Final Post

I had the distinct privilege to see Spec A again this morning - and I also brought him Leonidas!

Here's a pic of me and Leonidas headed to Spec A (still in the driveway of course)

It was slightly raining, but that didn't stop us from demonstrating our walk and getting a few more pictures. I think Spec A was pretty excited! I know Leonidas will take a few days to get used to his new surroundings and his new friends - the cat and the other dog! :-) Leonidas met the cat right off the bat and he seemed to understand that he had better respect that cat or he will probably lose his nose! :-)

Here is a list of things I brought to Spec A.

Petlink microchip tag and registration details
2 stainless steel bowls
Blue collar and name tag
Camo harness and matching leash
Large crate with chewed up blanket (just the way Leonidas likes it)
Chew rope (lightly chewed :-) and chewed up socks (yes, they were clean when we gave them to him!)
30lb bag of Pure Balance Chicken & Rice - well, maybe 20lb left...
chewed tennis ball and a golf ball (and I think a racquetball also)
3 brushes (Tooth, ripper and regular brush)
20ft cable (tether)
All documentation

In the end, Spec A was very happy and graced me with a few very special objects that I will treasure forever and they have already found their way to my coin box.

Today is a very special day! April 18th was the day Spec A swore to defend our country and started his military service. It's also the day Spec A received an honorable discharge. AND - it's his wife's birthday! Happy birthday Mrs. Spec A! :-)

Here are the pics I took to remember the day. I will always remember Leonidas (and Sid).

Clean as a Whislte

As promised, Leonidas got his bath and again, did very well! Surprisingly well!. I almost think he actually likes getting a bath!

Not the greatest pictures. 

Looking forward to sending Leonidas home a little later this morning. I know at least one person who is ready for this! :-)

Last 24 hours

In less than 24 hours, Spec A will get to meet Leonidas! I am very excited and looking forward to all the good thing Leonidas will bring for this very special veteran.

Leonidas has been a joy for me to work with and I know he will always remember me for taking him out of the shelter and providing some much needed love and direction. I know Spec A will continue to provide love and support for Leonidas for the rest of his life.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday...

He has really improved a lot with fetching the ball and will bring it to me everytime - he still needs a little coaxing as times, but he does it more and more. 

I also taught him another trick - "Pick up your mess" - or simply "Mess" - when he's eating, he will chomp away and sometimes food will drop on the floor - which of course is messy... :-) Leonidas knows we keep a tidy house and he (like everyone else) has to clean up his mess!

I've tried to teach him to "Pray" before eating, but we just haven't had the time to get this one down-pat yet - Spec A will have to finish this if he wants too. 

Leonidas still has little respect for my property. He has chewed up a couple of my landscape lights and likes to dig. I check on him frequently, so he has not been able to do any major damage - just a scratch on the surface of the lawn really. He knows he's not allowed to do that, but likes to test me... :-) He even chewed up his own sleeping blanket in his crate! He's at home right now and I'm headed that way. I gave him another Ham Bone for him to chew this morning - I expect it will be gone when I get home.

I'll post one more time tonight after his bath with a few final pictures.

Leonidas the Pack Leader

As expected, the older grandkids really liked Leonidas! Kylie (10) even walked him up and down the street. They actually did very well. I neglected to get any action photos - sorry about that.

He is still a big brute and wants to be the center of attention! It will be extremely important for Spec A to establish himself as the pack leader because Leonidas is a very dominant type dog and constantly demonstrates that behaviour.

I believe the only reason he has made so much progress is because he has learned that he is no longer the pack leader (and he forgets and reverts often!) I'm confident that he has always been a pack leader and has never before been anything but a pack leader. However, with that said, he has changed a lot since he has been with me and I need to make sure that Spec A will continue as his pack leader for the best chance of success for both Spec A and Leonidas.

Here are a few more things I've noticed about him:
- will chase his tail
- will chew on anything (including power cords, sticks, landscape lights, etc... )
- like golf balls and chewed the cover off one
- likes to play tug of war and will bring the rope to you when he wants to play
- will now bring a ball back to my hand if he's not distracted
- will poke holes in a tennis ball and even "destroy" them if he's allowed to chew them
- is still shedding - a lot
- will bark at strangers, cats and squirrels, but will let anyone approach and pet him if they are not too scared - the mail lady got out of her truck and came to meet him even after he barked at her from across the street - I think he really liked her and she liked him too

I've told Leonidas many times that if he were a little nicer and showed more manners, more people would pet him - he is just not at that place yet. :-)

I did get him a vest, however, it was WAY too small and he didn't like wearing it anyway. I mentioned before, he also doesn't like wearing a "harness" and much prefers the wide collar. I'm going to try to get him another vest - one that fits and hopefully he will wear. I think this is something that will take a little time for him to get used to and he will - just will take some time.

I think he will get another bath on THR this week.

One week left

I think the timing is going to be perfect! Leonidas is again, a very smart dog. Although I've only have him less than 3 weeks, he has made a significant improvement in almost every area!

He is starting to even gain a little bit of manners! He's not jumping anymore (well, rarely) and is generally more calm (still gets excited at times).

The problem is if I kept him longer, I'm afraid he would become too attached and that's not a good thing for the dog. Leonidas has been through a LOT and this experience has been good for him, but one more transition will again put more stress in his life. And - I kow Spec A is ready for him and because he has experience with dogs, I'm not too concerned about the final transition - just one week from today.

 We were working on fetch again last night and Leonidas will bring whatever he has in his mouth to me now. It was very ironic that Spec A texted me and asked about the same thing as we were in training! Even outside, while tethered, he will bring things to me. I haven't tried again at the tennis courts, but I will this weekend. I just think he's too distracted at this location and not quite ready - it will just take a little more time. I do know Spec A wants him to fetch a frisbee and I know by the end of the summer, Leonidas will be fetching frisbees all over the place.

Here's a picture of me and Leonidas riding back home after last weekend.

He was pretty excited and even jumped into the Yukon without me needing to lift him inside! He's wearing the chain because it's his training collar for walking. I don't use it anymore, but because he was going to be with our friends (a young lady and 15 yr old son), I thought it would be the best idea.

All the grandkids are coming over this weekend and I know the eldest two are really excited to see him. Should be lots of pictures to post on Sunday afternoon or maybe Monday.

Quick update

Leonidas spent Sat night with our friends and he had a GREAT time playing with Maizy - a much smaller dog who also liked to play! They chased each other around and Ms. S sent me a cute video of the antics! Leonidas was glad to see me when I picked him him early Sunday afternoon. This is important because Leonidas has bonded with me pretty quickly (I've really only had him two weeks) and I'm confident he and Spec A will have a very special relationship and I'm really looking forward to that!

Leonidas and I had a little wrestling match last night. He is certainly not bothered by his stitches. Of course, I won the wrestling match, but Leonidas loves to play - and he will play as rough as you want! :-) He never hurt me and is really a very fun dog. I think he would do nothing BUT play if he had the chance!

He pulled out his stitches earlier in the day and his cut from surgery looks really good (almost healed completely).

Leonidas will drink a whole bowl of water (and it's a BIG bowl) in one lapping if he's not distracted and thirsty enough.

He likes steak! (what dog doesn't?) I'm not a fan of giving any dog anything other other than consistent dog food, however, I do know that dogs, like us, like a little variety. So, adding just a little different flavor to the mix doesn't hurt and makes your dog love and appreciate you more!

Leonidas is a great dog and I cannot wait for him to meet Spec A!

Weekend without Leonidas

Pam and I are going to Dobbins this weekend and Leonidas will get to spend some time with a very special friend who also has a dog - I don't expect any issues and it will be a good test as Spec A has other pets as well. Leonidas has met a few other dogs and people as we walk and has always been very friendly and never aggressive.

He weighed 76 lbs at the vet. I meant to put that stat up earlier. Also, he was microchipped and is registered on Petlink in my name (because that's the way I had to do it) and we will transfer ownership to Spec A later (easy to do).

He slept great last night and so did we - no licking where he's not supposed to and the stitches look great. Still a hairy mess (sheds a lot) but it's expected this time of year.

Also found out he likes Publix fried chicken! :-) (who doesn't)