Moose Offers a Challenge

Even without a Frisbee or the approval of Sir Artie, Shadow and his "cousin" Moose are vying for dominance... this time of the YouTube variety.

In response to Shadow's first swim on Independence Day weekend, Moose (with help from my cousin-in-law, Nick) put together a video of his own kayak adventure. It's extremely cute and funny and offers a challenge to his darker, younger cousin at the end.

Rest assured, we'll be accepting that challenge. Maybe we should start teaching Shadow to jump through hoops?   ; )

Anyway, check out the video below. Double-click to see it larger (on YouTube rather than this blog) and to subscribe to Moose and Nick's YouTube "channel."

Video: Shadow vs. Moose

Another acquisition from the long lost camcorder vault: Shadow and his non-biological cousin, Moose, vie for a tennis ball in Maine. (Double-click to see it larger on YouTube)

Helpless?

The count is two canine fangs gone (both on the bottom), and almost no full teeth in the front half of Shadow's mouth. Poor little guy's been rendered helpless. And I can't imagine eating the sharp little things is making him feel much better. Basically, if he and Moose were to play tug today, Shadow would last barely two seconds.

Freedom on the Fourth

Shadow, off leash and free for the Fourth, gets some fresh mountain air in Maine.

Shadow reentered New Hampshire last weekend for the first time since we picked him up from Blue Diamond way back in February. I don't know if he recognized anything, but I do know that he was an absolute angel for the entire 7-hour drive to Maine (and back again a few days later).

Moose prods his cousin Shadow to get back in the game.

It was an impromptu Fourth of July family reunion, and Shadow couldn't have been more thrilled to see his buddies Moose and Artie, whom he'd been missing for nearly a week.

I also couldn't have been more thrilled... to have the ability to play with my puppy without worrying about cars or moss (his favorite food), and to be able to wander around with my camera knowing he'd be safe with his cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.

The sunset was spectacular on Independence Day...

...and I had a blast taking photos...

 

...while Shadow played with Moose and Artie.

The difference between Maine and suburban New York -- the former with wide open wilderness and a generally easygoing attitude toward dogs, the latter with its plethora of boundaries and rules regarding where, when and how dogs may place their paws -- was readily apparent from Day One. At one point, the little guy was so relaxed he actually fell asleep in his water bowl outside.

Under the table and daydreaming

In Maine, Shadow get to take his first swim (a no-no in most places down here), and to enjoy the fresh mountain air and warm sun without a leash. (It kills me to have to put it back on him now that he's home.)

I opted not to take my camera into the "swimming hole" we went to on Monday, but there is video of Shadow's very first dip into the river on Saturday. Check back for that and some more choice Maine photos in the coming days.

Just one more for good luck  ;)

Canine Weekend: Day Two

Shadow's Canine Weekend continued early Saturday morning with the customary 6:30 wake-up call (bark) and a dewy walk around the neighborhood to expend some excess energy, which must have been running on credit at this point.

It had been my hope that Artie, being in my opinion one of the world's best trained dogs, would rub off a bit on our little rascal. And while that did happen to some extent by the end of the weekend, all it took Saturday morning to reel in Shadow was the discovery of a huge stick (more accurately a tree branch) significantly larger than him.

Trotting along, tail in the air like a flag and head proudly raised, he carried it all the way home like a trophy, leaving him no opportunity for misbehavior or wandering. (Hey, at least he's got priorities.) What happened next, I do not know, but a few minutes after reaching the house he and Artie each had their own half of the aforementioned stick.

While killing time waiting for the other guests, Shadow somehow managed to get Artie to wrestle with him a bit in the backyard.

I would say they even got a game of 'fetch' going, but what really happened was Artie stood on the flying disc chuckling (in silent dog laughter, of course) while his little silver nephew struggled in vain to pull it from under his uncle's massive paws.

Finally, around 11 a.m., the game changed and it was two crazy little rascals against one wise -- though still young -- dog.

Enter Moose, Shadow's 8-month-old light cream Lab cousin.

Initially quiet and curious, Moose explored his weekend home, hosts, and for -- a brief second -- the neighbor's yard, with a happy face and sweet demeanor.

Then, almost without warning, he flung off the shroud of propriety and let Shadow have it, yelling "Let's Play!" (Again, in doggie language).

Shadow was beside himself with joy as he and Moose tumbled and pawed and pounced and panted -- with tails wagging all the while, of course. The pair played almost the exact same way, and even their barks and whines sounded remarkably alike.

Three days later, I think Shadow still misses his cream-colored buddy, poking his head up with excitement whenever he hears another dog bark. Sure, we play with him too... but there's a slight difference between puppy tussling and human-to-puppy play. I mean, for one, my teeth aren't as sharp.

All this delinquent tussling brought out the paternal peace keeper side of Artie, who often stepped between the two pups and gave a low "break it up, kids" growl. The rest of the time he retreated to the stoop and stared at the front door, telepathically trying to tell us he wanted to get away from all this racket.

This dynamic pretty much continued through Sunday morning, which gave Chris and I a very calm (i.e. GOOD) puppy to show off to my extended family Saturday night.

More about that later, but for now enjoy these last couple photos, which prove that once they run out of energy, anyone can be buddies.

Rights to all original photos appearing on this blog (excluding links to outside vendors and products) are the property of the creator of "Me and My Shadow" and may not be used elsewhere without said creator's permission.

Did you miss these videos?

Puppy's First Day at School

Shadow Does His Chores

Drowsy Shadow

Round and Round 

Hit and Run (don't worry - he's fine, just clumsy)

Singin' in Shadow's Room 

Silver Lab Puppy Meets Kong

Shadow the Silver Lab Comes Home

Canine Weekend: Day One

From left, Moose, Shadow and Artie take a rare moment of rest.

Rarely is it so clear that living things have limited energy reserves than when watching kids, puppies, and video games.

Shadow was still a slug all day yesterday, Day Two of recuperating from a weekend with his three-year-old (25 in human years) golden retriever uncle Artie and eight-month old (7 in human years) light cream Lab cousin Moose.

The festivities began Friday night, with the arrival of Shadow's other set of human grandparents and Artie.

With an unbelievably calm disposition, massive body, and flowing tangerine locks, Artie resembles a favorite toy of Shadow's (Leon the unfortunate lion) come to life. And that is exactly how our 35-pound bundle of puppy energy acted toward his 75-pound guest, who just wanted some peace and quiet.

Artie began his visit by checking the perimeter of our property -- a task he is used to performing at his home in Maine -- and taking a quick foray into the neighbor's yard across the street. 

Shadow seemed beside himself with excitement that this new, large, four-legged thing had come to his home and appeared to be staying. After a few battles over sticks and leashes, the family moved inside for more contained playtime.

Trained to tolerate annoying behavior rather than confront it, Artie put up with the little guy nipping and jumping and mounting and following him (like an unwavering sidekick) for over an hour before finally giving the youngin' a good old corrective snap-and-growl. (Note: It looks a lot fiercer in slow motion than it actually is.)

Unfortunately, Shadow took this as encouragement that his Leon-come-to-life wanted to play, and continued poking his nose into his lounging uncle's face and pawing at his large feather-duster tail like it was a rope toy. (Add another line to the list of things that don't scare Shadow, but should.)

Despite this and Artie's inspection of Shadow's bed, toys and water bowl, the evening ended rather peacefully with Artie squeezed safely between the couch and coffee table... and Shadow directly in his line of sight with one paw splayed out in his giant toy visitor's direction.

Tomorrow's entry: It becomes two kids to one adult with the arrival of Moose, Shadow's 8-month-old cousin, on Day Two of Canine Weekend 2010.

Rights to all original photos appearing on this blog (excluding links to outside vendors and products) are the property of the creator of "Me and My Shadow" and may not be used elsewhere without said creator's permission.

Did you miss these videos?

Puppy's First Day at School

Shadow Does His Chores

Drowsy Shadow

Round and Round 

Hit and Run (don't worry - he's fine, just clumsy)

Singin' in Shadow's Room 

Silver Lab Puppy Meets Kong

Shadow the Silver Lab Comes Home

A Teaser

This is how Shadow's weekend with his canine uncle (above) and cousin (below) began ...

... and this is how it ended.

 

Right now we're all recuperating from an exhausting but very fun weekend of playing and picture taking. Check back soon to find out what happened in between.

Rights to all original photos appearing on this blog (excluding links to outside vendors and products) are the property of the creator of "Me and My Shadow" and may not be used elsewhere without said creator's permission.

Silver and Gold?

The question I get most often when telling friends about my expected puppy is: “So wait, what color is he again?”

Most people who know anything about Labrador retrievers – heck, even many who have owned Labs their entire lives – are under the impression that they come in three colors: black, yellow and chocolate.

Technically, they are correct.

The American Kennel Club recognizes these three coat colors as the breed standard (meaning they are considered full-blooded Labs and can join in AKC competition). But just as “blue” accurately describes a cloudless afternoon sky, the Atlantic Ocean, and Yankee pinstripes, so do “yellow, black and chocolate” encompass varying shades of Labrador.

This was news to me three months ago, when I stumbled upon one breeder's web site by a happy accident (or fate). My husband and I had been looking for a yellow Lab, a decision we reached after doing some research (see “Choosing the Breed”). While all three colors are beautiful and have their merits, we decided on yellow because it seemed to bring out a dog’s facial features best, would make finding ticks much easier, and would in a small way honor Bumps (see “A Shadow of Things to Come”).

But the second I saw that silvery gray face pouting up through the computer screen – anchoring the words, “Yes, Virginia… Silver Labs Are 100% Labradors” – all plans were out the window. I shot an e-mail to my husband (referred to hereafter as Chris) asking whether he’d ever heard of such a thing.

“No but they are really cute,” he wrote back almost immediately. “Best looking ones you’ve found as of yet!”

Almost the color of a weimaraner, I loved that it was unique. Most common dog breed in the U.S., sure, but his coat would set him apart.

Always a skeptic, however, I did my research. According to various breeders and American Kennel Club policy, “silver” Labradors are simply one end of the spectrum of shades known officially as “chocolate,” which can range from very light to very dark brown.

And there’s more! In addition to the familiar golden wheat color, “yellow” Labradors can also be “light cream” or “fox red,” and a matte hue known as “charcoal” is registered as “black.”

To a dog lover like me, this discovery felt like Christmas morning, like finding out your dream car just got a slew of shiny new swatches to choose from, or that Baskin-Robbins was launching an entire new line of your favorite frozen flavors.

Of course, there always will be party poopers, and some naysayers still cling to the belief that long ago a weimaraner and a Lab got frisky and started the whole conspiracy.

But while dogs can be disqualified from official AKC registration for a number of reasons, a silver, red, white or charcoal coat alone is not enough.

Either way, 12 hours after stumbling upon this plethora of new information… Chris and I had secured our spot in the next expected litter, between a silver damsel named Annie and a dashing young charcoal named Eli.

Choosing the breed

When my husband and I decided it was time to stop daydreaming and finally bring a dog into our home, the immediate assumption was that we’d get a yellow lab in honor of Bumps, his childhood dog who moved on to Doggie Heaven in 2008.

That sounded great to me, as Labs – like their friend the golden retriever – are known to be great family dogs and fantastic companions. But having grown up with my parents’ pre-Internet collection of Consumer Reports magazines, I’m simply incapable of making any large purchase without doing hours of research on every other possibility.

So off I went to the library, the World Wide Web, and the living room couch for marathon sessions of “Dogs 101” (a fantastic show that I, a regular Jane with no particular canine expertise, recommend for all aspiring dog owners).

Several breeds, some of which I’d never heard of, caught my eye in the process.

Aside from the golden retriever (in my view a Lab with longer hair), I fell for:

- the Alaskan malamute – two of the eight sled dogs in “Eight Below” (see Sunday’s post for that story)

- the Rhodesian ridgeback – a stunning creature Animal Planet dubbed the “Navy Seal of dog breeds,” though perhaps too intimidating for a novice

- the beagle – possibly my favorite in terms of looks, but with a trinity of calls the neighbors might not appreciate

- and a host of terriers (the wheaten, the cairn, the Yorkshire and the West Highland).

My husband and I went back and forth, each exercising veto power until a clear winner remained. Anything that could fit into my purse (not that I’d ever put it there) was nixed immediately, and the rest followed. I guess that whole “go with your gut” lesson never stuck for us, because after weeks of research, we landed back at our initial choice, the Labrador retriever.

Yes, we ended up following the masses. The Lab has held the American Kennel Club’s title of “most popular dog” for nearly two decades straight. But I can shuffle happily knowing we’re informed followers.

Labrador retrievers are America’s canine sweethearts – and they’re not shy about it. Labs have stolen the spotlight in films and TV shows like “Marley and Me” and “Lost” (don't even pretend you didn't get choked up when Vincent was wandering alone in the dark jungle during Season One). They've pounced across your TV screen as spokesdogs for products like Cottonelle. They've earned accolades as assistance and explosives detection dogs throughout the world. And they've even yanked media attention away from political figures like President Bill Clinton and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Of course, any friendly furry face would be welcome in my home. But each breed is unique and it’s important to choose one you can live with for 15 years. If you bring him home and find out he sheds too much, barks too often, has way more energy than you can handle, requires two hours a day of grooming, etc. … that’s not his fault, but chances are he’ll bear the punishment. So please choose wisely and humanely.

Once we'd locked in our breed, the next step was to choose a color. Imagine if you had these many choices with a child?!

According to the American Kennel Club, the recognized Labrador coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate. So how did we end up with “silver?” Stop by tomorrow to find out ;)