today is rowdy’s birthday. he has 1 full year of great dog style under his belt.
we’re going to the dog park in a bit, and then he’s going to get a cheeseburger.
there was a lot riding on rowdy being a good dog. i had begged, i mean buhhhegged, for a dog for over 3 years. like an 8 year old. and brian treated me as such, saying no, and who’s going to walk it? and it’s a big responsibility.
i did extensive dog research. brian received an onslaught of dog related emails for the better part of a year. every day. he eventually caved, after i presented him with a carefully researched dog selection sale pitch.
i decided on a standard schnauzer because they seemed like the perfect dog. they live a long time, they have no real health problems. they are delightfully medium sized but can do big dog things. they don’t shed. they get along with people and other animals. they love to be included in car rides, family outings, vacations, – which was key because i was going to be taking the dog to work with me everyday.
and true to my research, rowdy has been all of these things. and in the interest of providing more googleable info for standard schnauzers, here’s some more:
-rowdy does not eat cats. he coexists just fine with 3 of them, and is possibly becoming besties with paris. they pal about and bother each other equally.
-rowdy can swim, and loves to. he can fetch as well as any retriever, but doesn’t have the weird obsession/fixation with the toy like some dogs do.
-rowdy can learn a new trick within 20 minutes – he’s super smart
-he loves boating and has no hesitation standing on the bow of the boat in dog figurehead capacity.
-he does bark when someone knocks on the door, or a visitor shows up. it’s not a mean bark, but an alerting bark. standard schnauzers were clearly bred to be watch dogs. he sleeps right in front of the door every night.
-he loves to ride in the car.
-he does need grooming, but we’ve done it ourselves which usually results in a white trash look.
-he loves meeting other dogs much more than he loves meeting new people.
-he will dart at squirrels and other small animals when he’s out – and i haven’t found a way to stop that.
-he was phenomenal to bring to work, even as a puppy. he slept most of the day and happily chewed a bone when he was awake.
-he didn’t have much of a puppy phase – there were a few casualities like sunglasses, pillows, flip flops and camera cords, but overall, he was very mature as a puppy and handled himself very well. he was out free dogging at night in less than 2 months.
so if you’re thinking of getting a dog, i vote standard schnauzers. they are next to impossible to find, but very much worth it when you finally bring your bearded friend home.
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