I promise I’ll stop being crazy dog picture lady soon (at which point I’ll probably start a separate doggy-blog and become one of THOSE crazy dog picture ladies). Before that happens I want to post a memory marker & tribute to Hamilton’s early signs of awesomeness.
I’ve had this dog for about 4 days and this is what I know about him so far:
- He’s not neutered, which is causing some marking issues but he’s getting the ol’ snip-snip on Friday and hopefully that’ll slow down the pee train. I’m also looking forward to the de-balling because they’re HUGE and BLACK against his white belly and they cause him to walk, sit & jump strangely.
- His previous owner was probably female. He barely responds to voices that aren’t high-pitched and squealy. Alan & Rob have been forced to practice their lady-voices so he’ll come when they call him.
- He’s learning his name already! It’s an impressive feat since everyone I know has their own names for him. HAAAAAAAAAAMMY!
- He was probably an outdoor country-dog. He’s not a great leash-walker when we go to work in Ann Arbor (although he’s learning fast) but he sticks by me like glue when he’s off-leash at home.
- He’s already crate trained. He’s pretty content to sleep in it, or on the floor at the foot of the bed, although since Rob has been away for work all weekend he’s been happily sleeping in bed with me.
- He doesn’t have breathing issues as badly as most Shih Tzu* because his nose isn’t as mashed up as some, but he still makes little snorting noises when he’s playing, frustrated or dreaming. He makes gremlin grumbles when he misses me.
- So far I’ve heard him woof & hiccup in his sleep. Both are hilarious.
- Speaking of woof, I just heard him bark for the last time last night and it’s low-pitched and not very loud. Thank god.
- Wait until you see his favorite move, the Hamsplay. It’s when he goes from walking to laying down with his back legs stuck out flat out behind him in one fluid motion. All you hear is a thud.
- He’s a morning & nighttime cuddler. It makes up for the 5:45am wakeup calls.
His silly face & awesome attitude pretty much outweigh his annoying quirks. I’m not super stoked about the new sleeping schedule but it seems like he’s worth it.
*I just learned that the word Shih Tzu is singular & plural. Crazy.
I asked Chaely that we also not refer to him as our child nor should we refer to ourselves and “mommy and daddy”… that’s a slippery slope. “Furbaby,” however, I still find humorous.
