Lola and Bear - Part 3

I have done a couple posts, (here and here) about Lola and Bear.  If you remember Lola and Bear were not to fond of each other when they first met.  And they were slowly getting better in my last post.  Lola got to go visit Bear and Otis quite a few times in December.  So they had a lot of time to work out their issues.  And I am happy report that they are doing well together.

They really just ignore each for the most part. But they are great team when it come to squirrel hunting.  They can keep squirrels trapped in trees for hours.  And Lola even ran into Bear a couple times and he did not even care.  The only issue that we still have is when Lola and Otis are playing.  Bear still does not seem to understand the play aspect and start to go after Lola. So for the time being he is inside while the ball is being thrown for Lola and Otis.

Bear will even share the couch with Lola now.  Although, Lola will not get up on her own.  Somebody has to go over to the couch and tell her is it ok and make sure Bear doesn't growl at her.  I guess she learned not to rustle any feathers.

Lola and Bear sleep on the couch.  Yes, that is how bear sleeps.

And because I can't leave Otis out.  Here is a picture of the three of them, Bear, Otis and Lola.  I could not get them all sitting in a line.  Lola had to be the odd ball

Wordless Wednesday - Lola and Otis

Introducing Mr. B

I got a call last week from my dad telling me that they are now a "Two dog family".  Otis has a new brother, Mr. B.  My dad was at a local end of summer festival and they had a bunch of dogs from shelters they were showcasing in hopes of finding them homes.  For whatever reason it was decided that Mr. B should become part of the family.  But it was not that easy, it was a 4 day mission trying to track the dog down after the festival.  But he was found.

Apparently, Mr B was picked up from a shelter, a few days before he was to be put down.  He was then taken to a no-kill shelter for a few months, and was moved to another no-kill shelter for another month.  And then he was showcased at the festival.  He is a black lab mix.

He is not in perfect health.  He is very overweight.  He is between 90 and 95 pounds and should probably be between 60 and 70 pounds.  He is about 8 years old.  He will be going on a diet and going on many walks to get to a healthy weight.

He is sweet around people, but he seems somewhat defensive and on edge around other dogs.  He is ok, with Otis, since Otis is so mellow, (although I was told he growled and snarled at Otis a couple of times).  But he was a bit on edge around Lola and her energy level and went at her a couple of times.  We put a stop to that very quickly.  But we think it will take sometime for Mr. B to be comfortable around Lola and her energy level.    Lola was fine and just left him alone after he went at her.  I think she knew and sensed what was going on and knew it was better to just let him go to sleep on the couch.

There will be more updates on Mr. B's new life (and diet).  We hope that once Mr. B is at a healthier weight and adapts more to his new home he will be more comfortable around other dogs.  I think he has had a rough life the past year, (and perhaps longer) and just needs to learn that everybody around him just wants to love him, (Lola and Otis included). 

Introducing Otis

I mentioned yesterday that my dad got Otis from a shelter.  He was about a year old when my dad got him.  When we picked him out to go for a walk with us he was beyond excited and could not wait to meet new people and get some fresh air.  I would feel the same way if I were locked in a cage.

My dad decided he was the one.  Once he got home he had his own fair share of destruction.  Not to the same extend as Lola, be he did chew up his fair share of things, including shoes, books, stuffed animals (one was hand made by my grandma, dad was not happy about that) and even a book case.  I don't know why he would chew up a book case, you would think there would be splinters.  He did grow out of his destruction stage when he was about 3. 

One of Otis' favorite things to do is chase tennis balls.  He loves it.  And just recently we discovered he loves keep away.  Two people will throw the ball back and forth and Otis will run between the two people.  Kind of strange but he loves.  He is also a great squirrel patrol dog.  He will sit in the back yard and watch the trees and fences. and when one starts coming, he is off to make sure the cannot enter. When Lola comes around they are no match for the squirrels.

Otis checking a tree for a squirrel 

Lola loves rough housing and Otis is not all about that.  He will do that for about 3 minutes and he is done.  Otis would much rather be relaxing or pet.  And trust me if you are there and not petting him, he will be more than willing to allow it.

Otis is a mix of some kind but we are not sure of what.  Our thoughts are maybe part Portuguese water dog, or maybe labordoodle.   We really don't know.  What are your thoughts?

My History With Dogs

I have talked a lot about Lola here (obviously, the blog is about her), but I thought maybe I should talk a little about my history with dogs.  She here it goes. 

I have always been around dogs.  At least that is what I have come to believe, since there is a picture of my mom introducing me as an infant to Charlie, my parents dog.  (I think it was probably pretty hard to fabricate photos like that back then.)  Charlie was a corgi - terrier mix.  I love the Charlie stories.  There is one story of Charlie going missing for a week or two and my parents thought he was dead.  Then the next day there he was sitting on the door step waiting to be let in.  I always joke that there are little Charlies running around, since that was before the big push for spay and neutering came around. 

Next came Aspen.  Aspen was a Golden Retriever.  I remember him being the sweetest dog.  He would let me lay on him and climb all over him. Sadly, Aspen had an enlarged heart and had to be put to down when was 7 or 8.

Next came the Standard Poodle, Amadeus.  Yes, he was names Amadeus, after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  It was thought that he needed a sophisticated name given that he was a sophisticated breed.    Amadeus was a very well behaved dog.  And he is the dog I really remember growing up.  He was with me through elementary, junior high and high school.  And he was still around when I went to college.  At that point he was starting to get old and cranky.  Which I cannot blame him.  He lived to be 16 (112 in dog years assuming the conversion is still 7 years). I would be cranky too.

And then came Otis.  My dad got Otis while I was in college.  I but I still count him as partially mine.  I went to the shelter and helped pick him out.  Otis is a great dog.  There are plenty of stories about Otis.  Come back tomorrow for more about Otis (and Lola).