Jason does come and go through the house during the day and, let me skip to Tuesday real fast, I saved a few clips from the Nest cam, showing how Hank did notice him come into the kitchen, but never said a thing and eventually just sat back down and watched. Hank is in the black crate under the tv.
I come home at noon for lunch, change clothes (so my work clothes don't get smothered in dog hair) and then I've gone outside with the pooches and played. It's been hot here the past few days (summer still lingers) and so in case they were out a lot while I was at work, I filled up a water bowl, the kiddie swimming pool (that Lola and Ringo love) and a 5 gallon bucket. Hank prefers the bucket:
Let's skip back to breakfast time - Tuesday morning, Hank is already getting into the routine:
Here are a few pics of how and where everyone eats, and Hank waiting to be released from breakfast:
Millie is in the crate on the other side of Hank. I monitor the entire breakfast process to make sure no one steals (they all will and then there are some fusses).
Right after breakfast Tuesday morning, I missed Hanks cue that he needed out, and I found myself cleaning up a pile of steaming poo (not surprised by the liquidness at this point - family change and diet change-and btw, he did go by the back door and not in some random place) but did manage to realize I had my fecal sample for him now! After work Tuesday, I loaded Hank in the truck and we headed to the vet. Stool sample did show a few hookworm eggs and so we got treatment for it (Strongid) and we currently have an appt next Wednesday for an exam and heartworm test. I'm going to try and contact the clinic that has treated him in the past (the actual place here in town closed down) since he has a rabies tag and I'd love to know what kind of shots he's gotten already. Otherwise we'll plan on just getting him a big boy round of regular annual vaccines. And Hank weighed in at 61 pounds - I'm shooting for 68-ish on him and we'll see how he looks at that weight. Feeding him raw at 3% of target weight means I'm feeding him about 1 pound of chicken/beef heart/pork loin/some liver, twice a day.
On the ride home, I realized we were getting back later than I'd planned and I had to pull off on the side of the road for a scheduled chat with my course instructor for school. I had Hank attached to a seat belt in the second row of the truck on his collar (usually like to use a harness but don't have one for him right now). Hank is fine in the car while you're moving, but he got a little restless with us pulled off on the side of the road (note for the future if you leave him in the vehicle while you go in to a store?). I caught him doing "something" out of the corner of my eye (licking something on the floor?), but then he stopped. We got back on the road. And while I was going 60mph, all of a sudden, Hank jumped up in the front passenger seat. I knew his seatbelt attachment wouldn't allow this and it took me a second to comprehend what he'd done:
The end in the seatbelt is still in the truck, here is where he chewed through that thing in 15 seconds. Damn. And note for later! He is good in the front seat though, I'd just prefer him 1) not on the leather and 2) buckled in there. The front seat airbag turns off automatically based on the weight up there (too small for an adult, it turns off).
Closing note for now - I've never been around labs. So my observations might be a big duh for those that have. Hank does not have an agenda. My Sadie (the Diva Weim), does. An example:
Sadie wants that bone that Hank has. Hank is just happy to have the bone and chew on it. If Sadie were to try and just take it from him, Hank might get into it with her. Sadie will wait. Or play "look! there's Elvis!" fakeout to trick him. Or wait for Hank to be distracted in some other way. And then she'll pounce on the bone. And be a bitch about it until I take it away. Hank will move on past the loss and turn to whatever is next to him and start playing with that (or it). Hank wants attention from his humans, interaction with the pups around him cuz they're there (he fit in fast with a pack after being an only dog his whole life). He'll jump right in the middle of a pile of pups or humans and not even say excuse me (although he does "speak" dog fairly well and responds appropriately to a snarl or bark). Exercise is fantastic for him (leash work needed). He LOVES to play fetch in the yard. Pretty happy go lucky. I think he'd do best with another/other dogs that do NOT have an agenda. Not saying a fight can't break out, but Sadie and Ringo here are the biggest agenda holders (Ringos is more Heeler/bossy).
