The World According to Jake

Walking Jake is like having a 2-year-old all over again.  Everything is interesting, everything is worth a comment (or sniff), new things are a little scary (fire hydrants, neighbors with gardening gloves, helicopters), and you’re so proud of jumping over a ditch that you have to do it a couple more times just to show off.  The whole adventure is so darn exciting it’s absolutely exhausting, and Jake is now sprawled out on the floor after his first official walk.  Parvo shot #3 was the ticket to a whole new world.

The Vet Visit Wednesday 1/26

Well, that didn’t go well.

Jake was scheduled for a check-up and shots this afternoon and because I have a cold from hell that just won’t let up, Karen took him by herself.  Jake turned into a monster.  Our sweet little boy who rolls over to have his belly rubbed and is always cute and cuddly when he just wakes up suddenly became the Dog From Hell.  The sight of another dog set him off and it went downhill from there.  He wouldn’t stop yanking on the leash, wouldn’t sit still, barked and yelped, and lunged every dog in sight (including a St. Bernard who gave him a look of disgust that said “oh please….”).  Even the vet couldn’t get him to settle down and had to say “no!” loudly over and over again until Jake finally let him open his mouth to count teeth.  And this is just what Karen told me – I wasn’t even there.

So our baby boy has reached the terrible twos, or perhaps some sort of puberty (hmmm…. neutered males have puberty?).   But we’re probably not even there yet.  The vet says he’s only 3 1/2 months old (!), judging from his teeth, and that we can expect an 80 pound dog before we’re through.  Huh.  I’m thinking an 80 pound dog with bad manners is not such a good idea.  Puppy classes start tomorrow.

So we have to wonder, is it possible to have a dog with two personalities?  Jake turns into a different dog when he’s around other dogs, yet he’s usually well-behaved around just us.  This dog is absolutely fearless.  A bigger dog can play very rough, pin him down, growl, snap, you name it, and there’s Jake, coming back for more every single time.  Bright boy.

Snow in Alabama

It doesn’t happen very often but when it does, it’s a big event.  Even though this is Jake’s second snow (it’s been an odd winter around here), he was not sure what to do with all the white stuff this morning.  We played outside and made a snow platform.  Jake first learned how to jump over it, and then he decided to just stand on it.  Of course we took pictures…

Jake’s DNA

We have been checking the mail every day for the results of Jake’s DNA test and today it finally arrived.  Karen and I sat down to open it together (with Jake, of course).  We read the results and just stared at the paper in silence for a full minute.  Then we looked at each other and started to laugh.  We laughed so hard we were in tears.   SO not what we expected!  We were ready for collie, maybe a little terrier or sheltie, perhaps some golden retriever or husky.  Oh no, we have ourselves a German Shepherd with some Great Pyrenees and, unbelievably, Papillon.

So of course we had to go check out puppy pictures of German Shepherds and Great Pyrenees and what do you know – it makes sense (except for the Papillon part – they weigh something like 8 pounds as adults – what the heck?).  The dark hair coming in on his back and tail and little dark marks over his eyes scream German Shepherd, while his face, white fur, and long back legs could absolutely be Great Pyrenees.

So it looks like Jake is going to be a big dog.  Unless, of course, his Papillon genes suddenly kick in.  Nothing would surprise us now.

Teeth

Puppies chew and that’s not news to anyone who has had a puppy.  Jake has discovered that if he chews his stuffed toys enough something really cool happens – their insides come out.  White fuzzy stuffing is our new decor.  The real prize is the squeaker.  Life is good when you can get hold of the plastic squeaker and make is squeak endlessly.  Jake is so full of himself.  Last night he wouldn’t come when called and just sat there with stuffing hanging out of his mouth.  Karen says he looks like a teenager with a cigarette.  Perfect description.

This is Jake

This is Jake the first day we met him. Friendly, curious, and adorable Jake.

Jake, Day 1

He was brought to the Greater Huntsville Humane Society shortly after he’d been turned into animal services at about eight weeks old. He stood out in the shelter because of his gentle temperament.  Can’t be sure who is more fortunate, Jake or us, but we’re thrilled to find that sharing a home is a perfect match.

We are crazy about this dog.  We don’t even know what kind he is but we should have a better idea as soon as we get the results from his DNA test.  Our best guess is collie, some kind of terrier, and possibly some golden retriever and husky.  His paws are big and he doubled his weight in one month.  He still has all of his baby teeth so that makes him less than 4 months.  And we thought maybe we’d get a small to medium size dog someday.  Oops.

We didn’t, in fact, even plan to get a dog now.  Our beloved golden retriever Maggie died suddenly in October and we were still reeling from that loss.  But sometimes things come your way that are meant to be.  We think Jake is one of those things.