The Newest Member of the Family

We picked up Carlos this past Friday, and we are sooooo excited!! He is a marvelous, just-less-than-a-year-old black lab puppy. He is smart, has been well-trained, is very even-tempered, and just wants to play and run and get attention. Extremely well behaved!!

Carlos came to us from a family that needed to find him a new home, and he is such a good boy. He is already pretty big, about 2 -1/2 foot at the shoulder, and heavy, but being a puppy it seems he doesn't realize his size. He runs and then flops down to the ground, and you can hear him all over the house.

Zoe and Baby are still not sure about this newcomer. The Baby will come out and do what she usually does during the day, but doesn't let Carlos get closer than about two feet. Of course, Carlos just wants to play with the kitties, but they aren't ready yet. Zoe (the freak) didn't even come out of our bedroom yesterday, electing instead to stay hidden under the bed where she would emit this constant low growl as long as Carlos was in the bedroom half of the house. Carlos sleeps in his kennel at night, and the two cats haven't figured out yet that they can pretty much rule the night wherever they want to go. They'll catch on...

Carlos likes to run outside, and go on long walks, and so far, likes to go places in the car.




Being a lab, he loves to play catch. While playing with a tennis ball outside, the ball rolled down the hill across the driveway and Carlos went right over the edge for it. When he didn't come up, I checked on him and he couldn't find the ball (it was in the neighbors old yard debris pile) but he wouldn't give up. I had to call him off after a few minutes of searching and poking around... what a smart dog, he didn't want to give up.


He came with some toys that he is already destroying... he loves to play tug-of-war, and so he pretty much shreds them. He has a rope (which he knows by word) and we play tug until he crashes on the floor too tired to continue. We are going to have to work on the DROP command, because he thinks it a game so he drops whatever he has in his mouth and then picks it back up quickly before you can get your hand on it. Smart dog...



This is my first big dog, and I was so excited when I heard we were going to raise him. Of course, Julie is the animal-person of the family, and they already get along famously. She is firm but lavish with love and praise. I am learning from her alot...


We are blessed to have this special animal. Even when he nudges me whilst I type, tossing one end of his rope into my lap. A boy and his dog...


KML