A Year Ago Today...

I picked up "Mr. D" from the GDB kennels. I remember walking into the kennel kitchen, seeing the bag with "Don" written on it, and being handed my first puppy. I could only hold him for a few minutes before I was overtaken by his weight. Today, Don is now 14 months (and 68 lbs!). I swear, this pup doesn't stop growing! At every puppy meeting, people see Don and say, "hey- I didn't think you could get any BIGGER!"

Looking back at the year we've spent together, Don has improved in so many ways. From the headstrong "Mr. Beasty" who'd mouth and mouth away- to the well traveled "big boy" who is so calm on outings, reliable anywhere we go, and a lot better with distractions, Don has definitely matured. But, he will always be Don. Yes, he still isn't that big on affection, and on the occasion decides stealing something would be great fun (but now he drops it when I saw "no")

Today, the official 1 year mark that I have had Don, we went on an outing downtown and Don's accomplishments were so evident. I love how he watches me so carefully, matching my pace exactly. And he's still as confident as ever! Little phases him, even the noisy train that zoomed past us today. We're definitely getting somewhere with all our dog distraction practice, I can tell Don is trying his hardest to look away from the dogs.

Below are some "baby" pictures:

He's begun to show affection in his own "Don" way: resting his head on my lap, giving me "kisses" and doing his "happy ears" when I come home.
In honor of today, a couple of things I love about Don:

1. The adorable little grunting noises he makes in his sleep

2. His size!

3. His sense of adventure- how he's always ready to get outside and GO!

4. His handsome face and coloring

5. How smart he is- I accidentally taught him the word breakfast and dinner; he's also learned to recognize the sounds of our prius beeping and looks around for my mom when he hears it, even if it's not our car :)

6. How fast he charges towards me when he hears the word "come"

7. How excited he gets when he finds someone is hide and go seek or when I bring out his jollyball

8. He is so NOT a morning pup- he wakes up at 11 a.m.- and even then he'd rather stay curled up on his bed. Also, he always stretches 3 times before walking upstairs.

9. His big smile!

Below is me holding Don one morning last year, getting ready to take him out to go potty.

Me: "good morning, Don." Don: grunt, grunt, grrroan (these noises are so cute) This is how Don looks every morning- eyes half closed and curled up into a really tight ball in the back of his cage. [below]: stretching 3 times is a must for Don in the morning!

Who knows where Don will go in the future- whether it be guide, pet, or some other career! Don has improved so greatly, and that's what matters most!

Love you, big boy!