Gosh! It is almost two years since Quincey and I rescued each other. Learning to lead is quite a journey. Quincey has taught me many things and I have done the same in return.
This past Christmas, for ten days, Quincey and I were apart for the first time since I adopted him. He took this well! He has grown up to be quite a champion in his own right. I feel fortunate to have gotten a dog with the type of personality that he has. He is a true "people pleaser" and always wants to make me laugh. Mind you, he has his quirks. Sometimes he just doesn't want to be touched and walks away from petting (especially when he doesn't get what he wants). He is demanding. He has his own set schedule of daily events and he likes them to unfold without delay or changes. He has set "chores" that he has to complete before he even gets out of bed and doesn't like to be disturbed while doing them. By "chores" I mean he attends to himself, of course: cleaning himself, stretching, looking out the window.
As a leader, I must say, it has been very hard not to make certain allowances for him because he is so darn cute and is such a good actor! Those sad puppy eyes, when I say no to "people food," are like daggers cutting into me. I can hear Sarah M. in the background singing "In Arms of the Angels" complete with violin accompaniment.
We believe (although we are still not sure) that he has stopped growing but I swear that when I got home from Christmas with family in New Hampshire, that he had grown another inch, at least, and put on about two more pounds. Yet, he is still small (more medium sized at approximately 48lbs.) and on the lean side although his back has gotten broader and his shoulders have too. His waste is still lean and his stomach still taut. He exercises a total of three hours per day (four to five when he is in daycare), loves to "fetch," and still has more energy to burn than I do. He has "double-suspension" running ability, making him as fast as a Greyhound, pound for pound and he sounds like a horse galloping when he is at top speed. His paws are just so much bigger than when he was little. It makes me wish I had taken a shot of a print when he was still little. However, I still have his first collar that he came home with and it barely goes around the back of his neck. I just can't remember him being so small! He also walks with a lope, has an under bite, one dog ear, one eye larger than the other and remembers things I forget, like keys, before we walk out the door.
I don't remember teaching him that.
