One year later

It's official. Otis has been a member of our family for one year today. I can't believe that it was a year ago that we drove to Lancaster to pick out our dog...driving home with the little black fuzzball on M's lap as we tried to determine what to name him. The breeder sedated him before we took him, so he was pretty out of it for the first few days we had him. M and I were just discussing how we managed to pick our perfect dog. I wonder if I'd chosen the black female instead of our silver male, would she be as perfect? Are dogs really a reflection of their owners or do they have their own personalities from the beginning? Either way, I am happy that Otis is one of us. I can't believe this is the same dog that's lying at my feet... (I know it's an awful photo...we were using a borrowed camera!)


Things that have changed (other than his hair color): he was terrified of coming down the stairs, he couldn't figure out how to get onto the deck once he'd gotten off it, he couldn't demolish a Nylabone in a few short hours, he had puppy teeth and claws (ouch)...

Things that remain the same: he still loves to chase tennis balls, he still doesn't like to have his paws touched, M still thinks he can pick him up, he is still an attention hog...