Brutus Yellow Labrador Retriever Male 9 Years Old ID #2736

June 28, 2020

Almost two weeks post-surgery and Brutus is back to 100%. Although Brutus is a few days shy of being 10 years old he still has lots of spirit and was very happy when he was finally allowed to run around and play fetch again, after running a few excited circles and fetching the ball several times he was ready for a little nap. Pure joy is on Brutus’ face when he has his favorite orange ball and to be brushed at the same time.

Over the past few weeks, Brutus has started to go on more and more walks. Currently, he is getting two walks a day once in the morning and once in the evening, which he really seems to enjoy. He walks pretty well with a harness, although he does pull a little when he sees another dog, after a few moments he is ready to continue his walk.

We also introduced him to our family cat this week. First visit Brutus sat with his leash on patiently watching the cat from afar, while also getting occasionally distracted by the prospect of laying down on the couch. Today they got into the same room together, the cat hissed, Brutus kept his distance. It was a good second visit with a cat, the best part for Brutus is he found the litter box and from his quick “fishing” skills I think he may have some past experience with living with a cat.

Brutus continues to be a great source of joy in our home, and we are excited about the chance for him to bring this joy to a forever family.

June 22, 2020

Brutus started his week at the vet where he was neutered, chipped, and had his ears cleaned. He was so exhausted from this adventure, he needed help getting into the car and plopped onto the floor as soon as we got into the house.

That evening Brutus ate his dinner and took all his meds like the good boy he always is (loves cream cheese with pills, hates peanut butter) and rested with us in the kitchen. He HATED the plastic cone and at bedtime he really struggled with having to wear the cone, he became agitated in the crate and was able to rip the cone.  After he settled down, he was agreeable to wear the blue soft collar.

Brutus had a very calm remainder of the week, resting mostly with a few short walks sprinkled in. He is healing nicely.

Saturday and Sunday, he had a great day traveling in the car helping me to deliver auction packages.

Next week we will play ball again!

June 21, 2020

Did someone say nap time!

June 14, 2020

Another great week with Brutus. He is such a silly boy and his face just steals your heart.  Brutus makes it his mission to always be with someone, if that someone is petting him that is all the better, but he also just enjoys watching us.

He insisted on staying with me while unloaded and vacuumed the family van, since he is not a big fan of the vacuum, he squeezed himself on the floor of the front seat and watched from a distance.

While I like to believe he loves me the most he really is open to love everyone he meets. A person who he has only meet once let him out of the crate when we returned from the market and received the exact tail wagging -lab leaning greeting that he gives to us. Saturday night we had a small gathering in the yard, Brutus sat next to a guest all evening with his head on her lap looking at her like he knew her all his life.

Brutus also got a visit from 2 kittens this week, they only meet through the crate since the kittens only weigh 2 ½ pounds.  At first, He was not really that interested and then showed some curiosity, but showed no signs of aggression.

Brutus is scheduled for his neutering this week so it will be a quiet restful week at our house.

June 7, 2020

This past week has been chaotic and stressful around our house, but Brutus has been an icon of calm.  Early in the week he really started to relax and enjoy his time on the sofas with us.

He also worked on his skills on the stairs which came in handy during Wednesday afternoon’s storms. When a front window shattered, he immediately answered to our call and came with us as headed down to the basement. Once the storm passed, he patiently stayed in his crate while we assessed and cleaned up what we could of the tree limbs that came through the window.  Later that same evening a tornado warning was sent out and back to the basement we went. Brutus took it all in stride.

The second half of the week was filled with insurance people and contractors. Brutus was happy to great everyone that came to our house to help us.

Another skill Brutus worked on this week is walking on a leash. He is a strong guy, but he seems eager to learn good walking manners.

Today we are all enjoying a much needed and earned Sunday nap.

Brutus is a calm, loving, and happy boy. He has done so well becoming a family dog and this week he showed us that his disposition is not affected by loud noises, storms, stress, or change in routines. And really loves everyone he meets.

May 30, 2020

Brutus continues to adjust to being a family dog and he is catching on fast. He does great with going outside potty and had only one accident in the house this week.

Happy to report that he has not marked anything in the house in a week so he is now joining us in the family room to watch TV. He settled nicely on the carpet even though we invited him to sit on the couches with us. Thursday night he finally got on the couch with me.

Brutus still follows us around but is starting to understand that he can stay in a room or be in the yard by himself and we return.

He continues to sleep great in his crate and very willing to go into his crate if we are all out of the house at the same time. He is the best car ride buddy.

Brutus is a joy to have as a WFH coworker inside the house or in the yard, but he is so adorable I need to take breaks to just give that handsome lab face a kiss.

May 23, 2020

Brutus is adjusting to the life of a house dog.   He likes to follow us around, so he tried the steps but only made it up halfway up before he realized he did not know how to do steps, quickly turned around and slid back down. The look on his face was priceless. We will try to introduce the steps again soon.

We have invited him to sit on the sofa, but he isn’t grasping the concept yet. He does love to have snuggle time with us on his bed.

He knows “sit” and “no” and comes when he is called. During the day he enjoys resting on his kitchen bed in the sunlight and at night he sleeps in his crate in the laundry room. Last night he put himself in his crate when he was tired, he really is a good sleeper.

Brutus does need to work on his bad habit of marking.

He is such a silly boy; in the morning he loves to play and roll around. He also sometimes sleeps on his back.

Brutus enjoys his toys and has different ones in the house and in the yard. He has not shown any possessive behavior, he is very gentle when he plays.

The vet said Brutus’ head is one of the biggest Lab heads she has ever seen. We think his lab head is perfect and he is just so handsome.

His face is so expressive, and he loves to rest that big head on your leg or in your hand.

Today he went to his first birthday car parade was not fazed by all the honking or noise.

May 19, 2020

Brutus first full day with us has been a very smooth transition. Brutus was a well behaved but extremely stinky car passenger so after he had a little time to get acquainted with his foster family, we got him back in the car to go to a self-grooming station. He was a little nervous at first but he did relax a little and loved the part where he could lean in or have his head held, but wanted nothing to do with the dryer so we just toweled him off to keep him happy.

The kitchen is Brutus’ hangout for now. He loves to sit next to me when I work from home at the counter and follows me when I am puttering around the kitchen. He greets everyone when they come into the kitchen and walks them to the door when they are leaving.

So far, he is not a beggar of food and spent his first family dinner time resting under the kitchen table.

Brutus likes the crate, he got in while it was being set up and slept his first night from 11 pm until 9 am.

He enjoys playing fetch, exploring the yard and bully sticks, but his favorite activity is to be petted, rubbed, or hugged. We think this boy has a lot of love to offer.