Just wanted you all to know that Hagrid - aka: Fergus - is doing great.  He is such a gift.  He's already ringing the bell to go out and happily does his business, comes in and "sits/stays" for his treat.  I just about fell over when he did it on the second try (and kept doing it).  What a smartie pants.  He loves his crate and slept through the night last night - unbelievable.  

(Photo #1:  Fergus, Crown Prince of Gibsonia.  "I am royalty".  My dog "Gibson" died at Xmas and he is internationally known as the King of Gibsonia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb6TbjiLu2o).  So, little Fergus has a big collar to fill.  He is definitely up to the challenge.)

He is such a relaxed guy - he's sleeping at my feet right now (under the desk) after a quick drive to the store.  He loves the car - just curls up on the heated seats.  He's having a bit of trouble picking his favorite toy though, since he has so many to choose from.  At the moment it’s a stuffed squirrel that’s only a little smaller than he is.  My two Siamese are enthralled with him.  They haven't officially kissed yet, but because he's so gentle and isn't chasing them, it'll be soon.  My youngest (1) is itching to play with him.

(Photo #2:  Another day at the office. "I love this place ..."  A colleague stopped by and he got some special attention.)

I had him to my vet yesterday and they did a full check and said he's A+.  He got the rest of his shots and another round of dewormer.  Like the little trooper he is, he didn't even flinch.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for my new best friend.  I hazard to say, he couldn't be happier.  

Cheers,

Joanne

(Photo #3:  "Who?  Me?  Never ..."  We just came in from playing in the yard.  He just found out about birch bark - notice his front paws.)

Update March '10 ...

He is growing like a weed.  His first day with me he was 9k.  Last week he weighed in at 21k.  He's still all paws and ears - but his nose has popped out.  I've done some research on his peculiar features and my bet is he is actually a "Labernese" and not a Lab/Bouvier cross.  His personality, paws, tongue and head have unique Bernese tendencies.  Funny, when I looked at his original French birth record his breed was written "Bouvier Bernois"... Guess what? In English this is Bernese Mountain Dog.  So I think the big mystery is solved.

His intelligence continues to amaze me.  He comes, sits, stays, heels and plays find the toy like a pro - well ok, he is part Lab so his "come" is starting to need work.  He is developing a bit of a stubborn streak.  But nothing a treat doesn't fix.  Thank heavens he is food motivated.  I'm looking forward to getting us into some obedience classes this spring/summer.  I'd like to see if we'd be a good Search and Rescue team.

His laid-back personality is also something new to me (after 15 yrs with a Dalmatian/aussie).  He is quite happy to find a spot and chill out.  He is great with kids - very gentle and patient.  He's not a barker, but definitely knows his job is to keep watch over the house.  He lets me know if something's amiss. 

Other animals?  He is good with my two Siamese.  He loves playing with them.  It's quite funny to see a 10lb Siamese boss him around.  He goes to Tail and Trails for day care at least 2x week.  He loves it.  He gets to play with other dogs all day.  He has a best friend next door - Oscar the 7mth old Aussie/Doodle - who he goes to "camp" with.  Both he and Oscar are inseparable playmates and they both defer to Oscar's housemate, Chloe, the 15yr old Golden, which is very neat to watch.  Fergus is definitely a dog's
dog.  He seems to get along with all my neighbourhood and visiting pups.  He's even been invited to friends' houses because he's so good.  As for other animals?  So far he hasn't paid too much attention to my squirrels, birds or chipmunks.  We'll see how long that lasts.   

Cheers

P.S.  And here are a couple of bumper stickers for the car and house:

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