My new dog, Brian.

Happy New Year! Finally, I'm back on line. Thank you all for tolerating my crazy cat lady type vent that I posted the other day. I was flustered, so don't think I was too crazy. It was just an odd and flustered way to start the new year, especially when I had such plans to do some work over the break.

But I digress.

This happened.

A co-worker promised to get me a dog for the new year and a few weekends ago, we went down to the LA shelter to look at what they had. After Rosy died, I decided to take a brake from animals for a while, but soon the urge kept creeping up and I felt it was time to see what the shelter system had to offer.

Meet Brian. We got to the shelter with about ah hour before they closed. I looked at a black chow mix first, but she seemed deaf and unresponsive to people, so I decided no on her. I saw brian curled up in his kennel, toward the front instead of the back where the dog bed was. He looked up at people and whined when some people passed by. "Ah," my friend said, "he wants to be around people."

I didn't get a chance to meet with him when we were there because the shelter was closing. From his sheet, he wouldn't have been available for adoption until the next day. I went home that night and just kept thinking about him. His temperament was amazing. He was so calm and cool.

I got up bright and early the next day and went back down there to meet him, and then decided I had to have him. He had to be neutered and I had him kenneled for the rest of the week until I could get him on Friday and have him for the whole weekend.

Brian was a mello boy who seemed to have been a back yard dog. The shelter didn't know his history, only that he was found as a stray. From having him I know he has never been walked on a leash. He was not house broken either and upon entering the home, took a big dump on the floor :) Baby steps, I say.

He seems to like a folded comforter to sleep on. He moves around a lot. :)

Look at those massive paws! He's about 89 pounds now, and could stand to gain a good 15-20 pounds more. His neck is like a tree trunk, so I knew a halti would be the best thing for him. The shelter says he's a bull mastiff mix. I think he's more an English mastiff/shar-pei mix, possibly. His snout is too long to be a bull mastiff, I think. He's really coming along with walking, and as I learn his bathroom habits, he's only had one other accident in the apartment. He's a 'marker', meaning he pees a little on everything everywhere we walk, so it takes a good 10 pees to get it all out of him. :)

That's his dinner on his nose.

He was pretty grimy for a while. I had to wait until his neuter stitches were healed until I could get him to the groomer.

Here he is all shiny and silky post groomer!

His personality is still emerging, and I only heard him bark for the first time ever! He does not like skate boarders, and when one zoomed by us the other day, he barked! Ha! Good boy! :)

We are learning each other and getting acclimated. He's a mellow boy, and did well at the groomers. She said he was a perfect gentleman, and was very good with the other dogs. Yay! That's my boy! Brasco, my cat has finally decided Brain can stay. He has a doctor appointment next saturday to get an all around check up, his neuter stitch out, and to look at his eyes which are a bit red. He's also put on a bit of weight the week I've had hime home. At the shelter, he inhaled his food, and I could tell they only fed him the bare minimum. I give him a bit more than what he needs until he's built up a good weight. 

I think Brian and I are going to have a grand adventure together.

Happy New Year!