Dobby Yellow Labrador Retriever Male 6 Months Old

September 15, 2019

Dobby decided it was time to show some school spirit so he accompanied his human brother to a Penn State tailgate yesterday.  As expected Dobby had a great time and charmed everyone.   He also had one of his fur brothers with him to keep an eye on him and make sure he behaved himself  Dobby wants to know when the next home game is, even if it did tucker him out.  PSU eked out a win but Dobby could have cared a less!

September 9, 2019

Dobby here.  My foster mom has been slow to write another update about me which I really don’t understand (she said something about there not being enough hours in the day), so while she’s cleaning up after me, my fur siblings, and a weekend of fun, I thought I’d take a crack at it.  So what do you want to know about me?  Well of course I am awesome, and I am loving life right now.  I’ve gone from waiting day after day in a pen in a barn for someone to come adopt me to living a big full life.  We take two big walks a day and there are so many smells and sounds and sights to take in.  Sometimes we bump into people and other dogs and I get very excited to meet them.  Mom says I need to learn not to go right up to another dog and try to lick his or her face.  It’s not polite she says. And she doesn’t like it when I jump up in greeting (even though I’m still a pretty little dude) and I’m working on that. My mom sure is bossy and a know it all.  Anyway I love chewing on sticks so I make everyone take little rest breaks to work on some sticks.  My 10 year old fur sibling appreciates some time to catch up because I walk at a brisk pace!

I have to admit that sometimes I get the zoomies too.  Mom says this usually happens when I am over tired, but I don’t know what she’s talking about.  I love running around darting between rhododendrons to see who’s going to try to catch me, and if no one wants to play, I’m happy to pretend that someone’s after me.  I don’t know why but if I get too carried away (because I become obsessed with grabbing my fur siblings’ ankles or their ears), I get redirected with a treat or two and before I know it, I’m in my crate.  I’m not so keen on that- a boy’s just gotta have fun-but I usually calm down pretty quickly and after awhile I figure I might as well take a snooze and recharge the ol’ puppy battery. Apparently that happens really quickly.

I love my food, but I’m convinced my foster family is not feeding me enough, and I’ve been known to sit by the treat jar with the most pitiful look on my face.  Sometimes it works; more often it does not.  I’ll keep trying.  It’s more likely to work if my fur siblings are out of  hearing range.  Apparently they aren’t skinny like me but fair’s fair, and if they see my get a treat, they usually guilt my foster mom into giving them one too.Oh and  I’ll even sit for a treat without being asked and then take it nicely. Win-win!

Last week I went back to the vet; it’s a pretty cool place because there is lots of activity, and if I hear a dog barking, crying or carrying on in an exam room, I’ll give a big bark and let them know I’m there for backup.  This time a pretty lady in a uniform took me back and they made be stay real still while they took pictures of my hips.  Huh?  What about this handsome mug I thought.  Then my foster mom came back to look at the pictures.  I didn’t understand much of the fancy words the doc used, but the bottom line is that things look pretty good but to be safe, another set of pictures should be taken in another six months or so to look for change.  I did catch them say that my growth plates are still wide open.  I asked my mom later what that meant and she said it just meant I still had some growing to do- no wonder I am so hungry.  Because I’m small and a little bow legged, he also wants my furever family to wait until I am about a year old to get my neutered.  Don’t know what that is but I’m not going to sweat it now.  Later sounds like a long time away to me!  For now he said I need good walks (yay!) and if I can walk up hills, that’s really good for strengthening my back end.  Well, we tried that at a park with a sledding hill.  I thought it was pretty fun for a lap or two, but then I caught on and lay down and said game over.  Swimming would be really good for me too, but I haven’t had a chance to give it a try.  I love to chase balls and that’s good exercise too apparently as long as I don’t overdo it.

My foster mom says I have a few more things to work on.  Sometimes I forget that I need to pee outside but apparently I make some telltale signs, so usually I get caught right when I start and then taken out to finish.  And then I get tons of praise.  Big whoop, I think. I can hold it all night without an problem, so she thinks I’m just getting distracted.   I also need to practice being in the crate when my people aren’t near by.  Between my foster mom working from home and one of my human siblings being here before grad school starts, I haven’t had much practice, and they say they need to make sure I’m not going to pitch a fit for an extended period in my crate since I guess my people can’t be home all the time.  My fur siblings usually hang out near my crate, so we can still chat.

So look for me to be available soon, whatever that means.  Gotta run and explore.  Catch you later.

See Dobby’s gait looking much better!

September 2, 2019

Dobby loves to do laps. I’m including this video for those who only see the sweet adorable little pup (and we only caught the end of his morning antics:

But as lively as he can be, he can also be very calm.  He is getting more affectionate by the day and is starting to cuddle.  And he isn’t mouthy with us at all.  The same can not be said of his fur siblings.  He play bites them but they are very tolerant, and when they tell him to knock it off, he backs off.  He is still very interested in the cat, but she is not hiding, so she thinks she can handle him just fine.

We hope to make Dobby available soon. His gait looks better but we’re going to get x-rays taken later in the week just to make sure that there isn’t something more going on, but rather that his hind leg weakness is due to his being over-crated in his early months:(  Wish we had access to water for him to see how he likes swimming as it would be great exercise for him.  Looks like he’s happily dreaming here.  Maybe for a family with a pool??

August 30, 2019

Dobby is continuing to enjoy life in his foster home.  He is your typical puppy; he is either going full speed or he’s asleep!  He loves his walks and they serve their purpose to wear him out so foster mom can get some work done afterwards.  Our motto is a good lab is a tired lab!  The resident dogs (5, 7 and almost 10) think he’s a bit of a pest, so Dobby would do better in a home with a younger dog that is looking for a playmate.  Dobby could also be placed as an only dog, but if so, his family will have to commit to giving him a lot of exercise and attention.  Currently he is getting two good walks and numerous play sessions, some of them with the resident dogs when they are up for playing.

Dobby continues to think the furniture is his and so he would also do better going to a home where the furniture isn’t off-limits.  He is sleeping in a crate at night (and for naps after walks), but begrudgingly.  He is doing a pretty good job of sticking to his toys, but if you’re to paying attention he will grab something else- a shoe, dish towel, the tv control….

Dobby is very food oriented and has mastered sitting for treats and before his bowl is set down for him to eat his meals. We’re working on down which he gets sometimes and stay, which so far he doesn’t 🙂

August 27, 2019

Dobby had his first checkup yesterday evening, and he was a very good boy- although he did think he needed to announce his entrance with a bit of barking.  He now has all his shots.  Foster mom asked the doc to check out his back legs as he’s a bit bow legged.  The good news is that there doesn’t seem to be any issue with the hips, and he’s hoping/thinking that his legs will straighten out with some good exercise and nutrition while he’s still growing;  chances are Dobby never was given any exercise in his home in a rural barn.

By the end of the exam while we were waiting for results form his stool test (now negative for worms – yay!), this snuggly boy decided it was nap time.

Dobby continues to do well.  He is your typical young lab who plays hard and then also crashes hard (thankfully).  He’s being pretty good about chewing his toys and not the carpet or the sofa, but it’s a work in progress, and he’s either leashed in the house or we’re following him around.  We’re crating him for a couple of hours after his two big walks, and he doesn’t fuss for too long.  He jumps some and would love to counter surf, but he seems to be learning “no” pretty quickly.  He takes treats pretty gently but hasn’t yet mastered sit..

He had one partial number one accident, but that’s a good thing as foster mom caught him just as he started and was able to startle him to stop and take him out to finish.  Those teachable moments are needed for these dogs that have never been inside a hooman’s home.  I think he pretty much already gets the hang of it.  Now it’s up t0 his hoomans to keep paying attention.

August 26, 2019

Dobby has a chair fetish.  Not sure if he’s trying to make up for his small stature but he hops right up (or needs a boost) and acts like he has been doing it for months, not days.

August 25, 2019

The first 24 hours have been a whirlwind for this little (~35 pound) energizer bunny.  Dobby christened his foster mom’s car with a big blow out on the ride home which is when it was discovered he had worms.  So as soon as we got home, everyone and everything got cleaned up including Dobby who tolerated being bathed in the kiddie pool quite well.  Luckily his foster family had meds available to get right to work on the worms.

Intros with the resident dogs went very well and Dobby was pretty good with the resident cat.  We think he wanted to play with her, but this old kitty was having none of it.

The dogs had a nice walk in the woods and Dobby did great considering he likely has never been walked before.  It helped to have a pack of three to follow.

There was a little resistance going to bed in a crate nestled next to his foster parents’ bed, and it was discovered that this Little Man has a big bark. But after awhile he settled in and didn’t make a peep until it was getting light.

August 24, 2019

Meet Dobby,  a little pup who just joined the ranks of Brookline.  Here he is on the way to his new foster home.  Stay tuned for updates.