Thunder has been a wonderful addition to our family (thanks Diana!). He is energetic and loving. He loves getting attention from his people, and he loves playing with the other dogs. And he's even proven to be a great Dad! Thunder can be very vocal and will sometimes sit and look at you while appearing to "talk" to you - it's hard to keep a straight face when he does this! He's eager to please and will often try to figure out what you want from him. Sometimes he's a big goofy teddy bear who just wants to play or get tummy rubs. Other times I will catch him gingerly sniffing a flower or gently sniffing a bug walking by. Everytime I come out of our chicken coop I can count on Thunder to be sitting waiting patiently with his ears back and an angelic look on his face as he waits for a fresh egg. Eventhough he is a gentle soul he has a protective nature and does keep an eye open for anything out of the ordinary and will bark to let us know.
In May/08 Thunder had his first encounter with a porcupine. He came out of the experience with about 30 quills in his face, mouth and neck. I brought him into the house and sat down with him and I spent a couple of hours removing them. All the while he was patient with me - never snapping at me because of fear and the pain involved like many dogs will. I even had my hands in his mouth, twisting his cheek to pull the quills through. He is completely trusting of, and gentle with, all of us.
Thunder is beautifully built - a large gorgeous black and tan male with a plush coat and a square "working" back rather than the angulated "show" back. At 16 months Thunder weighed 90 lbs and stood approximately 27" to the top of his shoulder blade. |
