Mogli

This is a picture of our puppy Mogli a few weeks after we got him, around September. He was two months old when we got him, and he is about 9 months now. TO have or not TO have a dog. That is the question right?

 I grew up with an outside dog.  Which meant they were all outdoor dogs, they went with my Dad and brothers on the horses hunting, and other "country" things. They were usually labs or Golden Retrievers and belonged to my brothers. I loved them to a point, but because they were always outside, it meant they were somewhat starved for affection. The smelliness of living outside and  the constant running away when they were unleashed was annoying. I didn't want that. 

 I wanted a dog for Jackson. I wanted a dog for myself. I wanted to have a family dog. I knew they could add so much love and companionship to a family. I also like the extra exercise walking a dog daily gives a family. Lee just happend to be back in Portland when I took the leap and got Mogli. He came around eventually. Jackson picked him out and named him after one of his favorite Disney Characters. 

I can't say he has been a perfect dog, or the adjustment has been painless, but we have crossed the threshold and will be dog owners for life. He is a great dog, and luckily a smart one. There have been a few chewed toys, and some scolding, but as you may know, labs are very smart. He was potty trained in less than a week. He is allowed in some areas of the house  during the day when we are with him, and the rest of the time including at night, he is outside. 

This is for a couple of different reasons. The alternative to having him sleep outside would have been to crate train him as a puppy to sleep inside. This would have been fine, except we spend a lot of time at both of our extended families homes, who have an absolute no dog in the house EVER policy. So I knew that Mogli would be sleeping outside when we visited. Mogli needed to sleep outside during the cold months in order to gain the extra layer of fat he would need if we were somewhere he couldn't come sleep in the house. So far the arrangement has worked out great. Lee made him a cute doghouse in our backyard, which is huge and fenced in-just perfect for a dog. In the morning I will let him come downstairs with Jack and play for a while, then we usually go for a walk to the park. I love having a dog, I love watching my son with a dog. I love the lessons of pet ownership that having a dog provides to my son.  Of course the clean freak in me is vacuuming and shampooing downstairs a lot more, but the love he brings is worth it. And yes, we bath him regularly and shampoo him, so luckily he doesn't smell like a dog. So that's that. he is an outside dog, with visits to his designated areas, and it is working out great. 

We have a black lab, named Mogli,  and he is here to stay.