Our new furry friend...

On Wednesday, September 23rd, Mike and I rescued an Old English Sheep dog named George. We found him through the OES Northern Cali Chapter. Our four legged friend is five years old, weighing in at about 55 lbs! His current hair style is cropped short, but I fully intend for him to sport the shaggy dog look. We call him our "sheepdog, sleepdog, and sweetdog" as he is all three!

George had no problem settling into our apartment. His favorite spots to cozy up are on the couch and the bed, and he prefers to sleep on top of me whenever possible! George has a multitude of stuffed animal friends to hang out with, including a lamb, squirrel and chipmunk! He likes to bark (in an English accent of course) at people passing by our apartment. On sunny afternoons, George and I run around the city, and I couldn't ask for a better running partner - he has the perfect stride for jogging! We also like to visit the local cupcake shop and shoe stores on Hayes Street. In the evenings, Mike takes him for walks around our neighborhood, in Hayes Valley. On weekends, George enjoys playing fetch at the park around the corner.

"Teaching an old dog new tricks" has been quite the challenge. So far, we've mastered the "sit". He responds very well to the lamb and rice doggie treats we bought him! After much verbal praise and affection, George is slowly learning to sleep in his own bed! He was also a HUGE trooper when it came time for his bath. He even helps with the dishes! (with his tongue) We're currently working on familiarizing our sheepdog to urban life. George is easily stressed out by the sound of heavy traffic and is anxious around people he doesn't know. We believe George's stress spawned from his past home. We've taken small steps towards socializing him, and experience drastic improvements on a daily basis!

I have been working really hard on remaining patient with George at all times. While in my eyes he'll always be top dog, I have been known to freak out when he does his business in public, or lick himself. Mike and I have gone "green" by reusing the Wall Street Journal's colorful plastic delivery bag as a dog poo bag to clean up George's messes - (he prefers to go in the middle of busy sidewalks.) Eat, play, poop, sleep. Pee, scratch, fetch, lick. Repeat (order may vary). In any case, our new dog is adorable, and the only friend I know that will kiss my feet and cuddle on command.

More to come on urban pet life -