Jake, formerly known as Hooch, has settled in well with his new family, and now leads an active lifestyle – read here how he has been getting on in his new home:
When Jake first came home it took him a while to explore and get to know everyone. He and Buddy got on fine straight away, they are not best friends but they rub along without any problems. The cats took a little longer, he was careful around them but tended to stare and try to get as close as possible. One good smack on the nose from Jasper the cat meant he quickly lost interest and now doesn’t even notice them.
I don’t think he had spent much time outside off lead as it took him over a week to accept that it was ok to be outside without one. To begin with he would run back in as soon as possible, now he loves be out and exploring. He has no recall at all, when we are out he will come back if he thinks you have changed direction or there is a treat on offer. He is smart enough to work out he will likely get a treat whenever he comes back so does it in his own time. He is particularly fond of finding disgusting things to either roll in or eat, which brings a whole new dimension to old dog breath!
He was described as a “plodder” in his write up. This is certainly no longer the case, given a choice he would run full tilt, all of the time! Once he is awake in the morning (currently around 5.30am) he fidgets and pads around until someone gets up, then races down the stairs and barks until all the doors are open. He doesn’t need to go out, he just wants to have a run! He is down to his target weight and has much better muscle tone in his back legs – partly due to going up and down the stairs a dozen times a day.
Most days he comes into the office with me and settles down to sleep. He starts off curled up in his bed and then progresses to laying in the middle of the floor so everyone has to step over him. For such a smart dog he still doesn’t seem to have figured out it is not a good idea to sleep too close to wheelie chairs!
He seems happy and healthy. He has a beautiful grin, a cheeky gleam in his eye and no intention of acting his age!
Thank you for blessing me with such a wonderful companion.
We’re so happy for Jake that he has found you! He looks a very happy boy :-)