted by: joabair | 01/20/2010 at 06:39 AM