PUPPY TALES: EARS to You!

EARS to YOU!

Our puppies are three months old now. They are losing some of their baby looks already. The most noticeable change has been the way their ears are developing. Bristol and Sam had little puppy ears that flopped down on the sides of their heads three weeks ago when we adopted them. 

Bristol is the cutest puppy I've ever met. He attracts a lot of attention whenever people come to visit, or we go out in public. He has changed a lot in the three weeks we've had him, but I still think he is absolutely adorable. 

Bristol looks slightly comical with his cascading wrinkles, and his deadpan expression. My son Dylan said he looked like a baby rhino. I suppose he sort of did resemble a baby rhino, or maybe even a baby hippo. 

These days, Bristol looks pretty serious, and not as dopey as he did. Chuck says his expression is inscrutable. He has "resting inscrutable face," I guess. Over time, his ears have moved from the sides of his head, to perking up on the sides, to nearly meeting in the middle of his forehead. 

Chuck teases that he looks like he is wearing a big bow.

Bristol is looking more and more like a Shar Pei. We met his funny little mom MATILDA, and he doesn't look anything like her, but it's anybody's guess what breed(s) his dad is. I visited a couple of his siblings who are still at the shelter this week, and neither of them have his noticeable ear trait, though.

One of the pups from Bristol's litter. February 28, 2017.

My husband chose little Miss Sam to be his dog, and she chose him to be her human. It was a mutual attraction from the start. Chuck was drawn to her because he saw a lot of Labrador retriever in her. Everyone comments about how sweet she is, and how her coat is so silky smooth.

At first, Chuck was adamant that Sam was a Lab mix. She may be, but whenever she exhibits any non-Lab traits, it seems to bother him. Sami's ears and tail are not at all like a Lab's. She has ears that perk up, and flip halfway down, and her tail curls at the end. Her hair is smooth and short. She hated her first bath, but I think that will change with more experience. 

I know Chuck is getting used to the idea that it really doesn't matter what she breed she is. Chuck has had Sami tell about her new life in his last couple of blog posts about living with her humans. In the piece entitled THE NEW HOME, Sam said this:

"They have decided, in their mind, that I may not be mostly lab, like they thought. Chuck has decided that I am part lab, part retriever and part shepherd. Of course, those are his favorite breeds. He is slowly understanding that I am “100% me and 100% his,” and that that breed is the most important part of all."

Remember The Flying Nun from the sixties? Sami reminds me of Sally Fields' character.

Our puppies are going to be grown up before we know it. (I, for one, am looking forward to their being house-broken. Geez.) They may be changing right before our eyes, but one thing hasn't changed; no matter what, these puppies are ours, and we think they are just perfect for us; cute ears and all.