These are a Few of Rook's Favorite Things...

Today, Rook turns six months old!  In honor of this milestone, I am taking a moment to reflect on all of the things Rook cannot live without (besides belly-rubs and butt-scratches).

Frozen Green Beans

Raise your paw if you
want green beans!

Rook loves food in general.  He especially loves fruits and veggies.  We split an apple everyday (I take mine in slices, Rook gets his peeled and cubed in a Kong toy.)  Rook stalks us in the kitchen when we make a salad, demanding he get a small salad of his own.  He will wake from a dead sleep if he hears a leaf torn from a head of lettuce.  But, his favorite treats are frozen green beans!


Rook, in my biased opinion, is a smart dog... he just happens to be a stubborn bulldog.  With the power of the frozen green bean, we can get him to listen/do just about anything.  They are the best training reward we can give him, and healthy too.  He does, after all, need to keep an eye on his figure as he relies on his good looks to get attention from everyone.


Love and Attention

Rook can never give
or get enough kisses.

The Rookster is an attention hog.  It doesn't matter where we go, or who we see, he simply must be in the middle of things.  Literally.  If Adam and I are snuggling on the sofa, he has to crawl in between us, so that he is the one receiving all of the hugs and kisses.  He has grown quite large and heavy over the past six months, but he has no idea that he is not a small puppy anymore.  He will try to cuddle on my lap, and gets very grumbly when he doesn't fit. 


Going for walks can be a bit embarrassing.  I will admit, I have not trained Rook very well to be an obedient dog when he is walking on the leash.  If he is going in the direction I am walking instead of sitting and staring at me or pulling me in the opposite direction, I consider it a success.  It is a constant struggle to keep Rook from following other people into stores or into their homes.  If Rook can see you, he expects that you will want shower him with attention.  And so many of people do.



Blue Squeaky Toys

First day home with his
new best friend, Blue Dog.

Rook is a very spoiled puppy with an abundance of toys.  While he makes it a point to take them all out at once and scatter them around the living room, his two favorite toys both happen to be blue and have/had the ability to squeak.  Blue Dog was a gift from my parents, and the very first toy Rook played with on the day we brought him home.  They instantly became best friends and Rook will often fall asleep suckling on Blue Dog until he is a slobbery mess.  Blue Bear was a gift from my friend Carrie, and Rook was highly suspicious of this new toy when it arrived - but after being barked at and thoroughly sniffed, Blue Bear soon climbed the ranks and became one of Rook's favorites.  Blue Dog and Blue Bear get chewed, tossed, and shaken all over the apartment.  

Not quite sure if Blue Bear can
be trusted... better try chewing
on him to see what happens.

But Rook's affection comes at a very destructive cost.  Blue Bear has had both of his ears chewed off, and thus lost his ability to squeak.  Blue Dog's fate has been much worse, as he now looks more like a blue slug.  His stitched on eyebrows mysteriously disappeared soon after Rook began playing with him, followed by his little round tail.  Blue Dog's back legs had to be amputated as they were torn to shreds with stuffing hanging out.  Rook managed to tear off and eat one of Blue Dog's ears - which caused me a lot of panic until it worked its way back out - and resulted in Blue Dog having what remained of his ears surgically removed to avoid further complications.  Today, Rook celebrated his half birthday by chewing off one of Blue Dog's front legs, leaving him one remaining appendage.  But you have to give Blue Dog credit for hanging in there... both of his squeakers are still fully functioning.

Blue Bear today.  He cannot
hear... or squeak... but Rook
loves him just the same.

Blue Dog today.  Notice the Frankenstein stitches
holding him together and the loss of limbs.

Looking back over these past six month, I must say Rook is an amazing pup.  He is such a goofball, but all of these quirks make us love him even more.  At times he can be incredibly stubborn... and, well... a bit of a jerk.  He snores loudly, slobbers on me, and occasionally farts in my face.  But in all honesty, he is exactly the dog we were hoping to have and then some.  I love his personality.  He has a very silly sense of humor and makes us laugh on a daily basis.  He has the ability to soften up an angry Adam and make a low-spirited Lauren smile.  Best of all, he showers us with love everyday and I am happy that we get to have him here with us.  Now if I could only get Charlie to feel the same way about Rook, everything would be perfect! :)