Our Handsome Boy

Now that the kids are gone, the snow has returned. It was the perfect photo op to take decent pictures of a chocolate lab.

After everyone left on the 29th, Guinness was again allowed freedom. Instead of only one room at a time, we are giving him limited opportunity to have access through four rooms: den, living room, dining room, and kitchen. He is doing fairly well. The only obstacles are a pathos plant in the living room (he thinks that he must remove one leaf every time he passes), a bell on a low branch of the Christmas tree, and, of course, any shoes that may be sitting inside the deck door. He also knows that, if he rams the gate blocking the hallway, he can push it aside and race either upstairs or downstairs. If he chooses to go upstairs, he will grab one, two, or three of the Christmas stuffed animals on the stairs. Downstairs, he heads for the waste paper can. Life is improving.

Guinness's Christmas

Since Guinness was doing so well at being loose in a room with us, I expected that, once he settled down from the excitement of meeting his little nephew Kevin, he would be fine. Our previous dogs sensed the fragility of a young child or older person. Guinness does not seem to recognize that he must be gentler with such people. Once company arrived, he was too filled with Christmas joy for us to tolerate his exuberant behavior. Thus, Guinness spent most of Christmas week in his crate. We never dared to let him loose with Kevin. He was so ecstatic to meet this wonderful little fella that he would have tramped him with no intent to harm. When we were outside playing in the snow, I kept Guinness tethered to my waist.

Brandy and Jeremy are used to crazy dogs and had fun playing with him. He did his “slain in the Spirit” backwards flop for them to have his tummy rubbed.

Santa brought Guinness a rubber hamburger, and Kevin’s cats brought him a fuzzy gingerbread boy. He was thrilled with his gifts. The hamburger quickly had a big bite out of it and the gingerbread boy was losing his stuffing within hours. While we were opening our presents, I presumed that we could leave him free in the den with the French doors closed allowing him to visually be a part of our celebration. As we continued our gift opening, the thought struck me that my present from Grant, a beautiful sweater wrap, was hanging on my desk chair. With a gasp, I flew into the den to find that Guinness had already torn a sleeve apart. Thankfully, the store had another one.

Canine-ality Traits

Selecting Hershey, Dec. 20, 1995
(Greg's coat was NOT pink!)



















Bringing Guinness home, June 21, 2005


Eleven years ago today, Greg selected Hershey to be our new puppy, and Karin held him all the way home. We have dubbed Guinness “H2,” because he looks like Hershey and is similar in many ways. Yet there are traits which are specific to each dog. I do not recall Hershey ever running away from me. He always stuck close by. If he ran ahead on a trail, he would come back looking for me. It is unfortunate that Hershey did not have the opportunity to teach Guinness to be a good boy on a hike and not run away. Distractions can cause Guinness to forget that he should stay with me.

Guinness has his own inimitable mannerisms. One of the funniest is that, when he wants to be petted, he will fall straight backwards onto his back. It is as if he is “slain in the Spirit” to be tummy fondled. When he was a tiny puppy, it wasn’t much of a fall. Now that he is over 60 pounds, you would think that it hurts to flop especially when he is falling onto an object such as the edge of a concrete wall, a toy, or a furniture leg. We try to grasp a finger into his collar to ease his fall.

Agility Fun Day

We attended an Agility introductory class today. Guinness was a goofball in the tunnels. Sometimes he would go through, and sometimes he would turn around inside and come out the end he went in. Of course, I was at the opposite end which meant he had free reign to chase any dog he wanted. A teacher had to help me with the tunnels by staying at the end he entered. He was fairly good at the jumps, but he got tired. Me too! We did balance boards and ramps last. He was hesitant on the low ramps, but pranced with total confidence over the very tall, steep one seen in the picture (taken from their Web site)! The reason is that we bought a ramp for Hershey a couple of years ago when we acquired my X5. It was too high for him to jump in. Now we use it for Guinness, as he is too small to jump that high and too heavy for me to pick up (58 lbs.).

This afternoon Guinness was POOPED!!!!! He was sprawled out on the floor and did not move except an occasional twitch! Later he moved to Hershey’s favorite spot – under the large den desk. We called it his cave. Guinness snuggled up to Hershey under there, but has only sniffed the area since he has been gone. Today Guinness curled up into that space on his own. After all, he is H2.

Grade 2, class 3

It is too frigid outside to spend any time out there doing homework. We did minimal homework inside. Tonight at class, you would think that he had done his homework faithfully and had conquered all the exercises. Here he is on a “Sit Wait” exercise while the dogs, one by one, wove in and out around the other sitting dogs. What a good boy!

Christmas is coming

Guinness is playing with a new Christmas toy while Daddy takes a Christmas snooze.

My throat is sore!

Too bad the ice all over his fur is not visible in this picture! Actually, it is visible if you enlarge the picture and take a close look.

Today was our first attempt to walk on the beach. He is so good off leash on our property that I hoped he would be at the beach too. But the distractions were too intense to conquer. As soon as we arrived and I opened the back of the car, he jumped out before I could snap on his leash, and ran to an older woman jogging. There were too many people there on this brisk, sunny morning to allow him to run free. He was tugging and tugging, showing no leash respect. No one was behind us, so I turned and let him go free in that direction. He sailed down the beach until he came to rocks which needed to be circumvented. Instead on going around them, he chose to run into the freezing lake. I was becoming concerned, because he was headed for deep water. I screamed to him; he eventually stood still in the water staring at me, then decided to come, though he was not interested in a treat. The beach was more exciting than a treat! We continued beyond the rocks. He next indiscretion was to leave the beach for the grass where he saw a friendly woman walking. My throat was sore from shrieking, I was out of breath from running, so, after only ten minutes, we headed back to the car. I stood on his leash as I unfolded the ramp. My foot was not heavy enough to counteract his eagerness to meet a man strolling by. Fortunately, he too was not unfriendly to happy puppies.

Adolescence

What a jokster! Today, as I was slicing a fruitcake, he grabbed a big hunk when I wasn't looking. Later, I was preparing dinner and had mixed the sauce in a casserole dish for baking chicken. While my back was turned, he tipped the casserole and ate most of the sauce in one gulp. We need major training for “off counter.” Also he has been ignoring commands when he doesn't want to obey. I expected the stuffed animals on the stairway to be a huge temptation, but thought we could get through it. One teddy bear is his. He knows it is his, but he is greedy and likes the others too. When he has a restricted one, he cannot be caught! I don't chase him, but he is too smart for my sneakiness too. It is quite funny.

Anthropomorphisms

Guinness is doing soooo well around the house!!! Tuesday, my thoughts were -- I wonder if Hershey knew it was time for Guinness to leave the crate, and he did not wish to be constantly pummeled by a puppy. Or he could have considered that his job of training Guinness was finished, thus he could move on. Guinness is still a mischief maker, and we have to keep him in the same room we are in. He really is cute and so reminiscent of Hershey as a puppy. Being the same breed, he even looks the same as Hershey did at that age. It's almost like we didn't lose Hershey. We just went Back to the Future.

Wednesday, an alternate idea struck me to explain his calm conduct outside the crate: perhaps Guinness understands that he needs to replicate Hershey’s respectable behavior.

Regardless of his desire to be “a good boy,” his adolescence sometimes supersedes his intentions. Thursday, I took Guinness with me to run errands. Our first stop was a housewares store where I found a sale on small poinsettias. I bought several and placed them on the front passenger seat floor where I hoped they would be safe. I accomplished two more projects before reality reminded me that Guinness is a “flower dog!” He had eaten all of one plant, spilling dirt all over the front passenger seat, floor, and console. At 5:58 PM, I pulled into my car wash as they were preparing to close. When they saw my mess, they agreed to be Good Samaritans.

Noticeable Improvement

Guinness is still bouncing off the walls, but he is becoming better in so many ways. In fact, I think he is becoming a Hershey clone. When I tell him to drop something, he doesn’t drop it, but loosens his grip so that I can take it easily. He is tolerating being toweled off on rainy days. He is behaving himself out of the crate more and more every day. When someone appears while he is off leash outside, he listens to me as he races toward the person while I am yelling, “No jump! No jump!”

I have Christmas-themed stuffed animals lining the stairway. He loves to grab the Garfield angel and the small reindeer. At his welcoming party last summer, Sasha gave him a blue stuffed teddy bear. He is an aggressive chewer, so we have not allowed him to have that toy. This evening, I tried letting him have that instead of the Christmas animals. He KNEW it was his! When he has something in his mouth which he should not, he can be caught. I was not trying to take the teddy bear from him, but he thought I was. There was no way he would allow me near him! He ran like a maniac whenever I came close. I could not have caught him if I had tried.

I think back to Hershey’s haunting eyes as he would stand on the deck, peeking between the slats, watching me play with Guinness in the yard. I wonder what he was thinking. Was he jealous of the new puppy? I don’t think so. Did he realize that Guinness would take his place in the family when he expired? I think perhaps. Was he just too tired to join in our game but wanted to watch what we were doing? Definitely that! Within the past month while playing outside, there were two incidents where Guinness tried to hump Hershey, declaring dominance. But Hershey, who has never minded being humped, did not allow it and humped Guinness instead. He may have been ailing, but he was not going to relinquish his authority.

The Magician

Guinness: Yesterday, I was licking my incision, so Mark took me and Daddy to the pet store to find a hood. I love shopping! But this hood thing they bought was terrible! It was like a huge lampshade on my head making it difficult to walk without bumping into things. I could barely eat the food in my bowl. Worst of all, I looked ridiculous! What were they thinking? I managed to remove one of the ties which secured it to me. Daddy thought he would trick me by using Hershey’s special rolled leather collar to hold the hood on. But I showed them! When Daddy came in to let me out this morning, the hood was no longer around my neck. I was sitting on it!!! I was sorry to destroy Hershey’s beautiful collar, but I could not allow it to restrict me. I ripped it into a million pieces and tore up the hood. In the process, I ingested some of the leather and plastic, causing me to vomit in my crate. I hope they got the message to never try putting such a thing on me again! They can’t figure out how I could have done it. Mommy said that I am just like Hershey. Apparently, Hershey ate a fifty dollar Promise Halter within three days when he was in puppy school. Uncle Gary dubbed me “H 2,” meaning “Hershey the second.”

Playtime with little kids!

Mean-spirited Cousin

The patient.


Guinness: Today began as such a good day. There was a festive spirit in the air. Uncle Gary and Aunt Ruth are here. Then cousins Mark and Laura arrived with their two darling children. I was eager to play with them, but they thought I was too excitable, and left me in my crate. I heard Mom tell Mark about our bad Tuesday and that I choked after her strict correction. He quipped, “You know, dogs are good actors.” What kind of friend is that! Quite unexpectedly, Mark opened my crate and pricked me with a needle. It wasn’t long before I was very, very sleepy. When I awoke, I was missing some body parts. I don’t understand why someone who appears to like me would do such a dastardly thing. At least, Mom and Dad seem to be feeling genuinely sorry for me. I plan to play their sympathies up to the hilt!

Ups and downs

This morning was the first time that Guinness definitely “asked” to go potty! [Up Ü] When we were outside playing, he seemingly had forgotten all of Grade 1: he would not Come, Come On (casual Come), Sit, Let’s Go. [Down] I don’t think the reason is that we removed his leash too soon, but that we did not refill our pockets with treats, yet continued to expect him to obey without a food reward.

We store our summer pots under the deck, and he joined me. Now that it is full of patio furniture, there isn’t much room for an adult to move around, but he can scamper everywhere. He refused to Come when called. He wallowed in the water gathered in the sunken concave of his overturned pool. As I attempted to grab him, he slipped and fell in the water, drenching himself in dirty water. [Down] My usual calm demeanor exploded. Grade 2 cannot begin soon enough. The first class is tonight, thank heavens. [Up]


Daddy suggested that perhaps his shenanigans are due to missing Hershey. :’(

Guinness was charged with excitement as we arrived at school. He normally is beyond control as we burst into the building, but, tonight, he was hysterical. [Down and Up] Obviously, he loves school. As the attendance was taken, the teacher dubbed him, “Wild Thing.” Class is more enjoyable than Grade 1, because the dogs and handlers are on their feet the entire class period doing fun exercises. Also there is no boring 15 min. lecture at the end. Some of the things we are working on this week are learning to Come into Side, Jump (over a barricade), Down with no treat, and many exercises without leash yet with treats. [Up]

Score:
Ups – 4
Downs – 3

OK. We'll keep him.

Eleven Years, One Month, and Twelve Days

This morning, we traveled three and a half hours to my sister-in-law’s. Hershey and Guinness were extremely excited to be going on a trip! He couldn’t wait to get in the car. I had to barricade Hershey in the house to prevent him from trying to jump into the car prematurely. Once in, Hershey settled behind the driver, resting his chin on the back of Daddy’s seat so that he could watch where we were going. Guinness was bouncing around the back, but his favorite spot was touching Hershey – lying beside him, sitting so close he was almost on him, straddling him, or biting at his dog tags. At one point, while Guinness was lying peacefully snuggled up to him, Hershey momentarily gave up his preferred peeking position to rest his head on Guinness’ back. Unfortunately, I was not fast enough with the camera.

Hershey adored his Aunt Janet and pranced up to the porch when he saw her. We had a fun day of running errands with her. The final chore was cleaning up the graves of my parents, Etha and William Henry Herne – after whom William Henry Hershey was named. Before we reached Janet’s house, his health commenced deteriorating. Perhaps it was the mushrooms he ate two days ago. Perhaps his body was tired of struggling to be healthy.

He was, without doubt, a treasured chocolate lab extraordinaire. No dog could surpass his matchless canine-ality. In the beginning, he was the worst puppy on this face of this earth. He made mincemeat of the BBQ hoses, dug up buried electrical wires, destroyed my flowering plants, ripped the veneer off the kitchen cabinets three times, ate a hole in the wall, flunked puppy class, and on and on. Then he moved to California and literally became the perfect dog overnight! He was a stellar student in intermediate and advanced obedience classes, earning the right to travel everywhere I went, and to go for walks off leash. He has been on television twice: Once in Chicago on the travel report segment. I sent in a picture of my red Grand Cherokee showing a laughing Hershey hanging out the back window with a description of “Why I love my car.” The second time on a Toronto news cast. He and Grant strolled the irises at the Royal Botanical Gardens after Daddy had completed an interview.

There are myriad awesome stories to be told about him which must be published in a biography. One of my favorites is when he was to have his blood tested before his heartworm medicine was prescribed. As the vet entered the room toting the equipment to draw blood, he leaned his right side against the wall, lifted his front left leg, and turned his head to the wall. Today he valiantly tried to fight his failing body. Either Guinness was pooped from his roaring day, or he sensed that his very sick brother needed peace and quiet on the way home. My poor baby, Hershey, was miserable. It was an easy decision. In fact, Hershey took control of the situation and succumbed while Daddy carried him from the car.

Daddy says, "All Dogs Go to Heaven." I have no doubt of that. Hershey is an angel now. I hope that my Dad is playing fetch with him.

Grant is going to miss his napping buddy as he sets his eyeglasses on the living room coffee table signaling to Hershey that it is time for “an eye rest” with Daddy. I will feel a stab everytime I pick up my car keys from the basket to realize that no eager shadow will appear at my side. How will I endure not having a phone call interrupted by a fuzzy imp demanding a treat? Who will teach Guinness to be extraordinary?

Sickly, but loved, brother

We continue to worry about Hershey’s declining health. He seems to be permanently lethargic. Last week, Mark, our nephew and exceptionally brilliant veterinarian, suggested placing him on his hypoallergenic food only (no home cooking even when he vomits) and Prednisone every day. Such a smart vet! He has only vomited once in the past week, instead of every day.

This evening, I ran several errands and took only Hershey with me in the car. He deserves some quality time. I purchased a couple of new dog toys. Hershey is unimpressed, but Guinness loves both. Guinness adores Hershey. I could not make the pictures line up in the right order, but you get the idea. Guinness tried to sit on Hershey’s lap (extended front legs)! I grabbed my camera, but not soon enough. Then he snuggled up, side by side, with Hersh. By the time my camera was in gear, he was near Hersh playing with his new ball. Again, he seemingly tried to sit on Hersh, but only straddled him. Hershey moved under Grant's desk to escape torture. I finally had to give it up and put the annoyance back in his crate.

A MILESTONE

The weather has turned nasty – cold and rainy. Guinness is very good about staying in our yard and coming when called, so I decided to try taking him out without his leash dragging in the muck. We always have his leash dragging, inside and out, when he is out of his crate to make it easier to catch him. He was perfect! Later in the day, I even tried a couple of short “proms” (meaning promenade, or a walk around the condo property) with no leash in the rain. Again, he stayed with me and responded to commands. We had more roaming time in the house today, this time with no leash. The experiment has been a success! Guinness has earned the right to not have to drag his leash everywhere he goes.

Growing by leaps and bounds

He is growing so big that we cannot keep him in his crate fulltime. We have to teach him to behave in our house as we have no room for a larger crate! We have been allowing him in selected rooms, one at a time, but today I did not barricade him and allowed him to roam the house with me for well over an hour. He was perfect! Well, almost… He did break a CD case, but the CD is fine. And he did grab objects which had to be removed from his mouth. He picked up a small glass chest filled with marbles and spilled them. But, he obeyed, “Sit. Stay,” while I picked them up! Now is that a good boy or what?!

Cuddling

Grant often held Guinness on his lap and rocked him when he was tiny. At 50 pounds, he is no longer tiny. He climbed up into Daddy's lap for a cuddle.

The Spirited Graduate

Whew! He made it, and with pizzazz! I was in NC, so Grant had to attend the final class alone with Guinness. Grant, uttering a prayer, entered the building with fear and trembling, anticipating what might occur. But Guinness was on cue and a ready disciple. There were eight exercises to be evaluated. The initial ones --“Sit and Accept Praise,” “Sit Stay” for 1 min., “Down on Signal” – were perfect. Then came “Down Stay” for 3 min. He broke his stay, but others did also. In our yard and at class, Guinness is an angel with “Leash Respect.” They graded him as “Needs Improvement.” They must have seen his leash disrespect as he entered the building! “Look At Me” is a cinch, and he did OK with “Walking On Lead.” He is so cute trotting like an Arabian horse beside Grant. The final test was “Random Recall” with the dog sitting in one corner of the room while the handler stands upright in the opposite corner of the large rectangular hall. Guinness was the last dog to perform. Most dogs were leash free for this exercise, and the majority became distracted thus did not complete the recall. As Grant set up Guinness in one corner, the teacher snapped a lead on him and whispered, “We need to be able to catch him.” Grant positioned himself in the far corner, and loudly summoned with determination, “Guinness, Come!” He rocketed directly to Grant, dropped his rear on the floor, looked into Grant’s eyes; Grant proclaimed, “Yes!”; fed him, clipped on his leash, praised him again with “Yes!” and treated him a second time while the entire room cheered. The teacher complimented Guinness while removing her lead. Loudly enough for the entire class to hear, Grant annunciated, “Oh ye of little faith.”