Tomorrow is Wash's chosen birthday. He's approximately a year old, and the vet assistant and I chose April Fool's Day for his birthday because, well, he ended up being quite the joke on his initial owner.
As far as we can tell, Wash's original owner bred together four of the "toughest" breeds looking for the ultimate fight/guard dog. Evidently he though that the mix of Doberman, Rottweiler, Pitbull, and German Shepherd would yield a tough-as-nails aggressive dog.
Well, Wash is tough - physically. Mentally and emotionally, he's a creampuff. Natural pack status? Beta. Aggression level? Slightly above zilch, as in he only growls when his food is in danger. Oh, and that famous Doberman aloofness - nonexistent. Every human is his friend and more hands to pet him.
Turns out the top guard breeds were all top family breeds at times for a reason.
He is, however, one hell of an alert dog. His hearing is amazing, and so is his alertness. His bark also demands attention, and he doesn't cry wolf.
The timid, wary, scared dog we initially brought home in December is no longer. What Wash needed was a pack, and that is what he got. Between our big boy Jayne and Wash's BFF Zoe (seriously they're inseparable) he's got his doggie life sorted out and he has humans to protect and love.
The flat black coat he arrived with is nice and glossy (my phone actually thinks it's blue) and his coat has grown in so the shotgun scars are no longer visible. He's also gained a good 30lbs and some muscle tone. He is one happy puppy.
He has some rather idiosyncratic traits as well. He will sit at your feet very patiently with his puppy eyes waiting for you to give the go-ahead, then will pop up on his back feet for hugs. Somehow he manages to do this without putting any real weight on his human.
His ears also move a full 90 degrees between fully horizontal and fully vertical. Seriously.
His ears go from here:
To here:
Oh, and he's just a little bit cuddly:
We are very happy with our newest pack member.
Mel
