Michaela -
I just wanted to send you an update on the German shepherd formerly known as Bear. He has a new name, we named him Porter. He was so quick to pick up his new name that the rest of us had to catch up. I have also attached some new pictures of him with family. Since we last emailed he has met quite a few new people, had his first over night guests in the house (a family of five) and been down to the family farm with all the animals. He is an amazing dog and we love him so much. He loves to play hide and seek with treats and he has started to play hide and seek with Jameson. He loves to search for things around the house and he is so proud of himself when he finds the object whether it's his ball or kong toy or bone or a treat.
We haven't had success with introducing him to other dogs yet so his day at the farm was a short one, and he had to stay on his leash. I kept him by my side and we explored the woods and the creek (we ran through it like we were on a mission - both of us splattered with mud and water by the end) with Jerry. He is a bit spoiled now and likes to begin his night sleeping with Jerry and I on our bed - although he usually finds it easier to sprawl out on the floor. He has good manors though and usually will wait for the invite. He did very well with our house guests, even the 19 month old. He pushed her down with his nose at one point, I think he felt she shouldn't be headed where she was going, but he immediately walked away from her after the nudge as if his job was done. He loves to go running with me. He has gained some weight since we brought him home. He weighed 52 lbs when we brought him home and weighed in last week at 67 lbs.
Overall Porter prefers to be in what ever room of the house that his people are in - so his spot in the house is wherever we are. I haven't seen him retreat to be alone yet. He does retreat behind me or Jerry if the other one is scolding him for chewing up a hot pad or there was a bag of macaroon cookies that he helped himself to. We have learned to keep him busy because a bored Porter means a naughty Porter. He has also gotten much better at not barking at everything that passes by as if it were coming to get him. I cannot tell you how much happiness he has brought us, we love him and are so very glad he is part of our family. Thank you again for being part of our adoption, and please feel free to visit. I am home during the day right now so call and stop by anytime.
Sincerely,
Cate
We adopted Bear. He and Jerry have bonded well and Bear loves all of the attention he gets here. He slept with my daughter the first two nights we had him home. Now he sleeps beside my side of the bed on the floor. He seems to have picked me as the one he follows everywhere. My son loves to play with Bear, and he really enjoys my son too, there is a lot of giggling and tail wagging going on there. Bear is overcoming his shyness with other people as well. He is still wary of people he hasn't met, but we have had 3 very successful introductions with adult males which began with barking and ended with tail wagging. Bear has run away with our hearts here and we couldn't be happier. He has the drive and focus that I was looking for and the most laid back and loving personality to go with it - he's a real snuggler. He doesn't get into anything while we are gone for work. I rush home for lunch everyday to see him and he meets me at the door. He has filled a place in my heart that has been hollow for a long while. Thank you so much for your participation in the adoption process. It was so valuable to meet you and Mike in our home where we could sit down and discuss what we were entering into and what characteristics to look for. We are so grateful to the GSRAW for helping us to find our new family member. He is more than we ever imagined he would be. Thank you!!!!
Sincerely,
Cate