Today is my beloved DAWGZILLA's second birthday.
He seems to understand when I hug him wishing him Happy Birthday. He has clung to me all day long. I can't take a step that he doesn't take with me. He even crawled up in my lap several times trying to kiss my ear the way he did when he was a small baby. Only now, he's no baby, the little brut is 70-80 lbs of pure muscle and bone.

The year he was born, we had a girl dog (Blue) that had been dropped off here just before we moved here. She sorta belonged to the neighborhood, going from one house to the next eating and being petted.
The neighbors behind us had a girl dog (Lulu) that had 10 puppies, on April 15th, 2004.
She gave birth under Boss's workshop, but a couple weeks later, we watched from the window as she carried them one by one in her mouth to the house where she lived.
We were amused when, a few days later, she brought them all back, one by one, to our yard.
And again a few days later, when she took them one by one BACK to her house!
Don't know what was going on in her mind, but it was funny to us.
The next day after the last 'transfer', we were outside when I heard a puppy crying. I followed the sound and saw a fat little puppy, under the workshop, on his back rolling side to side crying his little heart out.
Somehow he had been left behind. All alone.
I picked him up and showed him to Boss who cradled the little fella in his hand, carrying him next door to its mama. He told the neighbor he wanted that one when they were ready to be weaned. Neighbor agreed.
When the pups were only 3 weeks old, Lulu disappeared causing alot of panic since the 10 puppies weren't weaned yet. We waited a few days to see if she would come back, but she never did. Then Blue, who was halfway thru her own pregnancy, disappeared also, never to be seen again either.(we've since figured out what became of them, but thats another whole chapter)
I went over and got the puppy Boss wanted and brought him home with me. The little fella was starving, weak, obviously needing & missing his Mama. He had the runs, but wouldn't eat or drink anything. Gave him some pepto-bismol, but it didn't help.
The poor baby was about near death, when I got some of the goats Scour-Halt and gave him some.
Next day, he perked up and started eating. At first, I gave him some potted meat, which he loved. Since then, he has been an eating machine!
Everyday, when we woke up, there would be a different puppy waiting for us, he was growing and changing so rapidly.
I don't know what became of all his siblings, but I do know a bunch of them didn't make it...
One day, we took him out to the chicken compound with us and let him run.
He was hilarious, bouncing after the chickens, just having a ball. They could have easily had him for lunch but apparently he, nor they, knew it, cause they all ran from him like he was King Kong or something. The song about Bad_Bad_Leroy_Brown kept running thru my mind, so I named him, LeRoy, and since he is a gorgeous brown color, it really fit him.

He surprised me when he started peeing & pooping on a newspaper lying on the floor.
I never had to housebreak him, he did it himself on his own. Alot of times, he'd have his feet on the paper but his butt would be hanging off the paper and the P & P would end up on the floor, but I never ever scolded him, because he didn't realize what he was doing. He finally got the hang of it and now always hits the paper.

I started letting him help me bring in the mail, giving him a piece of junk mail to carry in his mouth to the house to give to Boss. Omg, he LOOOOOVES doing that! Only problem is he doesn't want to let go of the mail once he gets to Boss.
So I quit doing that, but to this day, sometimes he'll jump and try to snatch the mail from my hands.

He even trims his own back toenails by biting them off!
Wish he would do that with the front ones too.
(Just yesterday, we took him to the groomers and while there, they were suppose to trim the front nails but they didn't... gggrrrrrr)

Going bye-bye in the truck is his absolute-drives-him-insane-with-joy thing to do.
Which is a double-edged sword...
On the one hand, I really love his companionship, he's a perfect gentleman in the truck and wherever we go.
On the other hand, he will jump into ANY vehicle with an open door, wanting to go bye-bye, even if its not ours.
Got to figure out how to break him up from that habit...

The first Christmas we had him, there was a nativity scene in the front yard with hay all around it. He loved laying up there, till one day he came to the house with a very swollen leg and in alot of pain, and one small hole in his leg. We took him to the vet who said he'd been snake-bitten. She said apparently only one fang caught him. She put him on three different antibiotics and he responded very well. He still has a limp in that leg at times, but seems to be ok.

I may not have given birth to this boy, as I did with my own human children, but he is still my child, my son, my baby, my heart, just the same.
His constant devotion & unconditional love is something I've never had from my human children or anyone else.
Dawgzilla is definitely a KEEPER : )
Long may he live in peace, healthy & happy.
http://leroydawgzilla.blogspot.com/