Bekki & I are very fortunate to have two wonderful dogs. They are a constant source of entertainment, frustration, and laughter. We lovingly refer to them as "The Lads" which came from Magnum PI, if you are old enough to remember back that far. So, The Lads are as follows
Hondo
Hondo is a pure-bread Shiba Inu that came to us from a breeder in Minnesota. We did a lot of research before choosing a Shiba as they have a cat-like nature and can be difficult to train. We then did a lot MORE research to find a breeder and the right dog with the right temperament. So, sight unseen we bought a dog and I have to say he is marvelous.
His full AKC name is Mondo Hondo Kuma Inu Lord Farquaad. A funny name I know, but the meaning is this: He is a VERY BIG DOG in a 20 pound package. Hence
Mondo Hondo.
Kuma Inu means 'bear dog' in Japanese and just look at him, and you will see why this was included. Lastly there is Lord Farquaad, again a humorous reference to his big heart in a little package.
Hondo is currently a little over 2 years old, and he is becoming a wonderful adult dog. His training is coming a long a little slowly, mostly because of his breed. Shibas tend to be very cat-like and thus a little harder to train than a lot of other dogs. He is currently studying to pass his AKC Good Citizen test, and then onwards to the Therapy Dog Certification. We expect wonderful things from Hondo.
Jethro
About a year after getting Hondo Bekki started yearning for another dog, and a bigger dog. She and her family have always have bigger hunting dogs, specifically Weimierimers, so sitting on the couch one Christmas Day she came across a picture on the
SPCALA website. I heard a gasp, and her hand went to her chest, and I knew we were about to have an addition. To her credit she played it very well, and we went through the motions of going down to see other options before meeting Kringle as he was named by the shelter. Long story short, we now have Jethro, our wonderful AmStaff.
Jethro is just over a year, and is exactly where we expected him to be at this stage. Is is still 'mostly' puppy and wants to explore all new things, but he is just old enough to know what he is supposed to do and most of the time he does it. He walks brilliantly on a loose leash, and he is going to be a fabulous dog once he has matured another year or two.
This is our first Pitbull, and I have to say I am stunned at how much utter nonsense and completely false information there is out there about these wonderful dogs. They are not killers. They are not monsters. They are wonderful loving dogs that will do anything for their people. They are also incredibly powerful dogs that need special precautions. The political and social mess these dogs now face is because of one simple issue - irresponsible owners. Dogs will do what dogs do unless their owners teach them otherwise. Please do not support breed bans, they do not work and only punish the dogs and the responsible owners that keep them and love them.
