Introdroducing the newest Fullerton

Well, it seems the internet serves us well. We may have found the best dog in the world to take into our already crowded little home. He was once a stray with very little training, abandoned by an inexpeienced owner and, no doubt, a very sad little guy. Three weeks at the shelter in Petawawa though, did him, and subsequently us, a world of good. He is amazing. So much so that we thought we’d make a list of our favourite Humphrey discoveries, and reasons why we think getting an older puppy from the humane society is the way to go. Ok so…..

1. He’s HOUSE TRAINED! 54 hours and counting with no mistakes. It’s wonderful.

2. On day one he already knew how to sit and how to shake both paws (individually, depending on which you ask for) on command.

3. He fetches sticks at the park and before bringing them back to us, he tosses them up in the air a few times and acts like a goofball. Very entertaining.

4. We’ve already let him off the leash (at a dog park) and he’s proven that there’s no way he’s running away. In his short life he’s already done the ‘life on the mean streets’ thing and doesn’t seem keen on doing it again.

5. He came crate trained. He lived in a cage for weeks at the shelter, so spending time in one for a few hours here and there is no big deal. He’s no wuss. Update 7-Mar-06 … He’s a bit of a wuss. He bonded to us the first few days, so he goes through some separation anxiety when we put him in the crate. So he barks and whimpers for the first 15 mins. Tough to leave him in there, but he has to learn.

6. He has been amazing with the cats. I won’t lie and say that they are already pals, but he doesn’t chase, bark or scare them when they’ve ventured downstairs, and that suits us all just fine.

7. He snores. Loudly. It is truly hilarious. Now we have a cat that wheezes (Roxy) and a dog that snores. Julius is special-talentless, and I think he’s embarrassed by it. We’ll work on it for the next post.

8. He’s incredibly lovable. Just when you think he’s at his cutest, he goes and tops it.

9. Humphrey has no idea what the doorbell is. Someone came to the house today and he didn’t even flinch when it rang. It’s awesome. We are guaranteed not to have a barker on our hands.

And as you can imagine, the cats are a little less impressed with dear Humphrey. They’ve kept clear of him, sneaking glances through the bannister (see above picture of Julius) when they think he’s sleeping. I imagine Julius and Roxy’s list on the benefits of getting a dog would be very different from ours. I’m just guessing, but theirs might look a little like this:

1. We hate dogs. Get him outta here.