Trafford

Meet my new puppy!  He's a doll and about 3 months old.  I adopted him from the Belmopan Humane Society about a week and a half ago.  He was rescued from a ditch with his brother, starving and sick.  The brother didn't make it, but Trafford is tough and is very much the picture of health now.

His first couple of nights at the house were interesting.  He was more than a little timid and had almost no appetite. I can now proudly say he's eating everything in sight and his bashfulness is completely gone.  He whines in the morning right outside my door until I give up the notion of sleep and get up to let him out.  He then demands breakfast and of course, a game of fetch.  I'm proud to say that he's house broken - which is probably the most wonderful thing of all.

He fills my endless days with laughter and even when he's driving me nuts, I'm glad he's there.  Here are just a few things that have entertained me the past few days:

• He has an obsession with dead leaves.  You can watch him at any time of day frolicking through the yard attacking a poor defenseless leaf, ripping it to shreds, and then sighing contently.
• Before coming back into the house, he extends his whole body onto the ground, belly dragging and army crawls until he's nearly to the door....then bounces up and runs inside.
• Bath time = terror.  The dog has fleas and STINKS so I decided to give him a bath.  It went much like any other bath I've given a dog...lots of squirming and water being splashed.  But instead of shaking himself dry, he simply bolted inside the house to seek something dry.  Since I was doing wash and have tiled floors...he really just slid into every surface of wall for about 10 min.  I would have dried him sooner, but I couldnt catch him!
• He whines to get what he wants. Doesnt matter what it is, he'll whine until you pay attention...and its the most pathetic sound you've ever heard. All a part of his charm apparently.
• He loves to cuddle...I'll be sitting reading a book and he will wiggle his way up through my arms and burrow into my lap. 
• If you start to pet him, he'll roll over and demand a belly rub. Don't worry....he'll scratch you right back if you get the right spot....the foot just cannot be controlled. Hysterical, really.
• He hates his leash.  We're working in stages, but its quite funny to watch.  I've gotten to the point where he will walk with me, content on the leash around the yard.  Open the gate and attempt a walk, FORGET IT....he goes psycho and pulls on the leash back in the direction of the house. Its been fun locking up my house and getting excited for progress...only to be stopped where we started and have to unlock my house in 5 min. Baby steps....I'm hoping eventually to make it to the other side of the gate, then maybe the end of the street.
  

Today is his first day to be spent mostly outside...he's comfortable with his surroundings and I cannot have a smelly dog in such a small space all day (the bath helped...but only briefly).  Its been a fun couple of days and I can't wait to share more stories with you all about the adventures of Trafford.