We call ’em Gus and Daisy but, of course, they do not answer. We may as well call ’em Ishmael (from Moby Dick). They ignore us about 1/3 of the time. And they do the opposite of what we say another third. But we are communicating pretty well about 1/3 of the time, too (Sal and I are much the same). But such is the attitude of a 14 week old puppy whose entire focus in life is eating, sleeping, frolicking, pooping and licking Sal’s face (kinda like me now that I think about it).
Gus is a pretty easy going dog. Chill. He is sorta thug-like, tho. A little broader and denser in all aspects, he tends to thud as he walks. Mind you, the little tyke is already 30 pounds! Daisy is much more of a lady and has a bit more Poodle in her genes. She tends to lift her feet higher and ‘step lightly’. She’s slimmer. She’s pretty. And she knows it.
The two siblings came from a litter of 11 puppies. Gus was the largest and Daisy was the runt. Today that runt is 26 pounds and gamboling over our rocky, moss-covered granite like a mountain goat. And good ol’ Gus just plods along behind her…..then they wrestle and tumble…. A month ago, they did not know how to deal with stairs. Today they bounce up and down the stairs well and have even added mountain climbing to their repertoire (fitting for BMD’s). It is steep around here. But they are handling it.
They are Bernedoodles, a cross between a Standard Poodle (top weight of males is 70 pounds) and a Bernese Mountain dog (top weight about 110 pounds). We are hoping they eventually total no more than 160 pounds of dog but it could be more. They came here a month ago at 14 and 17 pounds and have almost doubled in size. They are growing like weeds.
“What the hell, Dave? Are you mad? Two puppies! You are too old to have puppies. Hell, you are too old to even start a long novel!”
Yeah. You are right. This may be a Covid symptom. Long Covid. But, well, it felt like it was time. We lost Meg and Fid a few years back and it has taken awhile to heal from that. We may never completely get over them. But these guys also speed the healing…they seem to bring their fast metabolism to our very own grieving system. I am happier. And Sal is ecstatic. They are already well entrenched in the #2 position in the family. Sal is #1, then the two pups tied for silver, then (because there are two) the bronze medal is not awarded to third. Then we have any stray dog, friend, relative or even a nice stranger for the #4 position. I just cracked the top ten a few years back and just being on the top ten list is good enough for me. No complaints.
They came from a Bernese mother who resides in Qualicum. She had eleven puppies but only 8 nipples so she was busier than a short-staffed waitress in a popular greasy spoon at lunch time. And it was always lunchtime! Father was a rolling stone…but an obviously charming stone with great hair (think the canine version of Ted Danson). He gave them the hypo allergenic hair that doesn’t seem to shed even a little bit. Ol’ Gus has the same basic hair but it is a bit different than Daisy’s. Hers is shiny, silky, soft and could be featured in a shampoo ad. Gus is a bit thicker-haired (duh – everything about Gus is thicker) and it is not as shiny. They are both black and currently resemble Meg our past PWD. But they will be bigger than Meg and Daisy, at least, will have longer legs.
Sal has carried the load more than I have but we are both quite involved with them. Gus seems to prefer my company and Sal and Daisy already form the arf-arf sisterhood. But, overall, we all work like a non-oiled, rusty machine with broken parts – not quite yet a swiss watch. We’ll get there.
They are puppies and do not like cars. Motion sickness. Both pups puked three times coming up from Qualicum a month ago. Both pups puked three more times going into see the vet the other day (a check-up and shots) and both pups puked two times coming home. So, it is improving. The back seat in the old Pathfinder, on the other hand, is getting abused and more than a bit stinky.
They are not keen yet on the boat either. We need to lure then near the boat with treats and then strike like a rattler, grab ’em and then I hand ’em to Sal on the boat. That will work until they are heavier. Already Sal is sagging with Gus in her arms. The good news is that they are now sticking their heads up as we scoot along in the boat looking at the scenery whiz by. That bracing fresh-air ride will be the enduring lure for them we hope.
There is more, of course, much more….puppies are a source of never-ending chat amongst the locals whenever we meet up. Everyone loves puppies. But most people only get one. That may seem sensible but we find that two puppies (or even two older dogs) are happier if they have their own ‘buddy’ and do not have to rely on two old people for all their fun. Gus and Daisy love each other and get along all the time. We all love each other and we all get along all the time. It is just that Dave and Sal need a great deal more sleep and, of course, are busy sometimes with non-puppy oriented things. When that occurs, the pups just go off and play by themselves. I then nap. And Sal gets on with other things.
It all might work out……fingers crossed.
Our Off the Grid Home 
WOW!
Busy busy busy.
These eating , pooping machines must have you two exhausted.
Nice to see you have some new “kids” to keep you out of trouble.
🙂
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‘Kids’ and trouble go together like Rock ‘n Roll. They have already sent me sprawling twice and I have stepped accidentally on both. But we are starting to learn how to dance together. It will get better. But, yeah…..we are tired. And they do take up a lot of time. It’s all good, tho. Joy is hard to find these days but we found some and we are grateful.
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We found that dogs in general are hugely therapeutic! I would rather spend my money on a dog then a therapist! I am still amazed each day how much love we get back from our dog (rescued from a shelter 1.5 years ago). Well, he carries a big burden from his past (being in the shelter), and therefore he has “fear of abandonment” (I am pretty sure there is a better english word for that”
So we can’t leave him alone, but that’s fine for us, we manage with our jobs, and he brings some much love and joy in our lives. He is defintely #2, so I got demoted to spot #3, but that’s fine!
They are so beautiful Gus and Daisy! And I think it’s a good idea that you have taken 2 dogs, so they have each other for “exercise and fun”.
Thanks for posting this story and pics, it brings a ray of sun into our day!
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“I would rather spend my money on a dog then a therapist!”
I love that line! ( it must be my cheap Scottish heritage…)
Fear of abandonment is also an excellent expression..
A feeling hopefully Vladimir Putin will experience in the next few weeks…….
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I wonder how much support Putin has left in the Kremlin.
I am also surprised how quickly he opens negotiations, maybe things are not going as he planned?
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My understanding is that Russia is ‘kinda’ losing. It has been four long days and they are not yet in Kyiv. They are not on schedule. They are also not in charge of the sky. Ukrainian fighters still fly. The airspace was supposed to have been shut down by day two. Ukrainian resistance is proving stronger than was expected. Worse for Putin is that his troops are not (rumour has it) well led. Some didn’t even know that they were part of a Ukrainian invasion! And finally, the BIG number of 191000 troops amassed at the border is misleading. More than half (more than 2/3) are support personnel. All that seems to be confirmed by Putin now rattling his nuclear sabers. Time is running out for him. It would seem that invading a country, regardless of how much stronger the invaders, is still a logistical challenge and, if it takes too long, the advantage goes to the country being invaded. They know their own backyard and their supports (such as they are) do not have be trucked in. If Ukraine holds for say, another four or five days, the Russian attack will stall. It may even be sooner.
Putin surrounds himself with sycophants…like Trump does and is…..and so his generals may or may not be competent. Who knows? Sycophants are, by nature, sneaky and show a false face. Maybe one of them is called Brutus and has a long knife?
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You could try “separation anxiety” for a different descriptor. Not necessarily a better English word (or pair of words), just a variation on the theme.
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Thanks, still working on my English after 56 years 😉
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Thank Dog for Gods! I may be a little dyslexic, but what a pleasant change from pandemics, convoys and invasions. Calendar Spring is only 3 weeks away (realistically more like 6), lets hope it brings the Canine out in us!
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Yeah, and let’s hope it allows the canines to get out more. The sooner these ‘kids’ feel comfortable living outside, the more I go out, too. They are little magnets and influencers. If they are sleeping (and they do a lot of that) I am inclined to nap. As soon as they go frolic, the more inclined I am to go out and well, work at something. Mind you, my bowels have a mind of their own but my bladder is kind of a follower…..jus’ sayin’. These guys make an impact!
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Having a dog make s your life more active…not that you need that “stimulus”, I think your life is already pretty active! But a dog needs to go out to pee, so you get up and get out, even if you didn’t plan it. Will you also take them to town in the future? I sure hope they can stay alone for a while and that you won’t find your house destroyed by the time you get back from town. Especially pups can be pretty inventive in finding things “to do” in the house when no one is around, especially when there is food around and visible
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Two dogs keep good company and, with our previous dogs, we did NOT take ’em to town. They were quite happy staying here alone for likely even two days but they only endured the odd really long single day with us away. And that is the plan for these two as well but, because they are young still, that is not the plan for a few months. Not yet. When we leave ’em, they are left outside. Two little pooches should not really be the topic of conversation during a pandemic and one as a prelude to the fall of democracy and, perhaps, WW3. You’d think Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would focus our attention…but…well, into every grim picture a little hope and happiness should fall, too. Nothing does that better than puppies.
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They are gorgeous, Dave. You will have such fun with your shadow and many happy moments. I hope you are good with the clippers. As they don’t shed, my understanding is that they need regular haircuts. Let me know if that is a myth. Standard poodles are very energetic and the ones I have known have been rather impulsive. Perhaps the BMD will moderate that enthusiasm. I did a bit of dog training with my two, then ended up with an additional unplanned rescue dog. It all went to hell in a basket after that. I desperately need more sleep. Mine are the feral type though.
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Oddly, I am not-so-bad with the clippers and just recently ‘trimmed them’ so that their little bear cub look kinda morphed into more of a puppy-dog look. Regardless, they are really gorgeous. Really cute. And very well behaved without being trained. They will occasionally start to bite something they should not and Sally just says their name in a nice calm way and they look over and stop whatever they were doing. That’s pretty good. Sal usually has to call my name half a dozen times and I still might not do as I am told. She keeps mumbling about neglecting my training. I keep mumbling about ‘where are the treats?’. We had a large Standard Poodle pup ( 9months old) visit yesterday. All three dogs were quite curious but cautious of each other. After an hour, they were all fine. It is my intention that our dogs become less ‘house’ dogs and more ‘outside dogs’ so that they do not need so much attention. I am ready to put ’em in their outside dog house now but Sal thinks I am more evil than Putin just for suggesting it.
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What exactly do YOU bite that you’re not supposed to…..
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Licorice and, well, we’ll leave it at licorice…..(I have an editor, you know……)
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That sounds very promising, Dave. I suspect they will enjoy outdoor accommodation and being able to survey their territory, but you and Sal will miss their company when you are stuck inside. Keep up the training. Eventually the treats have to be phased out replaced by tummy rubs instead.
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Good for both of you to bring pups into your life. Getting excited. Getting home next week. – Margy
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Good on ya. Get thee hither
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