Mac #3 Chocolate Labrador Retriever Male 2 Years Old ID #2899

November 8, 2020

Mac had another good week settling into being a family dog.  He went to the shore with his favorite FS where he quickly embraced the art of porch sitting and people watching.

Mac enjoyed all the smells and noise of the beach, and he was always on alert for dune bunnies.

Mac is very smart and has been able to open his crate 3 times. The first time I thought I may not have closed it properly but obviously he has skills. Mac is now sleeping with his FS and stays in bed all night until the sun comes up. We continue to crate him for very short periods of time when he is home alone.

We are still on the same schedule for eating and exercise. He continues to love to play fetch with tennis balls, he still jumps up when he gets excited, but we are working hard to correct this. Mac is food motivated so he loves to work on his skills; sit, paw, other paw (this is helpful when putting on his harness), and down. Since he is food motivated, we keep the counters clear and pantry doors closed.

Mac has loved all the people he has meet and this upcoming week, after he receives his boosters and final listen for his treated kennel cough, we will start to introduce him to other dogs.

Mac’s puppy like antics and fun-loving spirit make this guy a joy to have around.

November 1, 2020

Mac has been with us a week today and we already have a good routine in place. He rises around 7:30 when we go outside for an energy-reducing game of fetch and morning potty stop.

We have a nice system with 2 tennis balls. I throw one, he retrieves it and drops it at my feet, then sits so I can throw the second ball. I pick up the ball at my feet while he is running to get the other one. This system has helped calm his jumping up on me and keeps the game going smoothly. He enjoys this game for about 10 minutes and then is ready for breakfast.

After breakfast, Mac is happy to settle in my office or in the kitchen while I work to wait for his FS to take him for a late morning walk. Then he divides his time between hanging with his FS and FM and always enjoys window watching to keep an eye out for delivery trucks.

Late afternoon brings another walk, and we all enjoy dinner around 6 PM. He has gotten better with begging and now will even go lay on the couch while we eat in the kitchen.

Mac ends his day with a nice walk around 9 pm and then into his crate at 9:30ish, unless his FS is studying late in which case, he will happily keep her company has some silly quirks. Whenever his ear flips over he will stop whatever he is doing and rub it back over with his front paws, he looks so cute doing this. Mac has amazing hearing, he can hear you touch or open any type of food bag that crinkles from any room in the house, he keeps me honest on my junk food consumption.

He found his voice this week, he alerts us every time someone drives into the court or walks by the house. And now there is no more asking” has the mail come today”, Mac lets us know exactly when the mail is delivered.

Mac is learning basic commands; he follows sit, paw, and down. We are working on drop it, leave it, and the big challenge of “down”.  He really is trying and is very food motivated. He still holds the gold star record for no accidents in the house. We are enjoying having this young handsome boy in the house and are looking forward to another week with him.

October 27, 2020

Mac is settling into family living. He loves couches and beds and is happy to follow us around and find the most comfortable place in every room. He is quick to follow and moves fast, the only thing he takes slowly are the steps and now after 3 days his skills have improved and so has his speed.

Mac enjoys playing in the yard and going for walks. He enjoys playing fetch and is getting the hang of bringing it back and letting it go. On walks he is very curious about the cars that drive by, makes me wonder what experiences he has had with cars in his past life. He is quick to see the squirrels and sometimes point at them in an adorable way.

Yesterday he had his check up at the vet where he made us proud. We got put into the overflow room which has a rug, curtains and upholstered furniture. I was worried that all the smells in there would be too much, but he sniffed around and then settled on the beautiful rug to wait for the vet. He fully cooperated with the vet and tech during his exam, and of course enjoyed being told that he was a very handsome boy and that he is at an ideal weight of 73 pounds.

Mac is a great eater and sleeper. He cleans his bowl after every meal and enjoys finding every crumb on the kitchen floor. We have been working on his counter surfing and his jumping, he is an excitable boy.

Gold star though for NO accidents in the house.

October 25, 2020

Mac arrived into our foster care very late last night. He was a very good boy on the long car ride home even though he had been in transit for 2 days.

He really needed to stretch his beautiful long legs, so we played in the yard. We quickly learned that he is great at fetching balls and sticks. Once he got his energy out, we came inside and quickly settled him into the crate in the laundry room.  He slept soundly from 1:30 am to 8:30 am when we had to get him ready for his bath time appointment.

Mac was not thrilled with bath time, but he let us get the job done without too much fuss. He was rewarded with a box of treats and a new stuffed toy before we left the pet store.

The rest of the day he spent exploring the house, yard and went on a few walks in the neighborhood.

We also took a much-needed nap after our late-night adventure, he has already mastered couch sitting and resting.

Mac is a beautiful boy who is showing us how much he wants to be a good family dog.

I am sure this guy will be providing us with many exciting adventures and silliness in the next couple of weeks and we are looking forward to it.