And the last of the pack is Leo. I won’t go into a full recount of how he came to join our little zoo but if you want to catch up, it’s all in this post: Then Along Came Leo.
I knew he was part of the pack the day after I brought him home. Usually when I’m working, the dogs spend the day with a friend of mine but she was unavailable that week, so I had someone else stop by my house to let them out. I put Leo in a room with food and water and a baby gate across the door so they could get acquainted without any issues. When I checked in with the woman letting them out, she told me that both times she had gone to my house, the gate had been taken down and all the dogs were together. Sure enough, when I walked in the door I found Leo waiting for me. I’m not sure who took the gate down but they were determined to not let anything keep them apart.
Perhaps the most striking thing about Leo is his blue eye. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just blue and the lack of pigment around the eye makes it stand out even more.
It’s funny how he and Jack share some of the more, shall we say, interesting personality traits but Leo takes it to a whole new level, especially with tug. I have actually stood on a toy and he has pulled so hard that he moves me across the floor. It’s not far but considering the fact that I outweigh him by 125 lbs, I’d say that’s pretty impressive. Leo is always up for a game of fetch and, a bit of a confession here, I’ve made use of the fact that my house is an open concept and tossed toys for him while watching TV.
Leo has a bit of an obsession with my yoga mat and jumps on as soon as I unroll it. He takes advantage of me being distracted by getting in all the kisses he can whenever my face is within reach or leaving his toy near me and whining until I throw it for him. Or he’s just started putting them on my back when I’m in a plank position. Planks are hard enough without worrying about what’s being put on me.
He has two speeds: full ahead and all stop. When he gets really tired, he’ll walk through the house and then just flop over wherever he’s standing. If I have a fire going in the wood stove, I often find him passed out on the brick pad in front of it. Which is great because he inevitably gets a good coating of ash on that whole side.
I have never met a dog that loves to roll as much as Leo does. I mean, it really is something. I have considered putting a sandbox, or at least a sandpit, in the backyard for him; he rolls that much. I thought maybe he had itchy skin or something, but he doesn’t scratch, there’s no dandruff, no flaky skin. I guess he just loves it that much.
I wasn’t sure how he would handle camping and I had set my tent up in the yard before our first trip to see how he dealt with it. There were no problems at all. In fact, when I’m setting up camp he tries to be the first one in the tent.
Leo never misses a chance to climb. If we’re walking down a sidewalk and there’s a raised flower bed or wall or barrier, he’ll be walking along the top. We were hiking through a forest and found a small pump house, and he jumped onto it and climbed to the peak. OK it was barely a peak since he was eye level with me but it sounds impressive. He was probably using it as a vantage point to find a new place to roll.
Breed: Boston Terrier
Born: May 26, 2012
Nicknames: Wee Man, Little Man
Quirks: likes to sleep under the blankets when it’s cold but has to be against the back of my knees. If we’re camping, he will usually squeeze into the foot of my sleeping bag before he remembers how tight the fit is and then crawl back out, making sure to climb over my ribs. Leo is the best guard dog of the lot and will often be the only one to meet me at the door when I come home. He’s a canine hoover and will eat anything and everything except some dog treats. I don’t get that one.
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