The Gunther Chronicles: January 2014

Gunther with the boys

Our guy, Gunther is now almost 22 months old and it is easy to forget that he still is considered by some as a, "puppy". Even when he really was a puppy, he didn't seem like one. These past few months have been spent trying to socialize Gunther. It has been challenging to do because his sheer enormity intimidates people. Our two young sons did not want to be around him in the beginning because of his behavior. I think I mentioned before that he would just barrel past them and knock them over. This did not go over well with our youngest son and I believe his acceptance of Gunther will be one of the final pieces of the puzzle. I am happy to report that small improvements are being made. Just the other night, Gunther joined the boys for an impromptu sleepover. Actually it was more like a sleep on, because that is what he did to our eleven year old son. He laid his 200+ lb. body right on top of him. He was okay with this arrangement until Gunther decided to move. Unfortunately, Gunther stepped on Matt a few times and that was the end of the sleepover. I had to convince Matt that he didn't need a new spleen after Gunther finally got off of him. Today, I convinced the boys to play their video game with Gunther asleep nearby on the futon. They were a little hesitant at first, but Gunther didn't pay them any attention and just laid there and enjoyed the company while he napped. We still haven't allowed our family members much access to him, because frankly we are scared. He barks ferociously when he hears a voice that he doesn't recognize. And most people that come around just really aren't all that interested in testing the waters with him. The time will come though. We hope to really get his formal starting in a few weeks. I am so glad that we have this chance to reconnect with him. I am starting to learn his "language". He has a habit of putting my entire hand in his mouth when I sit next to him. But I noticed that he never tries to bite me. He is actually trying to tell me that he wants to be rubbed. Gunther is the most interesting dog I have ever been around, and I have been around LOTS of dogs. I believe this journey will be good for all of us. Might not be good for our electric and gas bill, because he slobbers all over everything and we have to wash more. But, that's the life of a family with a dog named Gunther.