I wouldn’t normally post all of this here, I’d usually give you a link to my blog, but since I asked you guys to help me decide, I figured you deserved a full update. And for those saying you knew I’d adopt him, you were more sure than I was. His foster mom and I …
Open Thread: Meet Jasper McGeePost + Comments (60)
Despite his original condition, he’s pretty healthy. I was worried about his hips, knees, and elbows but they look healthy, and once he’s got his muscle built back up, he should be good. Our vet thinks he may have malformed femurs due to poor nutrition as a pup, but shouldn’t affect him much as he ages. Not that being a little knock-kneed has slowed him down any. He matches Trixie zoomie for zoomie, and they wrestle like he’s a puppy, too.
Despite the condition in which he arrived at the rescue, he clearly had people who loved him, because his spirit is strong, and he’s a complete gentleman. So neglected, but no signs of any abuse.
While he is a gentleman, he has some bad habits. But when given proper boundaries, he adjusts quickly, and I expect continued progress on counter surfing, personal space, and leash manners.
As you can imagine, counter surfing was because he was hungry all the time. With 4 meals a day (for now) and about 12 cups of food, his hunger has abated, and he’s been very good at listening when I tell him he’s not allowed in the kitchen. My counters are still cleaner than they’ve ever been, because why tempt him with ripening tomatoes and the random dirty dish in the sink?
His first night, I found him standing on his hind legs at the sink – all 6+ feet of him – looking over the pan I’d put in there. I was tempted to get him an apron and a dishcloth and have him do the dishes.
The first day he was here, he jumped over my 4-foot baby gate like it was nothing, and I thought for sure I was screwed because my Dane crate is too small for this tall boy. But he has respected all boundaries now that he understands he’s safe, fed, and with his pack. My usual boundaries of baby gates leaned against doorways have been enough for him.
For an unexpected addition, he’s been a joy. Scout is still a little miffed, and his attempts to charm her have been rebuffed, I do think she’ll come around. Trixie is over the moon. Another playmate. For that, Scout is grateful, LOL
That’s enough for this post. I’ll update you on his condition as he adapts to his new home.
Thanks for taking the time to weigh in earlier on the pros and cons. I appreciated it.
This is an open thread