You guys were so sweet in Haplo’s last days/years, and I know you all knew I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from getting another dog even though life was so peaceful and so quiet with just the cats… so yesterday when I was feeling better (whoops - cold relapse!) I dragged Himself to the shelter and we picked out a good doggie. Technically he’s on trial, but I’m sure we’ll keep him unless he tries to eat a cat.
We’re tentatively calling him Captain. He looks like a mean sumbitch, doesn’t he? I sincerely doubt anybody’s going to bother me running or Himself working late. Total lie, though - he’s the sweetest saddest dog in the world. He’s six - his owners had raised him from puppyhood but then had to move to Moscow. He lived with cats before, which is why we picked him - he play-bows and gently sniffs at the cats, and they puff up and hiss at him and hurt his tender feelings.
My mom asked me how big a dog I got, and I told her and she used every single one of my names and told me I didn’t have the sense the Good Lord gave a sweet potato. I mean, she’s probably right - all he does, pretty much, is take up his share of the carpet, but it’s a BIG share. Plus, I had to start a thread because I have no idea how to get him into the bathtub. And he needs to pay a visit to the bathtub, trust me.
They said he’s a Catahoula Leopard Dog, although in my experience shelters play fast and loose with breeds if it will help a dog to stand out. So far he couldn’t be sweeter, and he seems to know a few commands - he’ll sit, if he isn’t too overstimulated, and he’ll lie down if he’s already sitting. He knows not to bug us while we’re eating, even on the couch, although he did try us to see if maybe this house had different rules. He pulls on the leash a lot, though, and he’s VERY strong - we’ve got to work on that, and he charges the door, too. So, there’s some training needed, but he’s got a good start. (Fully housebroken!)
What a handsome dog! I hope everything works out well with him. From that pic, he definitely looks like a Captain.
For walking him, you might consider a Gentle Leader. My parents got one when they got Clark, who is an incredibly sweet 55-pound lab mix who tends to get…overly enthused about the world around him when he’s out for a walk. It took him a while to get used to it, but he’s now incredibly good on the Gentle Leader.
Most emphatically yes on the Gentle Leader! My four-year-old Teddy Bear who acts like a six-month-old puppy is quite good on that. Worth every dime, and then some.
Gentle Leaders work so much better than choke collars and are much more humane. They rock.
Captain looks like a great fella. It must be so bewildering to a doggie when its kind and beloved companions go away. Poor guy. I’m sure he will cheer up soon.
Extremely short 110-pound me can walk my family’s golden and yellow lab at the same time when they have their Gentle Leaders on – and that’s a total of about 150 pounds of dog. Without them, I can handle the golden but the lab is nearly too much for me by himself.
I am very much in favor of them. Wonderful things.
“Mean sumbitch” must look very different in your world, because Captain looks like an adorable sweetheart to me! Mwah – I kiss him right between the eyes, and wish you all a long, happy and healthy life together!
You should hear him bark. I’m used to a sixteen-pound-dog-bark. My mom rang the doorbell and I thought we accidentally opened a portal to hell in the living room.
Heh. I know how that works. Long years ago, I had a very sweet Akita. She didn’t bark much, but when she did, you thought “Thunder God SPEAKS through her!”
At least he’s not a Basset Hound. Those guys sound like a mortar round being launched.
Catahoulas ought to need exercise – if you can handle him running with you he’ll love it.
I’ve changed “dog styles” myself a few times over the the years, and I found it quite rewarding to learn about a new breed or type or dog, not to mention each individual’s idiosyncrasies.
“Captain Catahoula” sounds like a superhero, except in this case someone came to *his *rescue. Thanks for being part of the solution!
We’re trying the Gentle Leader, but he keeps pawing at his face, poor guy. Doesn’t help that he got all freaked out and nervous from being in the car - tried to have him hang out in the boyfriend’s office, but he just worked himself up into a nervous panting shaking fit. I mean, the last time somebody loaded him into a car it was to dump his ass at a shelter, so there’s that.
