LabradorRodeo

Because the real city of New York might be a bit overwhelming for both of us, Lomax and I decided we’d try a smaller version of it first. Here he is, smiling for the camera as always, in Times Square.

As it turns out, LEGOland is a great place to go on a Thursday in January…especially if you have free tickets. The weather was perfect and it wasn’t very crowded. Because the park caters to smaller children, Lomax had lots of practice ignoring little hands and cries of “doggie!” from passing strollers. He was as surprised as I when a free-range toddler managed to sneak up behind us and pull his tail, but he didn’t do anything naughty.

There were so many new and exciting things to see, hear and smell that Lomax walked pretty fast most of the day, and it was a challenge to keep him in a nice heel position for any significant length of time. I did what I always do, which is change directions on him — right, left, or a complete 180 — to keep him focusing on me and anticipating the next move. It’s effective, but it does make getting from Point A to Point B a little less direct. I hate to leash-correct him so much in public, because people tend to get the wrong idea…not that you’d think this dog is mistreated, looking at his happy face, alert ears and constantly wagging rear end!

Overall, he did very well. Loud, strange noises were met with curiosity but not fear, with the exception of a lifesized, beeping LEGO model of R2-D2, upon which he looked with great suspicion until later in the day when I brought him back to sniff and make friends on his own terms. He didn’t even mark, as he is sometimes wont to do (even in jacket! aigh!) when we pass too close to a previously “decorated” shrub.

Lomax was allowed to go on one attraction, a slow boat ride on the river that runs through the “Miniland” section of the park. He wasn’t sure about getting on board the boat from the dock, but he did jump in with my encouragement. Once I sat down on the seat with him seated on the floor between my legs, however, he decided he would rather climb cartoon-style over my entire body to exit, stage left. I got control of him and sat him back down, but he spent the rest of the ride with his front legs tap dancing on the floor of the boat, acting as though he would love nothing better than to ditch this lame tour and take a refreshing swim. He exited the boat happily, but not in an out-of-control fashion, and seemed just fine.

The only truly disobedient thing he did all day — because there always has to be ONE thing — was lunge for a piece of dropped food. He is very well behaved around food as a rule, so this was surprising! But it was one of “Granny’s Apple Fries,” so I can understand the temptation. I pulled it out of his mouth and put it back on the ground to set him up a few times. After one more successful Lab-mouth lightning-strike (fastest tongue in the West) and several corrections, he learned to leave it alone and was richly rewarded with hugs and kisses and praise. Also, the threat of jail time is very effective.

Many apologies to our regular visitors! Lomax and I have been quite busy since the holidays, and blogging has taken a back seat to our various post-Christmas, hit-the-2006-ground-running activities. Just a quick update….

1.) Lomax is maturing physically (and not just in that “ladies man” way which I have already lamented). I’ve noticed, and many others have commented, over the last few weeks that he seems broader in the torso, more “filled out.” And he suddenly has quite the profusion of neck. When I retired his fancy Christmas collar and brought back his usual blue one, it was too small and had to be adjusted. I refer to this new over-the-collar spillage as “the wrinkled neck of wisdom.”

2.) His strength seems to have increased as well, which is challenging when there are females anywhere near us — as there always seem to be when we go to puppyraiser meetings, since there are so many breeders in our group. In the desperate hope that I will not someday find myself in the position of Monty Python’s black knight, I have stepped up the amount and intensity of our obedience practice and am working like never before on getting Lomax to focus on his handler when in the face (or, um, other end) of very tempting distractions. He’s doing well.

3.) He’s still a cutie. I just got a brand new digital camera, so evidence of this will be posted soon…that is, as soon as I can figure out all the fancy bells and whistles accompanying such dizzying technology.

I usually save this sort of silliness for my other blog, but…it must be shared. I was making such a commotion at the TV (yelling and flailing and woo-hooing and celebrating) when Vince Young scored the national-championship-game-winning touchdown for the Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl this evening, Lomax actually barked.

Just the once, one hearty woof. And I didn’t stop him. Because he was cheering for the right team.

The handsome and sophisticated Mr. Lomax wishes you a happy and blessed 2006.

Fresno was a bit chillier than L.A., so I made sure Lomax was warm and comfy in his little bed on Christmas Eve. It had been a full day — Lomax accompanied me and my folks to a “barn breakfast” hosted by my dad’s friend Rod, who grows the most sublime Navel oranges (I eat the ones I pick for a month or two after Christmas, and can’t bring myself to buy any from a grocery store the rest of the year). There were about 20 people out in the barn, feasting on Mom’s blueberry pancakes, fresh squeezed orange juice, and sausage and eggs cooked outside.

Lomax was, of course, ever the goodwill ambassador for Guide Dogs of America. Everyone complimented us on his fine behavior and his rugged good looks, and we had the opportunity to explain the program to many people. I’d have let him off leash to run around the groves with me if there hadn’t been such a cute little female Golden Retriever escape artist living across the street. Lomax was far more interested in the other dogs and cats living at Rod’s than in the Canadian geese who use his pond as a mid-migration hangout.

He got some nifty new toys for Christmas! The pictured “Holee Roller” is loads of fun, as is the Orca, but his favorite seems to be what I refer to as the “crinkle cat” — a purple raccoon Tim gave him, which both squeaks and crinkles, and is the perfect size and weight for tossing around in my apartment. Until it gets completely disgusting and has to be taken away for a good rinse, that is.

He did well on the four-hour Fresno drive each way, in the wee rental car I drove in lieu of my ancient (and increasingly cranky) pickup truck. The car wasn’t even too covered with yellow hairs, which is more than I can say for my parents’ dark blue carpet.

Other highlights of our trip? The fabulous thunderstorm that happened around five A.M. on Monday morning — he seemed less concerned about the storm than in making sure he peed everywhere he needed to in the front yard during our “get busy” trip. Then there was church on Christmas morning, where Lomax made many friends, among them an adorable young girl with severe physical and mental disabilities…her face absolutely lit up when I asked if she wanted to pet him. But my favorite memory is snuggling up next to a warm Labrador and falling asleep on the floor in front of the Christmas tree.

So much blogging to catch up on….

Our Fresno Christmas went well for the most part, if you don’t count the fact that Lomax wouldn’t leave poor Shadow alone the whole time. I’ve seen the “magic marker,” the “little soldier at attention,” the “lipstick,” and various other semi-comedic euphemisms for his intact male proclivities, but until this trip, Lomax had never been…”The Caboose.”

Seriously unauthorized sniffing was a regular occurrence, and not just butt-sniffing, I’m sorry to say. Then there was the heretofore unseen humping! Ah, well. Poor Shadow, pictured here in the position I saw him in most, managed to deal by either running and hiding behind Dad or simply gluing his hiney to the floor.

The boys did run around a bit (guess who did the chasing) and seemed to have been at least pleasant acquaintances by the time we left, but Lomax got a LOT of work on his down/stay. And Shadow, who has never in his history with my parents been inclined to play with or chew on toys, heartily enjoyed Lomax’s favorite Nylabone.

…or north on I-99.

Lomax and I are headed to Fresno for Christmas, to visit my parents for a few days, so I don’t know how much blogging we’ll do while we’re there. I’m sure we’ll come back with lots of stories, though. Mom and Dad’s dog — a handsome, black standard Poodle named Shadow, who loves to run — is hopefully going to enjoy the company of another canine in the house. If I ever catch the two of them sitting still, I’ll be sure to post a photo…but like the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch and the like, I’m betting any photographic attempts at capturing the boys will be blurry and indistinct.

Meanwhile, Lomax continues to bring moments of hilarity. He is fascinated with polar bears, to the point where he will get up from his comfy place on the living room floor and walk to the TV, sniffing the screen whenever he sees the Coca-Cola or car insurance commercials that feature the fluffy white beasts. What gives? When the penguins come on, he turns around and walks away, but the polar bears keep his attention.

My theory is that they remind him of his friend Trooper. At any rate, the roomie and I are considering renting him some kind of polar bear movie or National Geographic special. I suggested we just show him the first season of Lost, but Amy objected, on the grounds that that particular polar bear is “too mean and scary.”

Anyone have any suggestions?

“Dear Santa, I have been REEEEEEEEALLY good this year. Will you bring me a basketball, some toys, and…um…a girlfriend?”

No photos to illustrate this post, for reasons that will quickly become clear.

As an intact male dog, age 14 months, poor Lomax continues to race around this world with hormones coursing through his little body.

Why still “fully equipped,” you ask? Well, Lomax — along with most of the other pups from his excellent litter — is still being considered for GDA’s breeding program. Fortunately, according to the head of the GDA puppy department, they’re working right now to schedule his breeder evaluation dates. I’ll be sad to leave him at the school for the three weeks of testing, but relieved to finally have an answer with regard to his test…es.

Things get nuttier (?) as the weeks pass. The little yellow dog who once relieved perfectly on command is now the little yellow dog who leaves little yellow drops. He’ll still go when asked, but he does a “non-committal piddle,” preferring instead to keep a reserve in his tank for important messages he wants to leave for his friends around the neighborhood. A potty break can take forever; every blade of grass must first be sniffed, even in the spots he knows. I do my best to correct any ridiculous behavior (like marking, or gluing his nose to the ground in one spot), but I also don’t want to tell him to go then yank on his leash, sending him mixed messages.

His man-status doesn’t help when we’re working on dog distraction issues, either. How is one person’s upper body strength supposed to triumph over the instincts of a girl-crazy teenage canine? “Gosh, she’s purty…you didn’t need that arm, right?”

And here’s one for the memoirs: lately, Lomax has been very much “on display” as a fully locked and loaded love machine. He likes to roll onto his back when people are petting him, which I let him do when he’s out of jacket. But, man alive! All he needs is some bad dialogue and some “wakka-chikka-wakka-chikka” background music….

Lomax gives the new Narnia movie two dewclaws up.

“Couldn’t get enough of the wolves,” he says,”and the battle sequences were riveting! Full of animals! I hope the man sitting in front of us didn’t mind my snout on his shoulder.”