Hank was born on a farm near Bluffton on June 15th. We got him when he was eight weeks old... in mid August. Since then he has become part of the family. I really didn't want another pet, but the girls badgered me until I finally gave in. I agreed to let them get the dog on four conditions... I got to choose him from the litter... I got to name him... I did not have to clean up after him... and I did not have to walk him. So far it has mostly worked out.
Hank was part of a litter of eight. When we went into the pen where all the puppies were contained on that hot August afternoon, he came right up to me and sat in my lap. Rather strange, considering that to this day he will not come when he is called...! I named him Hank Yarbo, after the town doofus in the television series Corner Gas.
He is now about 6-1/2 months old, and has been showing a lot of personality. He is a very intelligent dog, and is beginning to become trained. He is mostly house trained, but still has an occasional accident. He was about 8 pounds when we got him, and was 13-1/2 pounds a few weeks ago. We haven't weighed him recently but I'll be he's close to 15 now. He still has a little growing left to go, but is almost as big as he is going to get. He is quite short and stocky, but very muscular. An added bonus is that he does not shed... at all...! He is part Jack Russell Terrier and part Cairn Terrier.
He loves to play and still chews every toy to bits... in no time flat. The squeaker out of any dog toy is extricated with surgical precision within minutes. He has way more energy than any of us, and it is a challenge to keep him occupied. He responds to his name, but does not come when called. So, we can not let him loose off of his leash yet. This is one of the things we will really need to work on in the coming months. It would be nice if he could be trusted to just wander around the property at Nordegg on his own. At this point in time he can not. He recently demonstrated this in the city as he got away from Margarit and ran into busy traffic... nearly getting hit by a car.
He also gave us a scare early on when he consumed half of an ibuprofen tablet that had fallen on the floor. This resulted in an expensive trip to the emergency vet and a whole bunch of meds to protect his intestinal tract until the tablet passed.
He has a very unique personality, and does not like a lot of affection... at least not for long. He will tolerate and enjoy a little, but then he will get up and walk away. I'm not quite sure if he hates my guitar playing, or is just trying to sing along with me. Either way it's pretty funny....
The little jerk chewed his harness off when he was at my Mom's place on Christmas Eve. And then yesterday, out at the cottage, we had him tied up so that he wouldn't bother the rabbits, and he chewed his leash off. It is obvious that the next six months are going to be challenging.... hopefully after that he settles down a little...
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