Well, Harris has now been in his new home for a month.  He has grown a couple of inches, gained a few pounds and had his booster and rabies shots.  He's tall and lanky with a long body and weighing in at 21.3 kg (46 lbs.).  He is often smiling and why not, he's gotten me trained to take him out for 3 hours or more a day to play with new 4-legged friends.

We started obedience training a few weeks ago and Harris is a bit better at learning than I am!  He likes "working" outings - he'd make a good tracker as his nose is often at ground level as he trots/walks/runs and so, we're working hard on the "leave it" command ... especially as he has become quite the connoisseur of mushrooms.

Often our walks take us on wonderful grounds at a nearby hospital and he has captured the hearts of many wheelchair-bound patients.  He's terrific with them and so, Harris is working at becoming a therapy dog - a volunteer to bring some smiles to the faces of those who can't be out and about.  

The only "issue" we have is that Harris refuses to get into the car.  He's fine once I lift him in and is able to jump out but he wants no part of getting in.  Must have a bad memory of something there but I am confident he will get over it.

It is wonderful to have a new dog.  My old pal had to be put down a year ago, so things in my life seem "right" again - and with a wonderful, joyful, happy, calm pup I couldn't ask for more.

We'll keep you posted!

Update November '09 ...

An update on Harris - a young German Shepherd mixed breed I adopted from you in July 2008.

Harris has matured into a remarkable, gentle dog who is now on his way to Therapy Dog training.  He has been a joy to train, no doubt the result of his mixed working dog breeding.  We have completed beginners, intermediate, advanced and super-advanced obedience plus a trick course and now, agility.  We soon begin the Canine Good Citizen training that will then carry into the Therapy Dog training.  He scored a 94 on his tough advanced trials.  

His calm but inquisitive nature has been a delight for me - and for anyone we meet.  He enjoys romping with friends on daily walks and at Day Camp (at PetSmart).  He's getting over his passion for dashing after squirrels and bunnies as the "leave it" command becomes engrained!  He's added immeasurably to my life on a daily basis ... although he still refuses to jump into the car (and on that, he's been consistent since the day I got him ... would love to know why he's so spooked about getting into a car and an unbelievable number of efforts to change that have not worked ... so far!).

Update March '10 ...

Harris has finally decided that getting into the car is no big deal (pieces of chicken hot dogs helped).  It's taken a year-and-a-half to overcome whatever happened to him with a car before I adopted him.  Success is sweet! 

On March 8th, Harris passed his Canine Good Neighbour test.  A miss on any one of the 12 test elements is automatic failure on the whole test, so we are both pretty proud of this achievement.

He's an awesome, calm and gentle dog who is maturing so well (just a bit over 2 years old now).  He really likes to be "working" - whether it's obedience class, playing, munching on a marrow bone or drooling over squirrels (you've got to love the "leave it" command).  Before we begin therapy dog training, we are going to try our hand at Rally Obedience which I am sure we are both going to enjoy.  

Update June ’10 …

Harris continues to enjoy life!  We finished the first level of Rally Obedience which was lots of fun for both of us.  We are now half-way through our first therapy dog training class and he shows promise of being a remarkable therapy dog.  We have had some dry runs at the Perley Rehab Hospital which is where we take our morning walks.  He has brightened the days of several patients in wheelchairs and now has some regular "friends" who rap on their room windows as we go past.

This is Harris in a corner of my family's home in Maine during a visit in May ... the azaleas were beautiful (even though they are not supposed to grow in Maine ... or in Ottawa for that matter).

Harris meets a waterfall at a park in Maine.  He wasn't quite sure what to do about all that white water that kept "running away."  We finally investigated and he was even more puzzled when he batted at the white water and it came right back!
 

Harris ponders the wonders of waterfalls ... or maybe there was something lurking in the underbrush on the opposite shore.

Update October '10 ...

Harris and I are now a certified Ottawa Therapy Dog team.  We passed the gruelling 15-part evaluation test on Oct. 3, 2010.  I am really looking forward to sharing this gentle, calm dog with people in hospital - young and old(er) alike.  I know Harris is going to be a big hit.  So, 2+ years of obedience training has paid off and we move to a new phase, while we continue with Rally Obedience.

This comes after a stressful August with Harris who contracted a terrible bacterial disease (Leptospirosis) although he's vaccinated against it.  He spent 8 days in hospital in very rough shape, but thanks to vets at the animal hospital and a wonderful internal medicine specialist, the diagnosis was made and the right spectrum of antibiotics prescribed.  He lost a lot of weight but has put almost all of it back on ... and, most importantly, there's no damage to any of his internal organs.  He has bounced back and the cooler weather clearly agrees with him as, these days, he seems to have no end to energy.

We also entered our first Rally Obedience competition this month, on Thanksgiving weekend in Brockville.  We won a ribbon and the first qualifying "leg" (of the 3 needed) to earn a title at the Novice Rally O level.  We're continuing with our Rally O training and another tricks class as well.

Getting ready to start our first round ...

and here's the happy boy on Thanksgiving Day ... focused (this time not on obedience competition but on a squirrel) ...

So, a busy October 2010 for us!  I certainly give thanks for Harris coming into my life.

Update December ’10 …

Merry Christmas

Update March ’11 …

March 27, 2011 -  Harris has earned his Rally Novice (cum laude) title.  At a competition on Saturday in Cumberland, he placed 1st and 4th to complete the three qualifying "legs" needed for his title.  We then entered an Advanced event and he placed 2nd - earning the first of the three Q's needed for a title at this level.  It was a long, 12-hour day and both of us were pretty tired when we got home ... but I snapped a quick photo before he took himself off to his bed.

And then, today we had one of our regular visits at the Perley Rideau Veterans' Hospital.  After we got home, I got busy doing some other things but when I walked into the living room, this is what I found.  I'm not sure why he decided to empty out his toy box, but it probably seemed like a good idea to a very tired boy!

A classic "morning-after-the-night-before" picture.

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