Well Gaaw-aawl-ly!!!

Stonewall, now alias Gomer Pyle. age ~7 from a puppy mill in Missouri somewhere. He is serene and peaceful and shy; doesn't know how to be a dog. Not a mean bone in his body - won't chase cats, ignores rabbits, hasn't quite learned how to go up & down steps, or jump, or run, or do doggy doors and is not fully housebroken - kinda like a big retarded
puppy in strange circumstances.

He has good teeth, perfect bite, slightly longer ears than digger; and his tail curls up more. His leg muscles aren't too strong due to being caged his whole life. He is hard to walk because he stays too close and has almost tripped me a couple times. He prefers a harness for leash time and balks like a mule if I hook to his collar - think that was used
to do something he didn't like in his past....

He came with his own collar, harness, squeaky toys, leash, dog id tag, sleeping pad, and 5# of dry dog food. And now maybe I've seen everything - 2 cans of Newman's Own Dog Food! Have never seen that in any store. He has explored the whole house and finds it cooler to stay inside - it is supposed to hit 100 outside sometime in the next 3-4 days- no end in
sight.

He barks when he hears neighbor dogs outside; but has yet to hear the coyotes at night. He loves to snuggle in my lap and I'm not sure if I want to encourage that too much - especially in hot weather. Noises scare him but he learns quickly and doesn't flinch after the first instance - ice machines in the fridge door and coffee bean mills are the best examples so far.

He rode well in the car, didn't make a peep and slept a lot of the way. He has eaten almost a cup of dry food and 1/3 can of Newman's Own so far. He didn't like an imitation bacon flavor Vita Snack but very delicately chewed up an Alpo Snack he got as a reward for coming in through the
doggy door. Trial and error will determine which little snack he takes best for a reward. I guess priority items now are doing the doggy door, finding a good place to do business and navigating steps. He and Bob the cat mutually ignore each other; Bob is slightly standoffish with me - Jealousy? But he goes about his business as usual around the house. This afternoon, during the TV baseball game, will brush him - and he has no qualms at all about me picking stickers out of his fur and off his feet. He has no concept of being snappy or snarling like my old dog.

More later,
Hal