By the way, when I say, our “little dog,” he’s not so little anymore.
When we got him, he weighed just under nineteen pounds; I weighed him at the vet’s a couple of weeks ago and he has gone from that to almost seventy! He’s about seven-and-a-half months old , so I’m thinking he’s going to be close to a hundred by the time he’s a year old!
When we got him, we also purchased a couple of Doggie DNA kits and had his DNA tested.
Turns out he is part Great Pyrenees, German Shepherd, Pointer, Lab, Terrier, and some other kind of bird dog. Not a small dog, which I suspected when we first laid eyes on him. His little dog status was dwarfed by the size of his paws, so I knew he was going to grow into those feet!
He is mostly a brown-colored dog with a gray muzzle, floppy ears, and chocolate brown eyes. Most of his fur is short, except for the fur along his back, his butt, and his long, fan-like tail (that looks like Maui’s Fish Hook when he’s happy), which by the way, which acts like a fan that clears my coffee table when he gets excited or happy. The fur along his back looks like a bad mullet – the three inch wide strip down his back has got to be at least three inches longer than the hair on his sides and belly.
He’s still in his puppy phase and trashing furry toys seems to be a favorite thing for him. Most times my living room looks like it snowed; I get my squats in double time when he gets a new stuffed toy. I could probably not purchase such items but my logic says he’s NOT chewing on my shoes, furniture, or anything else inappropriate. Also, if it squeaks, that’s his prize at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box, so to speak. Of course I take it away immediately, and of course he gives me a pouty dog face with those expressive chocolate brown eyes.
And finally, “Shadow” was the perfect name for him! He guards me from unexpected noises and people that are unfamiliar to the house. He places himself between them and me, standing alert and at attention, low growl ready to roll in his chest until the perceived threat is over. One time he protected me from the washing machine which had begun to spin and make noise when the load became unbalanced.
I’m a fan of big dogs, especially when they have floppy ears, big brown, expressive brown eyes, and when they keep my toes warm, because another favorite place of his is laying on my feet, so this “little dog” fit the bill from the day we brought him home.
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