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Quick photo update although in this wet it is difficult to get a nice one! Despite it all Mo is perfectly happy in the current rain and wind. He sleeps on the step with the wind blowing back his hair (like a shampoo ad) and rain despite the fact his nice warm, dry bed is only about five metres away inside. He is a big puppy who doesn’t have a clue of his size or impact. His manners are getting better although sometimes it feels like one step forward and two back. However as Sinead reminded me this time last year he had not even been rescued by DID so has come a long way in less than a year.
He is so much better on the road walks now and no longer has a melt down when traffic, tractors or trucks pass us. Weekends are always longer walks and with more time off lead when he can explore with the others. His recall is really good compared to what it was (helped by a treat on come back) but he always brings half the under growth back with him knotted into his coat. We sometimes walk in woodland and I am sure there are other walkers who go home convinced that there are brown bears in Ireland!
The others have now decided he is here to stay and they all end up sleeping in a heap, this has only come in during the last month or so and is really rewarding to see, they have either decided he is one of the family or that he is warm, either way it works.
DID2.jpgLovely photo and fab update thank you for that it is much appreciated.
You could well imagine them being mistaken for brown bears in the woods
Sounds like he is moving on at last, maybe the other dogs were just giving him time. These four legged people are so good at reading body language they would get an A+ if it was an examMo has now been with us a year, as you can see he is well settled! The other day for the first time since his arrival I was able to keep walking with all on the leads when a car went past. Usually we have to stop and wait until they pass as Mo wants to chase, catch and destroy! He will even let jeeps and farm machinery go past with just a little lunge after them, small steps and a lot of patience. He and Mac are getting on a lot better and actually play together now – at last. Mac is still not totally convinced Mo is a good addition to the family but he is always slow to accept change.
Mo’s coat is finally coming in fully and he looks great when brushed and ‘prettied up’. He is two tone at the moment with his long coat on his ears, head and hind quarters a kind of gold-ish and the rest his red/brown colour. As Sinead so rightly said when we collected him – ‘he will be a beautiful dog in a year’.
It has been a mixed year of emotions with him, adding such a big dog – even though he is small for a newfie – to an already settled pack was a bit of a gamble. He is happy with his own company and does not need the pack which sometimes made us feel he was not comfortable with them. However we now realise he just likes doing his own thing and if the others want to be with him great and if not it doesn’t bother him. I think as he grows out of puppy hood he will settle down even more and with luck (and training) his manners will continue to improve.
DID1.jpgA quick photo update. As you can see the following were taken during the summer and show how chilled out Mo has become. He decided he was our son’s dog (it was a mutual decision!) and when Steve left for NZ there was another period of adjustment. Thankfully he is now back on form and such a happy dog. If you have been reading about his history you will know he has had huge problems with farm machinery, well today a tractor run of approx 150 tractors passed our home and he sat on his step and watched them, no stress, no unhappiness. To be honest I think it was over exposure as he was a bit excited with the first 10 or so but then just settled down and watched. He loves his walks and routine and when he is excited he pirouettes in circles. Such a loveable, happy dog who is settling more each day.
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the luckiest, cosiest dog in the world!
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