Doggone it!

You might have heard we adopted a dog about a month ago.  Shadow, a four-year-old labradoodle/cocker spaniel mix, has been getting used to life at our house. And he's getting pretty comfortable around here, judging by his actions.

In the aww, that's so cute category:

He is really attached to me.  No matter where I go in the house, he is a few steps behind.  He will only sleep in our room, preferably on the floor next to my side of the bed (though he tried in the beginning to sleep on our bed, which got a rapid nix).  When I go upstairs, he goes upstairs.  When I walk into the next room, he quickly springs up and comes too.  He's truly my Shadow.

He barks and paws at us when he wants to play.  This is mostly cute, but sometimes challenging.  He finds family devotions booooring, and likes to bark at us to try to break it all up.  He also barks at me when he decides I should get up in the morning.  This is only an issue if we are sleeping in (which we've gotten to do often lately, due to the snow days).  After the kids have been downstairs for awhile, he is quite certain that I need to get up too. And he will bark and howl at me until I do just that.

When he lays down at night, or just next to you on the floor or couch, he groans a little.  I find it very endearing.  And also reassuring, knowing that he is not roaming the house up to no good.

Which brings me to the next category -

The-frustrating-and-challenging-category:

This dog has a serious oral fixation.  He wants everything in his mouth, truly.  Just today, here is a list of what he has snatched when our guards were down:

Capri Sun Straw (he was very stubborn about letting go of it)
Lego (he was chomping on it, as if it was a tasty bit of kibble)
Washcloth (which he put a hole in)
Stuffed animal Chewbacca (thankfully he put it down when asked)
Check stub (he chewed up the end and spit out all the pieces on the carpet)
Beanie Baby dog (he very generously removed the tail for us)
Bathroom trash (ewwwww)
Pancake (of course, he can't be blamed for this one)

So seriously.  Dog people.  Is this normal?  It's making me crazy! He grabs socks, gloves, hats, whatever is on the floor.  We are trying very hard to keep things off the floor, but re: five kids over here.  We encourage him to play with his toys, but when he doesn't want to give something up, it all has to become a Big Deal.  He pounces and jumps and runs away, trying to play with us.  It's quite frustrating.

Ohh, but he's soft and cuddly and very good natured.  The kids love him and I am rather fond of him as well.  He really has become part of our family!