a big pup

doggie and humans: just before adoption, and four+ months after.

sam seems to have grown a little since we got him. first i thought it was simply him getting more confident, not to mention better fed, as his former loving owner had kept him quite skinny. however, when we noticed that he could now comfortably rest his head on a dining table he previously had to jump up to reach, we knew it was true: our pup has been growin.

sam has retained a lot of his youthful playfulness, which can on occasion be rather annoying in a dog so huge. he'll casually pull down coats and rip them to shreds -- mostly, we're able to channel this skill into an old carpet in the garden, but sometimes he gets a kick and forgets that clothes are not his toys.

today, he decided that my daughter's sweater would be good fun to chase and worry. unfortunately, the sweater was still on my daughter. while he the time of his life tugging at her sleeve, she wanted the sweater and herself to stay where they were, and not be dragged about. i came flying to the rescue, like an avenging mother, and trod (with bare feet) on a pair of sharp tacks which were lying scattered (by playful doggie, no doubt) in the garden.

while i was rather angry, that darned dog was caught in a mix of exuberant playfulness and fear of the great leaderess. he danced about while i was trying to catch him, then banged himself about to get loose. big heavy dog on my frail musician's hands equals hurt hands.

i almost felt like locking the door and throwing away the key after i'd thrown him into the garden shed to calm down a little. but i didn't, i just closed it. after some time, and some whining and thrashing, sam managed to open the door and sauntered out. cowed? perhaps. still full of fun and games? you betcha!