Last summer we kept our neighbor's puppy, Buddy, for a whole week while they traveled to New York. Well, they just went to New York again. Buddy is HUGE. He has to weigh at least 100 lbs. now. He is a beautiful, muscular, chocolate lab. He is well behaved considering his age and the fact that he is a dog.
His owners keep him outdoors now, tied to a lead so he has plenty of room to run. During this week that I have him, however, I let him off the chain and bring him down to my house while it is daytime and the temperatures have been in the nineties. He runs around in our well-shaded and fenced in backyard. He also comes inside and sprawls out on the laminate living room floor. He really is a good dog. As long as we treat him as a companion, he doesn't express any desire to run off or wander. I don't even put him on a leash when I take him back and forth.
My middle son, especially, will go outside and play fetch and soccer with him. Buddy gets along well with our dog Abby. He also gets along well with a 3 month old kitten that we now have. They play together! The funniest thing that has happened so far, though, is that my middle son ran and jumped up onto our trampoline and Buddy followed and jumped up there right behind him. Buddy jumped with him. He acted just like Abby did. If you read this blog regularly, I wrote in My Dog is Pretty Special (Part 2) how Abby jumps on the trampoline with the kids and we found out about another dog that did the same. Well, here is dog #3 that does it. I guess any dog with a playful spirit that gets on that well with kids is bound to join in whatever fun they get into.
Labrador Retrievers are known for being loyal family dogs that are excellent with children and other pets. Buddy is so big, he gets underfoot and has almost knocked me down just by walking by me. But I looked down into his eyes yesterday and he just seemed so happy. He was just sitting there, looking up at me eagerly. He probably wanted a treat. He REALLY likes treats. But I said, "Buddy, there is not a mean bone in your body, is there? You are such a good dog. You don't do anything bad on purpose. You are just so good."
I will be sure to take a picture and update this blog soon!
