From what we gathered, Labs are excellent family‚dogs. They are also supposed to be intelligent, loyal, playful, and only grow to be about 50 to 70 pounds; but, as the old saying goes, that was then and this is now. Our dog, Sadie, is large: she is certainly over one-hundred pounds. If she were human, she would strongly resemble an offensive lineman for a professional football‚team. She has the temperament of a puppy; and, considering her size, this can sometimes create trouble. If allowed, she would gladly hop up in your lap. For some reason, she seems to consider herself a lap dog, but the only lap dog she could be is some product of a nuclear accident in a bad fifties movie. With her coal black fur glistening in the sun like a velvet cloak, Sadie lazes around the yard for a good part of the day. However, when I round the corner of the house and she spots me, she runs toward me with all the speed she can muster. For an instant, she resembles a miniature lydesdale, quickly building momentum as she comes closer and closer. At times such as this, a flashback of the intro to "The Flinstones" comes to mind. I can just imagine her launching into the air, ending up with her licking my face as she stands on my chest. Luckily, her jumping has been curtailed, which took months of correcting when she was younger. Labrador Retrievers were originally bred as hunting dogs. They are thought of by some to be the consummate companion on long treks through the countryside. With their finely tuned senses, Labs are forever alert and persistent when on the hunt. Although this would come to a great shock to anyone who saw her one day, snoozing in the grass as dozens of birds surrounded her. All the while, she was apparently oblivious to them. You may think that this was an isolated incident, but I have also seen her sitting disinterestedly in the shade of a tree as a squirrel took a leisurely stroll through the yard. Only after the fuzzy little creature had left the area did she get up and investigate the path on which he had taken across her domain. Late one Saturday afternoon, I happened to be in the kitchen of my home, which faces the back yard, when I heard Sadie barking at something. From the intermittent bouts of barking, I beheld a sight which amazed me. She was standing as still as a statue chiseled out of granite. The only movement that came was when she would bark several times in succession. The sound seemed to build deep inside her barrel-like chest and then explode into the crisp spring air, causing a low echoing effect off the surrounding houses. She looked intensely through the hardened eyes of a huntress. Her inbred instincts seemed to have finally emerged, but this thought was soon dashed. For the object of her ardent attention was not that of a bird or other small animal, it was instead a cuddly, toy teddy bear that had been left carelessly on a large piece of play equipment by a neighbor girl. When the little bear did not react to Sadie's repeated attempts at scaring it, she gave up and went about her normal routine. I was left disappointed, but at least my family would be safe from any savage, stuffed animals should they ever try to attack us while we sleep. When we chose a Labrador Retriever as a pet, we knew in advance that they were "chewers." They are always trying to find something on which to gnaw. With our Lab, this is especially true. It took three times of repairing chewed through television cable before we gave up, and the cable was routed around the corner of the house. This just happened to be outside of her fenced area, and well away from her bothersome chewing. She enjoys chewing so much, in fact, that I have even seen her going to town on a small diameter log as if it were the finest of rawhide chew bones from the pet supply store. Yes, this can be irksome, but it makes for a great reminder for the children when it comes time to clean up their play things. Indeed, Sadie is a dog in every sense of the word; however, like all dogs, she can sometimes display human-like characteristics that give you an eerie feeling. For example, one evening, after our sons were fast asleep in their beds, my wife and I noticed a sound of snoring. At first, we assumed it was one of our sons, but we were mistaken. With focused attention, and to our surprise, the sound was coming in from the garage. It seemed as if our dog was snoring like an old man after a night-long drinking binge. When I think back to the day when we brought our puppy home, I sometimes wonder where that playful little imp has gone. However, I only have to watch her frolic with the children to know that she is still with us. Even though she has grown so large, she will always be a baby at heart. |
| Sadie: The Eternal Puppy | The Time Traveler |
| My Family Vacation | The Marriage |
Now take me home
daddy!