Rastmus — the early days

It took Rastand I a while to get used to each other. For me, part of it was I haven’t had a dog since I left the farm in 1983, but I’ve had lots of other pets over the years. But, the Ginger Goon and I had some adventures and misadventures through the first year.

For example — when we got home that first night, I took Rast for a walk around the block, then into the house, and he tore through every room, ending up on my bed. I didn’t mind that part, per se, but when he started digging and tore the sheet, mattress cover, and into the mattress…and then peed….well….

In the first month, he ate three remotes, my phone, a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones, cables, and knocked my coffee cup over onto my laptop. (Wasn’t so worried about the laptop — it was old and I was getting ready to replace it.) But — he also gave me so much joy! We went for car rides, long walks around the neighborhood, and for visits to friends.

Rast loves car rides! He jumps right in, and he will stick his head out the window in pure canine bliss.

When I saw him on the Humane Society website, he was listed as a lab mix. He’s goofy like every other lab I’ve had the pleasure of knowing throughout my life, but I wanted to know more about him, so, I did a doggy DNA test on him. When I got the results back, I found out he has not a bit of lab in him — he’s 1/2 Boxer, and the other half is a mix of Rottweiler, German Shepard, mastiff, and husky. Oh, and a wee bit of St. Bernard. He’s 80 pounds of pure happy muscle.

He was 18 months old when I got him, and he’d been at the pound for a month when I got him. From the paperwork, he had been picked up by Animal Control, and the reports show that he had been spotted for quite a while around the south end of town before that. He still panics when I leave, but is so very happy when I get home.

And that…that makes it worth it.