Hi
Smokey has been renamed Jonah. He's doing really well and seems to have settled in nicely. His "history" papers made me think I would have to potty-train him and teach him the basics, but he's a natural. He has not slipped up even once. He's very good with kids and does not jump up on anybody. He doesn't really seem to bark much either. The first few nights he didn't eat, but as of saturday, he's been chowing down frequently. He's very affectionate too. I brought him to work yesterday afternoon so that everyone could see him. He laid down and showed his belly to everyone. Obviously, he got a lot of attention.
It's amazing how well behaved he is. I left my supper on the coffee table about 2 feet away from him to get a drink from the kitchen. When I came back, he was still sitting in the same spot!
When my nieces and I were putting up the Christmas tree, he just found a comfortable spot and watched us.
He's very friendly toward everyone, but sometimes seems a little bit afraid of men.
I have a fenced-in backyard, and he loves to go back there in hopes that he'll catch a squirrel. He may be a little overzealous about it, but nobody's perfect. I moved the doghouse away from the fence so he can't use it as a launching pad to go over the fence. When we walk, he pulls really hard when he sees another dog, so I'm trying to work with him on that. He's very strong.
The vet saw him yesterday and thought perhaps the area of the neutering was a bit irritated, so I'll keep checking him for the next week or so. The vet thinks he is at least 3 years old, and is definitely part Chow because of the 2-color tongue. His best guess is that he's Chow, Labrador and German shepherd....maybe Newfoundland too.
I'll definitely send you a Christmas picture of him soon. I'll attach it to an email.
He's a wonderful dog and I think he's really happy in his new home. I couldn't have picked a better dog.
Debra