Happy 2nd Birthday, Pyg!

Pyg is one of the coolest dogs I've ever known. I am so, so, so glad I adopted him. I took a big risk, and the timing was awful, but he has turned out to be exactly what I wanted. More or less.

I had a list of deal breakers and desires when I got Pyg. The list is here, but basically, Pyg stacked up perfectly. He will work for food, toys, and personal play. He will settle down and nap when things are quiet. He makes me laugh a lot. (I mean, the hoarding thing along cracks me up.) He is completely stable and confident. He is interested in others, but if I ask him to do something with me (training, play, whatever), he's glad to focus on the task at hand. He has basically no grooming needs, does great in the car, and is great fun to train! He's also incredibly loving. He loves to be pet and touched.

In fact, when he first arrived home, my only concern was his separation distress. He did not like to be left alone and he could break out of any crate, x-pen, or other arrangement. It was comical except for how annoying it was. These days, Pyg doesn't need to spend much time alone since my husband and I work opposite shifts, but even before we moved in together, Pyg was doing just fine being left alone for 8 to 10 hours a day.

The other thing I'm not crazy about is his front-end structure. He's got the typical easty-westy front legs typical of dwarfed dogs. This will probably cause problems down the line, but, I mean. How picky can I be? We don't do any sports where this will make a huge difference. I mean, I'd like to do some casual agility with him, but regular classes or competitions are not in our future.

I love Pyg. He's such a great little dog, and it continues to blow my mind that it took so long for him to find a home. Seriously - he was in rescue starting from 12 weeks. His mom and his two siblings both got adopted fairly quickly, but Pyg? Had to travel across the country to find his forever home.

I'm glad it's mine.