Our Feature pet is – Leo

A 5 year old Golden Labrador

Furkid Mother, Jodie introduces our feature pet.

After much deliberation, we went to have a look at Labrador pups after seeing an add in the paper from a registered breeder just west of Grafton. I was so keen to get a puppy, but Billy (human Dad) took a little bit of persuading. There was a beautiful litter of about 6 Lab pups. I automatically went to pick up the smallest one for a cuddle, just assuming I would take the runt of the litter and the littlest one. He was very cute. But there was a little guy just looking up with these adorable yet playful eyes & Billy noticed him, so we picked him up after for a cuddle & it was instant Love. This little fella was a bit bigger but just so gorgeous, and he just snuggled in both our arms and we melted & were sold. A week later we went to pick up our Leo, 8 weeks old. The most adorable little guy he was, and still is, albeit a rascal at times, but so very very lovable.

When we first got Leo, we did take him to puppy school for training. He did pass the training which was great, and we then went on to the next level of further training for a few weeks. We tried to keep up the training we had learned at home and on our walks etc.. Still sometimes walking on the lead he pulls, especially when he is full of energy after he has rested all day & we’ve been at work. Soooooo much energy, but full of welcoming love and affection when we pull up in the driveway.
My regret is not teaching Leo more road sense. We walk him twice a day. In the mornings before work for about 25-30 minutes and the same in the afternoon during the weeks. Sometimes we are in a hurry in the mornings, look ourselves for traffic on autopilot, whereas we should stop so Leo can sit and then cross when no cars so he may come to realize & get into a good habit to stop & sit when it comes to crossing a road.
The other thing I did not stick to was the sleeping arrangements, Leo to sleep in the laundry at night. We tried it a lot when he was a puppy, but he always ended up coming into our room and sleeping on the floor. So we put his bed on our bedroom floor, and he sleeps there every night, or if too hot he will sleep in the hallway on the floorboards where cooler and a cross breeze from the windows.
On weekends we take him to the beach for a big long walk and which involves a swim. He loves jumping the waves and will always swim, (oh ok then dog paddle ha ha!) out to where Billy and I swim. He is always by our side in the surf as I get the feeling he might think we will get into some trouble out there. I only like to stay in the shallows, so we don’t venture out too far. Plus I do worry about Leo getting dumped by waves so we stay where I can stand.

Leo has always loved playing soccer and kicking the ball, while also having a toy in his mouth, multi-tasking master. If I sit on the floor in loungeroom or outside on the grass, he is there and sits on my lap. It’s very cute & he has done this now for about 4 years. He is a very sociable furbabe. Oh my goodness, if he sees or senses a dog walking behind us, he will often just stop our walk & sit until the other dog catches up to just sniff or say hello. Very friendly, but sometimes annoying ;-)) it’s like stop start, stop start. I wouldn’t change him for the world, though. He so loves to play with other dogs on the beach or wherever we are. There is one dog at Emerald Beach that he will growl and get his hackles up. It is only ever this one dog. It’s a little embarrassing & it may be because when he was about 1 year old, a similar dog almost attacked him on 2 occasions. He may think this is the same dog and now he is grown up he can stand up for himself.

Leo eats his dinner about 5.30pm, and when we have ours about 7 pm, he gives us the look of being starving and wants what we have to eat as well. It must smell delicious because the drool that starts is not very enticing, so we try to ignore this and eventually he gets the hint and goes and lies down. In a huff, I must say haha!

The times spent with Leo is so very special. I miss him when I come to work, and if we go away, I can’t wait to get back to see him again. They get into your heart, and you soon come to realize you just can’t live without them. They are loyal, great listeners, never judgemental, very comforting & loving and in return, just a pat and some acknowledgment from us and they are tail-waggingly happy.
The brightest part of my day is seeing the big fella when I get home.
I hope you have enjoyed meeting our boy, Leo.
Jodie

 

ps: too many pictures for me to choose so here is a couple more.