Trooper was given to us as an “oops.” He was supposed to be a Rottweiler, but the Black Lab next door got to his mama first. He was an absolutely adorable puppy:
Which was a good thing, because one day during the velociraptor stage I texted my husband and told him we were having hot dogs for supper. But, who can resist those sweet, brown eyes?
I knew he was going to be a big, muscular dog, so I started his training right away. He is smart, eager to please, loves car rides and walks. We went to the park almost daily to give him stimulation and socialization. I am rigorous about him not pulling me or jumping on people. That may seem a bit much, but I’ve seen large dogs that lunge and leave their owners sprawled on the ground hanging on for dear life. Now he’s grown and he weighs as much as I do, and I’m glad for the extra work I put into his training. He’s a wonderful walking companion, a confidant, and a guardian at the ATM.
He loves (ADORES!) women and kids. He “mostly” likes men with the exception of a few. If he gets his hackles up, I trust his instincts and scurry along.
So…. Is he perfect? … not quite… He has a “tissue issue” and will snatch Kleenex’s right out of the box or snuffle around for paper towels if one is laying on the desk. He has given some serious critique on my manuscript:
WTF! I didn’t think the book was THAT bad.
One time he ate a six-thousand-dollar check!
He quickly figured out how to open doors. When we moved into our new house, we went to dinner to celebrate. He turned the front doorknob and escaped. Then he couldn’t get back inside! Fortunately, he was smart enough to find some friendly neighbors and ask for help. He somehow got them to follow him to his “new house” and let him back inside. I’m not entirely sure how he told them which house was his, but he did. I’m not entirely sure how he told them which house was his, but he did.
When we first got him, we only had Nia. Nia was a senior dog and the queen bee. She was very spry but didn’t have much use for a puppy and definitely no desire to play with one. Which is how we got Bella…