The Hannibal Chronicles No. 1

[SVmagz]

Meet Hannibal, our new purebred fawn Boxer pup...

He came home on Saturday at 7 weeks old & weighed in at 7lbs, 8oz on Monday at the vet.  True to Boxer puppy form he alternates between Little Terror & Snuggly Puppy.

I know we didn't wait very long after Bruno passed to get Hannibal.  The reason for this is that we don't want to be without a dog for security reasons (that & we love dogs).  We always knew we'd get another Boxer after Bruno, so it was just a question of how soon.  DH is starting to travel for work & I need the extra level of security at home.  Besides, it'll take a at least 6 months if not a year before Hannibal is even going to be able to scare anybody off.  For now, though, he's an extra set of eyes & ears.  I can't tell you how much I missed that aspect of having Bruno around.  I really relied on him to alert me to what was going on around us.  Even if he didn't bark!  Watching his posture or face would still tell me that something was up or someone was approaching!

Hannibal is very cute, as all puppies are.  But, man, having a puppy again makes me miss having a "dog".  As much as I enjoy him now, I love having a full grown, well trained dog who is in tune with his surroundings & family that much more!  Plus we have to deal with all of the puppy issues like nipping/teething, jumping, housebreaking, teaching commands, etc.  On the bright side, though, Hannibal is a clean slate & an opportunity to train him even better than we trained Bruno.

He likes the kids a little too much, especially Peter.  Pete is still unsteady on his feet & quite overwhelmed by the dog.  Ella is excited about the pup, but doesn't yet realize that getting a puppy all fired up by running around & shrieking in delight may have some undesirable effects such as said pup assuming she's a litter mate giving chase & tackling her!  We are all learning.  He is already doing well with some commands, so that's good.  He knows I mean business when I tell him "Off" of the kids & he's coming most of the time when called.

Hannibal really needs some exercise to burn off his excessive energy, but he isn't allowed to go on walks until he gets all of his shots.  Sigh.  I need the exercise of walking him too...another reason I wanted to get him sooner than later.  I can't wait until we are able to introduce him to the world!

[mackenziesmummy]

Oct. 16, 2008 at 3:18 PM

he is soooooo freaking cute!!!!!!