Post by hooligan on Mar 28, 2013 10:33:01 GMT -5
Many of you know that, as a pup, Jack was a handful. A complete and total hooligan who bullied the much bigger dogs at the park and nearly drove us insane with his mischief-making ("mischief" is a kind word for some of his antics). We called him "Jack the Brat" -- and sometimes far worse.
But I was so proud of him on his hike the other day. We had stopped and were playing fetch in a big open area when a six-month-old off-leash female chocolate Lab pup came barreling out of the bush, taking us completely by surprise. No owner was in sight, but in the distance, we could hear someone calling her.
In this situation, we would normally have put Jack on lead, but he seemed okay with this cute little girl. So when the owner and her six-year-old son arrived on the scene and didn't freak at the sight of Dallas playing with a (gasp!) Doberman, we let him run around with her.
Jack was such a gentleman. No body slams, no growling (not even play growling), no grabbing her neck and manhandling her, and he even let her pick up his ball.
But the crowning touch came when the boy asked if he could try the Chuckit. I was a little leery because Jack gets over-excited quite easily unless he's kept firmly in check. He isn't used to young kids, and he loves the Chuckit so much that I was afraid that, in his excitement, he would start jumping on the boy. So we were poised to intervene the moment we saw Jack getting too cranked up.
But no worries on that score. Jack was totally respectful and well-behaved. He chased the ball (with Dallas running after him, trying to keep up), brought it back to the kid, dropped it in front of him and stood patiently waiting for the next throw.
All in all, it was a great experience — for us and for Jack. Now we're wondering if, at four years old, our little hooligan has finally grown up. If so, it has been a long time coming (and I sure hope I'm not speaking too soon), but I think I'm going to miss Jack the Brat.
Anyone else with stories of that aha! moment when you realized that your little guy or girl had grown up (mentally as well as physically)?
But I was so proud of him on his hike the other day. We had stopped and were playing fetch in a big open area when a six-month-old off-leash female chocolate Lab pup came barreling out of the bush, taking us completely by surprise. No owner was in sight, but in the distance, we could hear someone calling her.
In this situation, we would normally have put Jack on lead, but he seemed okay with this cute little girl. So when the owner and her six-year-old son arrived on the scene and didn't freak at the sight of Dallas playing with a (gasp!) Doberman, we let him run around with her.
Jack was such a gentleman. No body slams, no growling (not even play growling), no grabbing her neck and manhandling her, and he even let her pick up his ball.
But the crowning touch came when the boy asked if he could try the Chuckit. I was a little leery because Jack gets over-excited quite easily unless he's kept firmly in check. He isn't used to young kids, and he loves the Chuckit so much that I was afraid that, in his excitement, he would start jumping on the boy. So we were poised to intervene the moment we saw Jack getting too cranked up.
But no worries on that score. Jack was totally respectful and well-behaved. He chased the ball (with Dallas running after him, trying to keep up), brought it back to the kid, dropped it in front of him and stood patiently waiting for the next throw.
All in all, it was a great experience — for us and for Jack. Now we're wondering if, at four years old, our little hooligan has finally grown up. If so, it has been a long time coming (and I sure hope I'm not speaking too soon), but I think I'm going to miss Jack the Brat.
Anyone else with stories of that aha! moment when you realized that your little guy or girl had grown up (mentally as well as physically)?