Saturday, October 18, 2008

puppy school

For Jenny, who has the "puppy bug." DJ and I have a dog. He's a Welsh Cardigan Corgi named Ignatius J. Reilly (he goes by Reilly most of the time.)
Here he is last September, when we first brought him home. The breeder told us to duct-tape his ears until the muscles and cartilage firmed enough to hold those enormous satellites out of his eyes. He didn't seem to mind.

Here is is a few weeks ago, cuddling with his stuffed bear. I love having a dog. Sure, there are the occasional illnesses and midnight barking fits - but DJ and I agree that he is the most entertaining thing in our lives.

PSA: Corgis are cute, but they shed like crazy and have a very particular temperament. Do your research on whatever breed of dog you like! Ours is sweet, energetic, suspicious of strangers and highly motivated by praise and food. He absolutely needs chew toys and games of fetch. Some of those things are breed characteristics, some are just Reilly. Also, the puppy training will take far longer than you ever thought. Invest in a carpet shampooer, and plan on using it regularly for about a year.

1 comment:

JennyLee said...

oh my goodness he is absolutely adorable! i have several breeds that i like but my favorite is a pug. i have done some research on them and apparently they are great apartment dogs. (which is good b/c we will prob be in one for a while longer.) zane would like to get a black lab. i like those too but not as much as a pug. ;) thank you for posting for me!