Sam the beautiful all-black German Shepherd Dog: The Busy Dog

Sunday, October 17, 2004

The Busy Dog

Yikes, I'm so busy I don't have much time to blog anymore. Ha, you are thinking, a busy dog? That's an oxymoron! We know what doggies do all day -- sleep, go outside to pee and poop, eat breakfast, sleep, bark, sleep, go outside to check the fenceline, sleep, go outside to pee, sleep, bark, sleep, eat dinner, sleep, go for walk, sleep, etc. Well, yes, that's true, but those in-between busy minutes really add up.

I've been on display twice now: Sunday one week ago at Oktoberfest in Cupertino and yesterday at Pet Food Express in Redwood City.

I'm so busy I asked Mom if we could use excerpts of her weekly foster doggy report in my blog:

How do I behave outside the house?

"Sam has been to two rescue events (Oktobertfest and Pet Food Express). He goes for walks and has been to the local Starbucks and tied up outside (with his foster sister Elsa, a 14 yr old GSD). He is very good no matter where he is and despite lots of distractions. He does not startle, lunge, or bark. He is walking better and better on the leash – he was good before but tended to go in circles around me. Now he understands that we are supposed to move forward. My friend, his 9 yr old daughter and I took all 4 dogs for a walk today. Sam was the best-behaved of the bunch. There were two GSDs in the distance and Sam’s ears perked up but he did not attempt to do anything other than look at them. A squirrel ran across the road very close to us and Sam would have liked to chase that squirrel but he barely pulled on the leash then quickly forgot about it."

What's my overall condition?

"Sam is in great condition. He is very lively, active, and alert. He may have a minor eye infection in his left eye. Everyday I have to clean below his eye and the white part looks red. I noticed this when I first got him so it has been going on since then. Since he had a much bigger problem (the pneumonia) I didn’t pay much attention but now I am wondering if there is an infection. He doesn’t rub his eye."

How do I get along with others at home?

"Sam gets along great with my 3 other dogs. I think he may be OK with cats. He is interested them (they are in an outdoor cage) but does not act aggressive with them. The cats are not afraid of dogs. Sam lunges at the birds in the aviary and would not be good with birds. I don’t often have children at the house but a 9 yr old came over today. Sam was very good with her, licked her on the face and loved being petted by her. But he’s awfully big and can be overly rambunctious and mouthy so I would not put him with smaller children, and I think he would do best with children 12 and up (not younger). He does not consider the mailman’s daily visit to be an event worth noting. My other 3 dogs bark like crazy but Sam just looks out at the mailman without any interest. Sam is not a barker except when I am preparing his meals…then he gives little barks of joy."