that darn dog...

Well, our zeb was returned to us today after being gone for 5 days. We got him a little over a year ago as a puppy. We met his owners through our friend, Cody, and they all tried very hard to convince us that we needed a dog. THIS dog. I may not admit it whole-heartedly to Jared, but he's growing on me. I can see why my husband and boys need a dog. And observing them all this last weekend while zeb was missing, and again today when he returned, showed me just how much this big moose of a dog means to our family. When we got him, Jared trained him to be a hunting dog and I trained him to be a family dog. We both succeeded. When any of us gets near the street, zeb goes to stand on the street side. And when someone he doesn't know comes too near our home, he'll stand in-between and bark when he's not comfortable. Once he sees we're ok with that person, he backs down and has a new friend.
That very first night he came home, he started by making a mess all over the back of my car. Not a good start. While we were cleaning that up and getting the kids ready for bed, I was watching zeb and how the kids were interacting with him. At this point, I was still unsure of how long he would be staying with us. If took him a minute, but he started playing with the kids and was very gentle with them. He would wag his tail in Seth's face until Seth grabbed on, then pull him all around the kitchen until he fell off. It was so fun to watch!!!
When Jacob was learning to walk and still unsteady on his feet, zeb would walk along-side him and let Jake hold on for dear life.
Back when he was a puppy, it was still quite chilly outside so zeb was inside for a bit. He was underneath the kitchen table trying to hide and take a nap when Seth snuggled up right next to him with the very same idea. Seth likes to rub something silky with his right hand while sucking on the fingers on his left hand. Apparantly, zeb's ears were just as soft.
Ethan is training with Jared and zeb and has been doing very well. Ethan hasn't gone hunting yet, but he and zeb will be ready to go together when the time comes!!
Logan is the one that discovered riding zeb like a horse. They don't do it so often, for zeb's sake, but they sure are funny to watch when they do!
So, all in all, I am very glad the zeb made it home. Who knew I was dog person after all!?