We picked up our 3 month old 38 lb (yes, you read that right) lab three weeks ago and it was apparent from minute one that he was meant to be in our family. He was enamored with the kids which is one characteristic Chris and I really wanted in a new dog. He also loved Adriane and since she has been so sad the last few months, we hoped that adding a second dog would add some spunk back into her life. It has.
Hank has so may wonderful personality traits. He is docile and sweet. He has energy at play time but otherwise he is happy laying at our feet or on our laps. He plays for hours a day with Adriane but he also plays with the boys. He has a gentle wine that alerts us to a problem and he has a great big bark that is sure to alarm even the most dog-loving solicitor. He is soft as velvet, kind of looks like a baby seal when he is wet, and just so very sweet.
We knew that this next animal was really going to be the boys' dog, a relationship that is very different from the one that Rocco and Adriane had/have with them. That image of a "boy and his dog" kept flashing in our mind as we met and introduced ourselves to other rescue animals. Some were really intrigued with the kids and others did not seem to really pay much attention to the boys. We wanted a dog that was going to be very connected to them and we certainly got that. In fact, he is so in step with the boys that he have started calling him "Triplet". There is no doubt in any of our minds that Hank thinks he is the sibling of Brady and Brody. He takes his cues from them, he eats when they eat, naps when they nap, plays when they play and hates it when they play slightly out of his reach (e.g. up in their playhouse). Hank has jumped into the bath every night with the boys. He climbs into their bed to nap with them and on our very first day, he followed them up a slide and tried to slide down it just to copy them! Brady and Brody get up every morning and say "Where's that baby dog?", give Hank giant hugs and kisses, and every time Hank grabs a toy that he is not supposed to have Brody turns his hand to the sky and says "But he's just a baby". They understand that Hank is learning to navigate his world just as much as they are.
We have good reason to think that Hank is a Lab-Great Dane mix. He gained 10 in two weeks, in fact, he looks like a completely different dog than he did two weeks ago. Some days I get up and look at him and insist that only his back legs grew because he looks somewhat more lopsided than the day before. Chris and I have fun calling him a Labradane and a Daneadore. Whatever he is, he is a perfect fit for our active loving family and we will love him forever.
