Every Rose has Its Thorn

I admit it. Porter is a dream puppy. He's exactly what I wanted and has integrated very well into our family.

But just so you all don't start to hate me and throw rotten tomatoes at my blog, let me share some of Porter's not so fine moments.

Half Goat
Like most puppies, Porter came home wanting to put anything and everything into his mouth. If we passed it on the sidewalk he was chomping away at it before I even knew what was going on. I considering walking in the middle of the street to avoid things on the sidewalk and lawns, but Porter also had an affinity for chewing on rocks and found plenty of bits of gravel on the asphalt.

Thankfully this has toned itself down a bit. But he still will do a drive by a rose bush and grab at a bud or rose hip for good measure. Rocks are left alone but any scrap of paper or trash is all his. His current favorites are clumps of compost dirt and palm tree bark that he has expertly harvested himself.

Newspaper Boy
Porter is obsessed with carrying newspapers and it's really darn cute. He'll grab ours and carry it all the way into the house (and then try to run out back with it). I need to get it on video. Now the only problem is he has generalized this really well to newspapers everywhere! He walks really nicely on leash for the most part, until we pass a driveway with a newspaper and then he pounces on it like a jungle cat. And Lord help us when we pass a driveway with *three* newspapers all piled up! It's like he's found puppy Nirvana.

Fine Diner
Ian and I have begun to appreciate the finer things in life and enjoy a nice meal when we have the time and babysitter to get out. Porter agrees and has a very adventurous palate. For late evening snacks he forages out back and kindly brings in a snail to munch on at our feet. Yum! Walking him after the rain is a bit stop and go. He'll grab a snail and trot along with it in his mouth and happy as a clam until it drops and then he's completely focused on finding it again.

I could solve this problem by restricting his access to the backyard unless supervised and train his leave it. But it's easier to just complain about it. :)

Tale of a Tail
Yes, I have that dog. The one who chases his tail and is surprised it dared show its face again and annoyed he's not fast enough to catch up to it.

Back Talker
No one like a sassy kid but Indi's dealing with her annoying younger brother quite well. They can both have the exact same item, like a bullystick, but Porter quickly bores of his and finds his sister's much more appealing. So like any good brother he pesters her and pesters her until she corrects him and not a split second after he's done yelping and running away he's giving her lip for daring to yell at him. All while maintaining a safe distance away.

The Nose Knows
This dog was bred for K9 Nose Work. Nothing gets past him, such as the time we were walking around the park waiting for class to start and he air scents a nasty pile of entrails the coyotes left about 10 feet away. He began channeling his inner husky and it was all I could do to keep him from having sloppy seconds.

I'm Melting!
Despite loving the baby pool, wading in ponds without a second thought, enjoying biting the stream of water from the hose, Porter acts like acid is coming out of the shower head when it's bath time. Thank goodness for strong shower doors.


So there you have it. My puppy has his flaws, but I love him. Just not when he's trying to kiss me after eating snails.