So Monday mornings I always go with D&L to refill the drinking water bottles. This would be the first time I left Tobie alone, and I was very interested to see the result of that. I keep mentally turning his probable age downward; the more I get to know him the younger he seems. Other than a very strong distaste for riding in the Jeep he has shown suspiciously few vices so far but he has gotten a tad clingy in the past day or two. A strong case of separation anxiety wouldn’t surprise me.
I got back to the cabin, which I was almost surprised to find still standing, and in fact he apparently hadn’t reacted strongly to being left alone at all. No damage, no puddles, just a very happy puppy.
I brought him a gift from the dollar store…
And that went over really well.
I wasn’t the only one who predicted chaos and destruction…
Good dog! Smart Joel for rewarding him upon your return.
Years ago: roomie brought home a neurotic-acting adult German Shephard stray. Other roomies said “Y’know, there’s a reason he’s a stray”. Left alone, he did a great job of strewing the kitchen garbage can contents everywhere and nah, we didn’t want those floor-to-ceiling drapes over the patio door anymore, anyway. Sigh.
You are his person and that is his home. Good Tobie!!
That was a brave move Joel!
Count your “no puddle” blessings. It has taken 4 months to reach the no poo no puddle result with our new pup. Keep telling myself it is worth the effort but the truth is that there were zero available adoptions in the terrier marque to be found (thanks China).
🙂 There’s a good reason to prefer mutts. They may not have the bred-in advantages of pure breeds, but also few of the inbred defects.
When I was very young I had a brother-in-law who kept a pack of dogs for hunting raccoons. He told me that mutts were always the way to go: They weren’t as pretty or as predictable, but they were generally smarter and more adaptable.
Some dogs seem to perennially young. Age can be reliably determined from teeth and gums.