We're Proud Parents of This Little Fella!

[JardinPrayer]

:yipee: :greenjoy: :yipee: :greenjoy: :yipee: :greenjoy: :yipee: :greenjoy::yipee: :greenjoy: :yipee: :greenjoy:
His name is Benjamin.

[Brandalf85]

:yipee: :greenjoy: :yipee: :greenjoy: :yipee: :greenjoy: :yipee: :greenjoy::yipee: :greenjoy: :yipee: :greenjoy:
His name is Benjamin.

Has he been on the island all his life? :wink:

Cute dog, Jardin!

[JardinPrayer]

Has he been on the island all his life? :wink:

Cute dog, Jardin!

:rofl: That's what he says, but I don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth.

[Sparko]

Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you, my friend, will see
You've got a friend in me
(you've got a friend in me)

Ben, you're always running here and there
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's one thing you should know
You've got a place to go
(you've got a place to go)

I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to
I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben
(a friend) Like Ben
(like Ben) Like Ben

[Alien]

Welcome to a wonderful loving home, Benjamin.

Avoiding the following will show your gratitude ...

Chewing the furniture.
Peeing on the carpet.
Whimpering all night.

[mossrose]

:loves:

2 new pups!

:thumb:

[JardinPrayer]

Well, we're trying to give the stray MinPin to the rescue people, but they are strangely uncommunicative today. So, we may end up with 2 pups for a while. That is certainly more than I bargained for!

Sparko...that is a song about a rat. Quit it!

Tony...I know you are intimately familiar with dog rearing. And, I meant that in the nicest way!

[Sparko]

Sparko...that is a song about a rat. Quit it!



a rat? Well, in that case, if you keep the little pooch you could rename him Ben and give a more appropriate name to your Lab, like "Killer"

[JardinPrayer]

We've decided that his short name will be "Benj," rather than Ben or Benji.

[JardinPrayer]

We have no air conditioning for the third day (waiting on a new compressor), the MinPin is still here (the rescue service has gone radio silent - :huh:) and Benjamin doesn't get potty training at all, but he did vomit up his breakfast and then growl at me when I tried to prevent him from eating it. My sister says he's probably used to competing for food. I re-fed him breakfast in a small bowl and he seemed to understand it was just for him.

He doesn't whine too much...just for a few seconds here and there...when in the crate. He seems to know his name already.

We are in love, though I am doing a lot of floor cleaning in a very warm house. Off to take a cool shower.

Here are pics (http://picasaweb.google.com/lerhorn/BenjaminSFirstDayHome?authkey=wyr9-65KV1k) in case you didn't see them in the self-pics thread.

[gharfish]

Aww, what a cute little rascal. I like them !

[JardinPrayer]

A few more taken just moments ago:

[Nicholas]

Awww, in that one pic he looks like he wants to play with the minpin. I'm pretty sure Benj is giving what I've heard called a "play bow", which our one bigger dog uses when he wants to play with someone.

[JardinPrayer]

Yes...he tries so hard to play with the "other puppy," but my old man wants nothing to do with this frivolity!

[Nicholas]

Yes...he tries so hard to play with the "other puppy," but my old man wants nothing to do with this frivolity!

They'll probably learn to get along, and if he doesn't play with the puppy, your cats might. We used to have a dog and cat that would play and wrestle with each other, and the dog in question was rescued, although he wasn't as old as littlebuddy is when they found him.

Also, I think I may have said this in another thread, but as our dog Indy is getting older and developing problems (details in the canine alzheimers (http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showthread.php?t=110094) thread) but is suddenly getting along well with the cat when the other dogs aren't there, whereas before he was more aggressive. So there might be some chance that your cats might actually provide him some companionship if they get used to him.

[JardinPrayer]

My cat Sarah was just weaned and brought home from the shelter when she met our 5-year-old yellow Lab, Lady. One of her first acts of acclimating to her new environment was to climb into Lady's bowl of dry food and sit there...while Lady ate! They bonded instantly and played together constantly. I know Sarah misses her dog and she is always much more willing to come sniff things out than Brian, my old man cat. I think Sarah and Benj will be great friends.

LittleBuddy only growls now if Benj pushes things too far...he's already allowing more sniffing and the occasional enormous puppy paw on his back.

[JardinPrayer]

Well, we had our first trip to the vet yesterday and I am SO impressed with my little fella! He sat in the passenger seat like a gentleman and just...well...sat there for the whole trip (about 5 miles). He was hesitant to enter the office, but I let him take his time and step over the threshold himself. Thresholds seem to freak him, even when there's no door there. If it is unexplored territory, he's quite timid. But, once that invisible barrier has been broken, there's no stopping him!

Of course, everyone at the vet fell instantly in love with him...there is just nothing like a Lab puppy. He did not squirm or yelp when he had his temperature taken, his fecal sample collected, or his booster shot administered. He gave copious kisses to the vet and the tech. He then sat in the car on the way home and only once tried to climb into my lap, but I scruffed him and told him to sit and he was perfect from then on.

Here are some new pics (http://picasaweb.google.com/lerhorn/BenjaminSFirstDayHome?authkey=wyr9-65KV1k) added to the old album, for your enjoyment.

[JardinPrayer]

Is it me? This is who I saw the moment I first viewed this pic of Benjamin.

[JardinPrayer]

First family portrait and a couple of other cool shots:

[JardinPrayer]

The MinPin rescue people still promise me they will have a new home for Little Buddy in a few days. That will be a help. Benjamin bites his flanks trying to play with him and so there is a LOT of yelping and snarling during play hour. After all, Little Buddy is just a cranky old man and those puppy teeth HURT! I've got little bite marks all over my hands and arms...Craig's earlobe was bleeding after a puppy love moment the other day...so I can imagine what that must feel like on a little old blind doggie. Benj is learning...slowly...but needs to burn off that puppy energy somehow!

So...should I take this to the blogs at this point? I'm really behaving like the new mother of the century, aren't I?

[Alien]

So...should I take this to the blogs at this point? I'm really behaving like the new mother of the century, aren't I?

Nah, if people can have threads to count up to 10,000, you can have this! And yes to your last question. :lol:

I hope the little Min Pin finds a good home. Despite all your efforts, yours is obviously not the best for him now.

Nice pics, keep them coming!

[JardinPrayer]

I've nicknamed Benjamin "Moose," since he is growing in his sleep, apparently! We've had him just 5 and a half weeks and he's gone from 18.2 to 29.4 pounds. Every morning, he looks bigger than he did the night before when we put him to bed! Here are a few comparison shots, the last taken just today. He's looking so...mature...already!

[JardinPrayer]

More comparison shots, just of Benj's head. Look how his snout has grown out!

First shot taken 6/10/08.
Second shot taken 7/17/08.

[JardinPrayer]

Oh, and in case you're not bored, here are a few more from last night (one of Brian just so he knows I still love him:

[Ice Angel]

<3's to the kitten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:hug:


Oh...and a *pat* for the puppy.

[JardinPrayer]

Here's another comparison:

1st shot: June 9
2nd shot: July 17
3rd shot: July 31 (yesterday)

Oh, and you guys get the bonus in the third shot of seeing me with my hair pulled back (it's July in Florida, people!), and my nerdy computer glasses at my home office (from whence come all of my posts)!