I can haz dog.
I figured I should probably mention that I finally got something I've wanted since I was a kid:
A dog.
That handsome boy is Jackson. He's a purebred shelter mutt. We don't really know what his pedigree is at all. The shelter called him a "rottweiler mix," which he may well be because he does these funny dances and silly walks, but he's half the size of a rottie. I was guessing he might have some beagle in him, maybe some pointer because he DOES tend to stand in a pointer pose when he's looking intently at something. But mostly... I have no idea.
He has no training, which is a challenge right now, but easily solved. He is a really good dog, generally, he just has a bad habit of jumping and mouthing at people. He doesn't know any basic commands and REALLY needs to be taught "NO" and "DOWN." But the great thing about dogs is... they totally learn that shit if you know how to teach them. I just... don't. So he'll be going to an obedience class ASAP.
He's quite a character and the most loving little boy... he really wants nothing more than to be with me all the time. He's SO happy and I swear, I have never seen a dog with so little aggression in them. I have never heard him bark or growl. He's met now about 10 dogs in our neighborhood... some, he's content just to sniff and give otherwise very little attention to... some of them have been very territorial with him... There's some kind of tiny terrier thing across the street, and a lady with a papillion and a dachshund who ran down the driveway and circled him barking their faces off, and the scraggly mutt next door named Rinka will tolerate him being around but she barks and if he shows too much interest she jumps and snarls at him...
His reaction to all of them has been exactly the same: "Oh hey. Cool. So what's up?" Totally laid back, totally non-reactive. When he meets really NICE dogs, he just wants to play with them. That's also all he wants to do with children -- though he's big enough that I don't let him try to play with the REALLY little kids in the neighborhood, but the 7+ year olds just LOVE him. He gives basically NEGATIVE fucks about cats we've seen on our walks. And curiously, a lot of my neighbors here have RABBITS who they allow to just run around in the yard most of the time. Jackson's only response to THEM has been... enthusiastic-enough curiosity that the rabbits won't let him near and I don't necessarily trust him not to hurt one if he were allowed to run after one off the leash. I don't think he would MEAN to hurt one, but I do think he might do it by accident just due to not knowing how delicate a bunny is if he tried to play with it or pick it up.
So... I have a slightly dumb dog whose manners need work but whose temperament is just SO wonderful. It was worth the hours I spent on PetFinder.com and the 3 trips I took to the shelter before I found him. He charms the socks off of everyone he meets. I took him for his first vet visit 2 days ago and he never whined or resisted a single thing they did to him. He just kinda stood there and took it. Which absolutely THRILLED the vet and vet techs. And having an animal whose major motivation in life is just being with me is... kind of beautiful. :)
I am so happy to have found this dog. He's going to be my buddy and my partner-in-crime for as long as he lives, which hopefully will be another decade or more.
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