Maybe I’ll be Roanoke’s Best Dog Photographer when it comes time for Roanoker Magazine to publish its annual listing of Roanoke’s Best! Will they have to create that category?? Make it so.

Jack continues to be an exemplary specimen and amazes me more and more every day. He is now slowly adapting to more time in the crate even though he spends very little time in it. For the past few crate sessions he didn’t whine upon leaving the house or returning and seemed to have weather his stint pretty well. I tried to film it again yesterday just to see how much barking went on when I wasn’t here but I forgot to erase the last movie and the card filled up in 5 seconds!

Now, Jack is getting to see a lot more dogs out in the park and he loves that. It amazes me how well dogs of different sizes play so well together. A friend of mine and I went over to the dog park (ugh…Roanoke, you can do better there!) last week and his dog Bailey was a lot bigger. That didn’t keep them from having a great time even though Jack got his butt kicked more than once. In fact, we kinda got OUR butts kicked when we happened to be standing in an unfortunate spot once or twice! Two dogs running at about 15 mph can pack a pretty substantial punch to the unobservant.

Now, I am anxious for Jack to try swimming since the weather is warming up. He has these awesome webbed feet that are sure to make him pretty swift in the water. I’m kinda wondering whether it’s a good idea to let him take to the Roanoke River though. Those “Don’t eat the Fish” signs kinda freak me out a bit. So, Jack, don’t eat any fish while you’re in there!

Well, he’s been here almost a month and I really cannot believe what a great dog he has turned out to be. I would have to say that Jack ranks right up there with the world’s best. He is just about completely house broken and uber intelligent. He can already sit and lay flat on command and knows the meaning of just about all his other commands. He can retrieve already, a feat it took my Golden about 6 months to learn. But best of all, Jack is a constant companion and loyal to the nth degree. He doesn’t chase people but makes every effort to befriend them all. He loves my friends and they love him. What else could you ask for in a dog.

Jack’s only issue is that he hates the crate. It is his most dreaded word and once you say it, his eyes droop down, his shoulders fall, and he will usually make a slow move trying to get out of your reach; an effort, usually in vain, to stay out of the dreaded land from where he thinks no dogs return.

So, if I had to choose, I suppose I would rather have a dog that loves you so much he can’t stand to be away from you, rather than one who is crate obedient. But I’m not quite sure how it is all going to work out when the time comes for him to be in there for an extended period. We’ll see next week when his first day crating challenge takes place. He really is so well behaved that he may even get to stay out by himself all day. His fave place now is lounging on the bed, although for the first three weeks he would be napping by your feet or otherwise following you around the house. He still will move from room to room with you unless he in his fave spot. He naps most of the day, but when it’s time for a walk out into the park, he is a bundle of energy. I suppose it’s all pent up and after about a 10 minute turbo-romp, he’s completely content.

So here’s Jack’s two favorite places. The bed…. and the park. Hard to believe it’s the same dog.

and I have to show off his “official portrait” …

or two…..

It’s the pitter patter of little feet around my house these days. Four of them!

Jack arrived today via the Roanoke Valley SPCA and he promises to be the most awesome dog. Of course, you can never tell when they are only 2 months old but there are signs that I think point to what I value most in a dog.

1. Attachment and loyalty – he cannot hardly stand to be out from under your feet and curls up right by them when you’re sitting at the desk or at the table.
2. Affection – he loves to be cuddled and to have his ears and neck rubbed, and he will give you an occasional lick on the hand as a token of his appreciation. He fell asleep in my lap this afternoon and guess what – he snores just like me!
3. Submissive -one sign of a good dog is whether they will allow you to hold them on their back….kind of like a baby. I’ve always been told it is a submissive behavior that dog experts look for when selecting guide dogs and service dogs. He loves it.
4. Trainable – even at this young age it is pretty clear that he learns commands such as “sit” and “come” very quickly.
5. Cross-Bred – ok, I love purebred dogs, especially labs and Goldens, but one benefit of having a beautiful mutt is that they often don’t suffer some of the recessive gene traits such as hip dysplasia that are prevalent in purebred dogs. Jack’s parents were pure-bred dogs, but one was a Weimaraner and the other a German Wire Hair Pointer. Both are great dogs and he seems to have gotten the best traits from both breeds.

I can’t thank the folks at the RVSPCA enough for the great care and love they show all of their animals. If you have never seen this facility, you really should trek out there, especially if you are contemplating getting a dog or a cat. It is a great place to find the perfect pet and you are doing your community a great service by starting there when you are in search of an animal companion. They also have a foster pet program which is what Jack was a part of. Caring people take these animals in and host them in a loving home until they are ready for adoption. I don’t know all of the specifics of what the RVSPCA does (and it is A LOT) but they are another reason that Roanoke is such an awesome community to live in.

So, like any proud new dog parent, I have a few pictures of the pup. I’m sure there will be MANY more to come.