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We've had Chester about 4 and a half weeks so I think it's about time I write a little something about him.

In a nutshell:

Name: Chester
Nicknames: Chester A. Barker, Chesterfield, Buddy, Bonesy, Buster, Mr. Bitey Pants
Born March 6, 2007
Breed(s): Shih Tzu / Bichon Frise mix
Age when we picked him up: almost 8 weeks
Time it took for him to go to the door to be let outside for the first time: one week
Percent house-trained: 90%
Favorite thing to chew: everything
Teeth: pointy
Favorite food indoors: Milk Bone
Favorite food outdoors: Dirt
Favorite band: R.E.M.
Favorite Star Wars Character: Wicket

How'd we pick him? Aimee and I took a half dozen trips to the Animal Rescue League in hopes of rescuing a dog. We were pretty close to getting a small terrier -- until we saw him jump. We were pretty concerned about the birds, so we decided a dog with short legs would be best. We thought a puppy might be smart, too, so we could train him from an early age that birds aren't for eating!

We still didn't know what kind of dog to get, though. We considered Miniature Daschund, Basset Hound, Shih Tzu, or something else. In the end, we're happy with the Shih Tzu / Bichon Frise mix. He gets mistaken for a Shih Tzu a lot, and I now notice a lot of people around the neighborhood own one.

Walking Chester has been interesting. It's a good way to meet neighbors because every single person you walk by will comment on him. We've been going on walks around here for years now, and we talked to more people our first time out with him than all other walks put together.

Chester is very sociable so far. He loves strangers. He hasn't been too "barky" in trying to protect us like my family's dog, Sadie. He has barked a couple times, usually when he's not quite sure about something, like the creepy dog statue at the vet's office. He's met quite a few dogs, including:

Aimee's aunt's Shih Tzu

The lovable neighbor dog, Rudy

And Cooper Siskow

Like all puppies, he likes to chew. He's been good most of the time about not destroying our new house, but our hands look like we've been taking a stapler to them for fun.

He's somewhat learned his name and he knows how to come and sit, but usually only when he thinks you have a treat for him nearby.

He likes to play hide and seek: Aimee will go off in another room with a plastic cup with dog food or bits of dog biscuit. I'll say, "Where's Aimee?" and she'll shake the cup. The first time we played, Chester would always run to the spot where she (or I) was last, look around with a confused look, then run to the sound of the food.

He's been pretty good about going on walks. Sometimes we have to carry him to get him going, but he is usually very good about walking home. He's not excited to go on walks yet when he sees the leash, we'll see if that changes.

Overall, I'd say the first couple days were the hardest. It was jarring going from a schedule of doing whatever we wanted whenever we wanted to planning our day around him. It's better now, but it will be nice when he's out of the puppy stage and can be out of his kennel most of the day without us worrying about what might be destroyed or used as a bathroom.

Posted by alangage at May 30, 2007 12:07 PM

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Posted by: Timothy Jones at May 31, 2007 02:33 AM

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