Labs are America’s favorite dog for the 18th straight year, according to the American Kennel Club, as reported by ABC News (hat tip to Top Dog at the Cranach blog). Labs have been a favorite in our family, actually in both extended families. There has been a long line of labs in our family: Mac, Lucky, Chief, Jet, Gaborik and now Kirby. All are now gone except Gaborik and Kirby (both namesakes of Minnesota sports heroes).
Our family’s first dog, Kirby, has been in our family for nearly 3 years. He was born on Palm Sunday in 2006. We had visited an aunt’s farm in SW Minnesota and their female breeding lab has just had a litter of pups. We thought it was funny that our favorite pup was twice the size of the other pups (we’re a slow breed of humans, apparently).
Kirby with his litter mates at one week. He's one of the black blobs.
Kirby was brought to us at 10 weeks. I never had a cute little puppy. He was about 20 pounds at 10 weeks, in this photo.
Today we are the proud owners of very large, long-legged Black Lab who weighs in at 114 pounds (summer weight gets down to 104, but we must we stay on top of his food and exercise). Kirby is basically like a miniature horse that we allow to live in our home. He’s a combination of spoiled and rugged, like most suburban labs. He loves cold weather and thinks fresh snow is an edible treat. Sometimes, he prefers to water himself with fresh snow rather than a lowly water bowl. He is the owner of two couchs and a sofa chair. He also owns a king-sized luxury bed which he allows my husband and I to sleep on with him.
At six months, he discovered that the couch was just right for him!
At three 1/12 months, the bad habit began. I can only blame myself because he needed our help to get up and down from the bed!
Kirby today, nice and snug in bed. He stretches to fit the length of the bed.
In return, he worships my husband, lovingly tolerates the rest of us, wags his tail if we even look at him, barks menacingly at visitors from our picture window (all talk and no action), sheds a load of hair everyday, has turned our yard into a mature pasture which must be groomed daily (don’t ask what it looks like after a long winter…you do NOT want to know) and gives us a good excuse for exercise. We have to sit by him to get him to eat his food. He enjoys egg yolk and a few bites of toast in the morning. His best friend is Bella, a 20 pound mutt next door. We definitely need the Dog Whisperer, but I don’t think he comes to Minnesota!
Kirby
Kirby looks like a human in the front seat (No, we don't drive with him there!)
Kirby, the great black beastie, shows his terrible teeth.
Kirby Fall 2008
