About Me

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Native Californian, biologist, wildlife conservation consultant, retired Smithsonian scientist, father of two daughters, grandfather of 4 small primates. INTJ. Believes nature is infinitely more interesting than shopping malls. Born 100 years too late.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

New family member



Fred is our new family member.

His mother, Roxie, who lives up the road, is a border collie. I pay her visits and know her well.

His father is a black lab, we think.

Roxie wasn't supposed to get pregnant, but you know how it is these days.

I visited Fred and his 6 siblings for the past week and a half--observing and testing their personality traits. Then we played.

There's nothing like a pile of puppies on your chest and puppy breath.

I decided I wanted a female. We are used to women in this family.

But Fred liked me more than the other pups. He wanted to chew my ears.

While the other pups slept or horsed around, he followed me and looked at me with deep admiration. Codgers aren't used to that.

So Fred picked me.

Yesterday I took him for his first walk, 2-miles -- a bit long for a seven-week pup, but he was at my heels the whole time.

I have great plans for Fred, so you'll be hearing more about him.



Thanks, Brenda and Tom. You're great neighbors.

12 comments:

ViewMan said...

Congratulations, Chris. I notice the resemblance to you my sahib!

Ross

Mr. Smiley said...

Good choice. I think you two will be happy together. Stay clear of those Pumas!
DR

DDeden said...

Puppy cam!

Anonymous said...

He's adorable. And Border Collie and Lab? That sounds like a genetic mix that just screams "smart dog".

Camera Trap Codger said...

He went to a puppy socialization class this evening. He wouldn't leave the Bassett hound's ears alone, and then started to fell humpy. After that he wanted to suckle, but they were all males. It made for an interesting evening.

Anonymous said...

Chris you and Fred/Bruiser are a perfect match. He is a lucky little guy. He knew what he was doing when he adopted you. Wow he is so smart. If you know any GOOD homes let us know as he has 3 brothers and 1 sister. Brenda

Tiger777 said...

Hi
Congratulations on your new pup, he very cute. I have a nine week old pup and they are hard work but worth every minute, enjoy.

Beverly said...

I have to applaud anybody who does their homework before taking on a dog. Obviously you have done that…enough to consider the temperament of the breed(s) from which the pup hails, but also the temperament of the specific dog.

I wanted a dog when I moved to my cabin; a people friendly yet protective dog…somewhat independent. And I wanted to rescue a young adult. I did a ton of research and found my dog a couple hundred miles away. I’ll tell you, for my purpose, an Akbash Dog was perfect. In a lot of ways he’s like a cat…he’ll come stand next to me so I can pet and adore him while we ‘bond’, but he’s not at all interested in playing ball or doing tricks. He looks at me like he’s saying: “Fetch? You threw it away, you go get it!” OR “Come? Can’t you see I’m busy here?”

On the other hand, he once alerted me to a Lynx crossing our property and getting just too close to ‘his’ cabin and another time kept a double-tagged bear out of the meadow in front of the place...all by himself. He’s not an attack dog and hasn’t hurt any of those animals…but he has his ways of discouraging even bears from entering his domain. I like that in him…as before I got him, a bear did rip a window off and come right into the cabin! Never again…

My ‘working dog’ is a lot different than yours; but I’m confident you got exactly what you were looking for…and that’s way cool. I bet you two become inseparable and that’s always good for a dog…and a guy.

I like his sweet tippy-white-parts; all four feet, tail and under his chin. While he looks very Lab-ish, he also looks a lot like mama, huh? What fun. It’s a good thing you are so much on the go, I could never handle a Boarder Collie. It will be fun watching you two grow-up together. :)

Tami Weingartner said...

Oh Fred you little beauty!

Camera Trap Codger said...

Thanks for the enthusiastic comments. This little guy sure is a lot of fun, and he already sits on command . . . well sometimes anyway, when he's not goofing off. The early morning reunion is something to see and even more to experience.

Owlman said...

Chris
You and Fred are a great duo and I can't wait to read the stories that will result from your partership checking camera traps. You know what they say "a man's best friend".
Congratulations Codger.

Anonymous said...

Wait, "You know how it is these days?" No, I don't know how it is that someone hasn't got their dog spayed and is letting it breed accidentally. There's just no excuse for that with all dogs languishing in shelters and being killed for no good reason. Ok, I got that off my chest. Congratulations on your adorable pup, he's one of the very lucky ones in this world. Most "accidental" pups are not so lucky.