Dog on board!

[altivo]

Red, who I think would better be called Rufus or perhaps Rojo, did come home with us this afternoon. We spent most of the day driving down there and back, but he's worth it. Made no fuss about coming with us, and is already so attached to Gary that he did whine when Gary made a brief pit stop at a rest area, even though I stayed with him in the car. Otherwise he laid calmly on the back seat with his head between us on the armrest in the center of the front. He and Simon were all wags when they met. One cat is unconcerned, the other is nervous, but he seems mostly uninterested in the cats. We are warned that he's a counter surfer and will grab and eat anything left unguarded, so we'll be alert to that. Otherwise he has pretty much settled in here. Figured out how to use the dog door, waited patiently while I made our dinner (sprawled in the middle of the kitchen floor and making me step over him) and eagerly ate his own without any fuss.

No photos yet, but I'll get some this weekend. This boy is large. He's apparently half golden and maybe half Labrador, but the golden bloodline must be one of the hunting strains that are larger than the typical show dogs. Except for a shorter coat with less feathering, he looks very much like our beloved Tee, whom we still miss after eight years. He and Gary are going to be tightly bonded I'm sure.

Since we've been driving all day, the only other news is that it's snowing again. Started on the way back from Normal, and intensified as we went. I've not been down that way in many years, and was fascinated by the huge wind farm we drove through halfway there along I-88 and then I-39. Hundreds of windmills, quietly spinning at a slow and controlled rate. While some find them "ugly" and "distracting" I have to say I think they are much more elegant and beautiful than any random cell phone tower. Even in the blowing snow and ground mist that was reducing visibility we could see dozens of them at once.

Comments

[songdogmi.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the new dog! Looking forward to seeing photos. He sounds like quite the sweetie.

[hrrunka]

Sounds like a worthwhile 300 mile round-trip. :)

[schnee]

Yay! ^_^ I'm glad you have a canine companion again — and I'm sure he's happy to be with you now, too.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the dog.:)

[altivo]

Fuzzy early morning snaps in the next post. So far he's been perfect.

[altivo]

Yes. Unfortunately I forgot to take the camera with me. But there are a couple of snaps in my next post.

[altivo]

He seems pleased enough, yes. We are certainly pleased with him and his good manners. Snaps in my next post.

[altivo]

Thanks. Looking good so far, a couple of photos in my next post.

[corelog.livejournal.com]

*tilts at the windmills, just for fun*

Oh, and good news about the dog! He sounds like a real sweetheart to me, and I think both he and you guys will do very well together. :)

[altivo]

Turns out that the windmills we saw were part of two different wind farms, plus perhaps some experimental ones set up to test the feasibility of expansion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Groves_Wind_Farm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendota_Hills_Wind_Farm

You're right about the dog. He's alert and curious but very laid back. In fact we still don't know what his bark sounds like. He was staying in a house with two permanent resident dogs, one a golden, one a lab, both girls. He never pushed his way in front of them for attention, just waited his turn. Quite a gentleman dog. You should see the size of his feet though.