When we first saw Gus' listing on Craigslist nearly two years ago, he was pitched to the general public as a "small lab mix." Sure, there was a tiny little mention of "may have SOME border collie in him" buried way under the cute photos of helpless little puppy with no hair around his eyes who desperately needed the love of a good owner...and a vet. We brought him home, gave him a good scrub, and made our vet appointment where we found out he was probably mostly border collie with SOME lab and maybe a little bit of some kind of terrier thrown in for good measure. It was then I knew our lives were about to change. While border collies are well known for their exceptional intelligence and fun-loving personalities, they are also known for their endless energy and not so cute little neurotic habits. I remember looking at Andy, shrugging my shoulders and saying, "Don't look at me, I wanted a nice little poodle mix." But it was too late.
Within the first week our new little challenge had eaten one pair of glasses, two remotes, one cell phone, and countless Gatorade caps. He still steals gatorade caps when given the opportunity, but luckily he's grown into a semi well-behaved dog. However, in order to keep him that way he requires A LOT of attention and exercise. But not just any old exercise. He's picky. He doesn't get into frisbees or balls like nice normal dogs. Well, he'll chase a ball but the concept of bringing it back to the human is completely lost on him. He requires something to chase or herd or pester into a frenzy, as many of the dogs in our neighborhood can attest.
One of the things I covet most about larger cities is the prevalence of dog parks. Most of the dog parks in Columbus are way out in the suburbs and demand a million dollars in membership fees every year which is just not going to happen. There are a few off-leash parks in our neighborhood, but none that are fenced and I'm always just a little bit afraid that Gus is just going to keep running. That happened to us a few times when he was younger and while he's gotten better at coming when he's called, he still gets into a zone when he's running that is difficult to snap him out of and I'm not one to tempt fate.
Yesterday on one of our many daily walks in our new neighborhood, I decided to wander a bit farther than I usually do and lo and behold, I stumbled upon Gus' version of Christmas and his birthday combined. A dog park! At first I was a bit hesitant because the place was packed with very large breed dogs and pit bulls and I am always just a tiny bit afraid that Gus' playfulness is going to get him in over his skinny little border collie head. My fear quickly subsided when he found a nice little Aussie to pal around with right away. We stayed for about an hour and by the time we got home Gus was spent.
Andy and I headed back there first thing this morning because we figured this would be a good way to start our days living in a tiny little one bedroom apartment. The park was a bit more empty and the dogs were smaller, but it had the desired affect on little Gus. As I type this he is sleeping soundly beside my chair where he has been since we got back to the apartment.
Here are some photos of the action...they aren't great since I decided to just bring the small camera which isn't the best at capturing the action. Perhaps I'll take the big camera later this week and try to get better shots.
Gus trying to get his ball back from Charlie, the hyper-active pit bull. He was relatively unsuccessful in his endeavor.
Toby, the Aussie. Gus liked him.
This is Lurch. He's a Min Pin. I liked him a lot, he had a lot of personality for such a tiny little thing.
At some point, Charlie decided that he and I were best friends and he sat much like this staring intently at me for very long periods of time . I'd like to think it was because I'm so pretty, but I think it had a lot to do with the treats in my pocket.