We are yellow lab folks, both Stephen and I and our business partner, Sharon.
We cannot get enough of our labs. We drag them many places with us, and we use them as excuses to not go other places go out for long walks, preferably where a lead is not necessary.
Sharon started with Zach, then Jake. She uses the older dog to train the younger dog, which is all fine and good if your older dog is a good dog, and if your older dog is not too old. Along came Hudson for Sharon. He was truly unique. That is what you call your untrainable dog – “unique”, “quite a character”. You get the picture. Hudson would go for “walkabouts”, wandering through a series of house calls, staying at some for days if allowed. Many times Sharon would have to go looking for Hudson, picking him up where he was invariably being spoiled with treats and treats. He was a big lug, but definitely high maintenance.
Sharon now has the best dog she’s ever had. Shadow is obedient, big but not enormous, lovable. His favorite place in the world seems to be plopped down right in the middle of their driveway at The Fern Lodge. When cars pull in he might – maybe – get up and announce you with a happy bark. Eventually he will rise and amble over, offering his head for a pat.
Stephen and I have a shorter history with labs. We started out with a chocolate male, Smokey. He was our “unique” dog. He really was more Stephen’s than mine. He appreciated being shown his limits with, say, a full body tackle. He would make the funniest faces when chewing potato chips. He knocked down most small children unknowingly with a swipe of his tail. He could not be trusted with food in the kitchen, eating an entire chocolate cream pie one Fathers Day.
We added Ranger to the mix several years later. Ranger was a yellow female, and came to live with us when she was seven. She showed Smokey a thing or two: how to retrieve a tennis ball (though he never learned from her to drop it at our feet), how to swim without biting the water and choking, how to run real fast. She also shook Smokey’s world at its foundation. If he heard her tail pounding, he would come running. Can’t pet her without petting me! Once Ranger was in the house, Smokey stopped breaking the electric fence. He was too jealous that she might get attention. When she died, his mourning period lasted longer than ours.
We now have the best dog we’ve ever had. Sierra was also a rescue dog like Ranger. She arrived at about one year old, fully trained and entirely devoted to us. The electric fence broke after Smokey died, and we never had to fix it. She won’t go anywhere. Sierra loves belly rubs, long walks in the woods, and food, like any lab. When we are at Loon Lake, she loves taking a swim with the kids. Her favorite place in the world is sitting in front of Stephen on the jet ski. They tour the lake, usually getting a hoot or holler from the shoreline!
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