Is Bailey doing well? He surely is, and we have really gotten attached to this big guy. He is such an easy dog, so gentle and affectionate. He makes few demands and is happy with some pets, some retrieving, some walks. He loves, loves, loves his walks and is learning to walk nicely. He always keeps an eye out for squirrels in our wooded neighborhood. I have been very relieved that when he spies a squirrel, he will just watch it and not attempt to chase it. My shoulder thanks him for his self-control! Yeah! He doesn’t always have that self-control when he spies another dog, however. I have found that he can be a bit of a challenge when he sees a dog who he really wants to meet. Then, I see just how friendly, and strong, he can be. If it happened often, I would use a Gentle Leader or harness with him which I have successfully used on him. But we rarely meet other people or dogs on our walks, so I use a regular leash, and we do fine---most of the time!
Does Bailey like to play with other dogs? I’m not sure. He has briefly tried to initiate play with a couple of non-playing dogs, but nothing came of that. Then, we had a playdate for Bailey and a neighborhood Springer Spaniel who normally likes to play, but neither seemed to feel like playing that day, so the jury is still out on whether Bailey is a player or not…. I can say, however, that he likes to get his fair share of attention, and I have become good at petting two dogs at the same time - Bailey on one side and Lacy on the other.
Did Bailey like visiting the nursing home? Yes, he sure did. Last week, Bailey joined my resident dog Lacy and me on our weekly nursing home visit. He did a great job, spread a lot of joy and enjoyed all the attention.
Does Baily like to snooze? You bet!! And, he has a favorite pillow in the family room. Somehow, he always seems to beat Lacy to it. At night, however, Lacy beats him to the favorite one at the end of our bed, and instead of sleeping on his own nighttime pillow, he sleeps close to Lacy on the floor----just in case she might move off of it, even for a second, which she never does (although she always sleeps with her upper body and head off the pillow as you can see)!
Did Bailey master our basement steps? Sure did. Both up and down with no hesitation.
Does Bailey do anything else cute? Sure does. He plays a game called “find it.” His surrendering owner taught him this game. We hide a treat when Bailey is not looking, of course. Then, we tell him to “find it,” make a circle with our finger, and he will search and search until he finds the treat. Is that cute or what????
