"You may have a dog that won't sit up, roll over or even cook breakfast, not because [he's] too stupid to learn how but because [he's] too smart to bother." - Rick Horowitz
Meet Levi. Now, I realize you're probably thinking, Why post that sad picture of that sweet baby? But, you must realize taking pictures of Levi is quite difficult since he is hardly ever still, so the only "good" picture I could manage had to be taken when he was in his kennel. I can assure you he's not a sad puppy in the slightest. In fact, he is quite possibly the happiest and goofiest dog I've ever encountered.
So, anyway, I must start from the beginning. Davis gave me Levi for Christmas, or maybe he gave Levi to himself for Christmas, as Levi already had a name (courtesy of Davis) when I "opened" him. I didn't question Davis' intentions then, however, because he was the cutest little butterball I'd ever seen. And I do mean butterball. When I asked Davis why he picked Levi out of all the puppies, he said "because he was the bully and pushed all the other puppies away at dinnertime." Was that really a good idea, seeing as we have a seven pound lap dog? Anyway.
I admit, I have never had a lab, so I did not know what to expect from my present. That said, I've never seen so much energy in. my. life. He never wanted to cuddle, nap, or anything up my alley at all. When he was a little thing (which lasted all of 2 months), I could handle his high strung hijinks, but as he grew, he was harder, and harder, and even harder to manage. I mean to tell you, that dog skull drug me all over our neighborhood, knocked me down in the street, and even scarred my leg while jumping on me. Finally, enough was enough, and Davis and I took Levi to what I refer to as "doggie charm school," or obedience school (much to the delight of the seven pound lap dog, LuLu, whom was often the target of his torture.)
The Doggie Charm School was supposed to last six weeks, but wouldn't you know, Levi got an extension! That's right, our special boy apparently needed "summer school." So to say Davis and I were apprehensive about his progress was no understatement. We never expected to pick up a model dog, mind you, but let's just say we were "expecting the worst, but hoping for the best."
Levi's Big Day came yesterday, and we arrived bright and early to see how far he had come. After two hours of instruction by his trainer (who I liken to the Miracle Worker), we were beyond pleased. Seriously, at one point, I had tears in my eyes I was so proud of him! Now, I'm not telling you he is a model dog or anything close to it. We have a lot of work to do with our high strung (or ADHD, whatever) Levi, but we are lightyears from where we were back in May! Today, we walked and even jogged a little, and I never felt for one second like he was about to throw us into traffic or break my arm. Keep your fingers crossed for us! I have a feeling Davis, LuLu, and I may have a few trying times to go through with Levi yet...
