Well, we have become a family complete with a dog.
Angus, aka Gus, aka Dumbass, joined our family in October. He was a gift from my ex-husband to my children. When he came to us, he was about 8 months old and very much still a puppy. This dog chewed up more toys, shoes, books than you can imagine. But look at him.......He is just so cute, how can you get mad at him?
My ex-husband got him as a puppy........Fell in love with him at first sight in a pet store. They named him Bryan. I couldn't bring myself to call the poor puppy that, so we changed his name. It did take some convincing with the kids, as they had only known him as Bryan, but my strong will won over. When I informed the ex-husband I was changing the puppy's name, there were some words of disapproval from the new wife. She very vocally commented that it took the dog 6 months to learn the name Bryan, he would never learn a new name. Funny, within a week he was responding favorably to being called Angus and Gus. I am sure that he knew his name was Bryan, he just didn't like it........Go figure. I have never totally established why he chose to give him up to us.......But I do have some theories. Regardless, he is ours, and I am totally in love with him.
If you can't tell from his picture, Angus is a Bassett Hound. Apparently Bassetts are notoriously hard to train. I believe it. We had a few weeks of "poop" accidents when he first came to us. Lucky for him, those are no longer happening. The other thing Bassetts do is bury things. I have found many Milk Bones in my laundry baskets. I am pretty sure he forgets where he puts them. Also, his short stature makes him just the perfect height to steal food from the toddler. Nothing cuter than hearing the 2 yr old yell, "Angus, stop it!" or more heartbreaking than hearing him crying because "puppy ate it". We have learned to put the dog in the kennel when the toddler is trying to eat.
The dog has been great for entertainment for all of us..........Well......except the cat. The cat is not completely impressed with the addition of the puppy. You see, the cat is older, much more sophisticated than the dog. He is a proud cat..........But it is hard to be proud when a large puppy is trying to get you to play, is licking your head or trying to mount you from behind. No, the cat is NOT impressed. The dog is always happy to see the cat......Whenever the cat enters the room, the dog gets all happy and excited......"Look!, the cat!! My favourite!!" He rushes to the cats side, licks him, follows him.......Very reminiscent of the Bugs Bunny cartoon with the big bull dog and the little terrier. The cat is usually just trying to get away.
I am sure that this relationship will bring about many more posts in the future.
