On Tuesday, Reno the puppy went to the vet, where he was probed, swabbed, vaccinated and dewormed.
The little guy didn’t suffer these indignities quietly, Kindra said, and squirmed and wriggled the whole time.
When it was over, the vet tried to make nice by offering Reno some puppy treats.
He declined.
Wouldn’t take them or even sniff them.
Insight No. 1 into the little guy’s personality: he can hold a grudge. As you may recall, Reno showed up outside
As you may recall, Reno showed up outside our dining room window a week ago Sunday, He’d been dumped on the road, apparently, but made his way to our house, where J.R. the camera-breaking cat spotted him.
After lengthy discussion, we decided to let him stay. Actually, it was a quick decision that we dragged out for appearances’ sake, but hey. Who wants to look soft-hearted?
The trip to the vet provided clarity on a few things:
- He is likely either an Anatolian shepherd mix or a great Pyrenees mix.
Dang. Monroe is a better than average Pyrenees, if not always a great one, and she tips the scales at 92 pounds. Another dog her size will have serious implications for the food bill.
- He is eight or nine weeks old.
This explains why he kept trying to nurse Martin, which caused many growls, threats and nips.
You can tell already that he will be a tall, rangy dog with long legs, which fits the characteristics of an Anatolian.
Kindra has been successful in trying to housebreak the little guy, which I think is remarkable for his age.
He goes outside to do his business probably 90 percent of the time already. He’s dropped a deuce in the house a time or two, but I have been impressed with how quickly he’s caught on.
Insight No. 2: He’s a quick learner.
He weighed nine pounds at the vet’s and is dwarfed by the 92-pound Monroe and 55-pound Martin, yet he spends much of his time trying to play with them as an equal.
He’ll do the “let’s play” stance and yip at them, but is rebuffed almost every time. Martin has growled and Monroe has given him some raised-hair-on-the-back barks, but it doesn’t faze him.
Insight No. 3: He is a fearless little fella.
Reno weighed nine pounds on Tuesday, but was up to 12 on Sunday, which is a 33 percent increase in body weight. And he is noticeably taller. So, I figure he fits the profile of an Anatolian, for sure. One night last week, Kindra and I were
One night last week, Kindra and I were slicing hamburger patties to put in the freezer and three poorly stacked ones fell on the floor.
The patties were the diameter of a 10-pound chub of hamburger and close to an inch thick (I like a meaty hamburger...).
One landed in front of Reno, who was on it in an instant and swallowed it in three chunks. If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. A couple of days later, he refused to take some
A couple of days later, he refused to take some heartworm, flea and tick pills the vet had sent, so Kindra wrapped them in a ball of hamburger and he inhaled them.
So, based on his first week, we may have on our hands a giant dog who will combine with Monroe to eat us into the poor house.
But at least we’ll know how to get him to take his pills.