Doozer as a Puppy

First, we want to say that Doozer has been doing very well lately. Surprisingly well in fact! For the first couple of days after switching to the new medication we didn't really see a difference. But then the new medication kicked in and had him practically running around on 3 legs!! Unfortunately, we are now seeing other signs of struggle within his body. He is still active, but he sleeps much more and much more deeply. And he has to potty much more often. And sometimes, we don't think his mind is all there. He'll gaze off into space and not even hear you call him. Evidently the cancer is gaining ground :-(

So, instead, we'll think about his past. His puppy hood! After we brought him home we wanted to make sure he was a very well-socialized puppy. After all, we were going to show him and he had to be able to stand being petted and meeting new people. Little did we know what a monster we would create! Doozer went EVERY where! He went to Daycare, he went with Wilhelm to the auto restoration shop he had at the time, he went to PetsMart and PetCo. Heck, he even went to Home Depot! He got petted by everyone and soon learned to love being the center of attention... especially with the girls! He really is a "chick magnet"... LOL! Yes, we get tired of the "Isn't that the dog from those movies? Beethoven, right??" remarks, but it's just a part of taking a Saint Bernard with you that you learn to laugh about or ignore. But even now, Doozer needs to be the center of attention. If he is not in the same room as Mom and Dad, he whines... and cries... and carries on until you give up and let him be with you. He used to sleep on the bed until he couldn't jump on the bed anymore. Now, he has decided to jump on the bed with his front and then he whines and cries until someone gets out of bed and helps him up on to it! Be careful what you wish for... you might just get it! LOL!! It doesn't help that when Doozer is outside in the front yard people driving by suddenly slow down and stare. Many of them actually stop and or turn around and stop so that they can say "HI" to him. Many people have never seen a Saint Bernard before and they are just fascinated. Doozer, of course, just laps up all the attention. He thinks he was born to be a STAR!

As a very young puppy, Doozer lived with 3 other dogs: a Doberman, and 2 Great Danes. The Dobie and the Danes loved playing rough in the bedroom and every time they started Doozer would dart under our bed and hide so he wouldn't get stepped on. Yup, he was that small! Saint Bernards are born about 1 to 2 pounds but grow quite quickly. When we brought Doozer home he weighed a little over 13 pounds. By 6 months of age he weighed over 93 pounds and at a year old he weighed over 120 pounds! So hard to believe he needed to hide under the bed but he did :-)  Funny how as he got older, the bed grew smaller...  Eventually he grew big enough to start playing with the big dogs on his own!

Doozer was a pretty good lil' puppy. He really didn't chew on much (just 1 remote and a couple of wooden chair legs). He went to Puppy Kindergarten and graduated with flying colors! And he didn't dig. About the only thing he did "bad" as a puppy was learn to open doors. We have the latch kind of door (as opposed to the round knobs) and he figured out if he put his nose under the latch and lifted his head and pushed, the door would open. Kind of annoying when the bathroom door opens from the common hallway <blush>. He also loved to jump in the bath tub (with or without someone already in there). He didn't start out loving his baths and blow dries, but before long he sure did! But we'll talk about that in a future blog when we talk about his show career...

Saint Bernards are pretty hairy dogs. Even the short-hairs like Doozer. Doozer has a very plush coat and it seems like every time we turn around we need to vacuum. There are "little Doozers" everywhere! And the drool!! Doozer is actually not too bad, but Wilhelm likes to say that Doozer is our automatic texturizing machine for the walls... When it gets too bad we just paint over it!

When Doozer was 8 months old, our Doberman passed away suddenly. It was a heartbreaking loss for us, but especially me as I had brought the Dobie with me from my previous marriage and he was my heart dog. Somehow, Doozer knew what was needed from him and he stepped in. I didn't want him to at first, but he was just there waiting for it. Eventually, as the pain from the loss of the Doberman subsided, I noticed Doozer again. Not that I didn't love the Danes too, but Doozer managed to slip close to that empty hole that the Doberman had left. Doozer and I bonded and suddenly Wilhelm found himself without "his" dog because he became mine! From that time, Doozer started responding more to me than Wilhelm. If we are both at home he prefers my company. He is happy enough with Wilhelm (if he *has* to!!) but it's me he comes to for comfort and petting when needed.