Crate Trauma

Yesterday morning, Blake went to the gym at 7am and I had a client at 8am, so Benny had to be left at home alone -- confined to his crate. He probably really enjoyed it and was thinking "thank goodness those guys have left me alone." However, his owners were the ones with the problems.

We both in our own ways suffered "separation anxiety." My case was a little bit more pronounced. It just broke my heart having to leave him alone for 2 whole hours!

This first week has been hard, exciting, and rewarding. Each day, Benny seems to get "easier" to me. I've definately fallen in love with him and we have bonded. I have never felt this way before about an animal. I want to enjoy every second with him, but I also want him to succeed and be independent. So far, he is just awesome, and really, Blake and I are the ones that are being trained.

Benny and the Vets

It has been about 48 hours now since Benny has touched down in Portland. As great as he is, I must say, I am wiped. This is quite an awesome responsibility and adrenaline keeps me going. The adrenaline comes from those moments during the day when the dog locks eyes with you. In those lasting seconds, a connection is made, and promises between owner and dog are made.

Benny went to the vet today. I choose Burlingame Veterinary Clinic, or rather Dr. John Kellogg, DVM, mainly because he was the highest rated vet on City Search. The opinions left on City Search were very true. Dr. Kellog was very calm, very friendly, very knowledgeable and most importantly Benny liked him. Benny is now wiped out... along with his master.

In other news, Benny made his first visit to Umpqua Bank with me to make a deposit and all is well in the world. I'll try to get up some more pictures tomorrow.

What's in a name?

So, we've named him Benny... but now we need to come up with his "fancy" official name for the AKC. It starts with Lands End (the name of the breeder's kennel). Here are some ideas:

Lands End Bennihana -- too crass?
Lands End Tech Guru -- the dog does have his own blog.
Lands End Saint Benny -- something angelic, these past 48 hours with Benny have been unreal, he is a total saint or angel.

Btw, fyi, for readers of the blog (if there are any), if this is new to you, you can post your own comments for free on the blog. Just click on the comments link found below each post.

The First 24 Hours

Did I mention in previous posts how great Benny is? He has the greatest personality. He loves his crate. He loves people. And he loves food!


[Benny's backyard]

Benny's first night in Oregon was real easy. He uses his box that we built when he needs to use the restroom. He doesn't fight or complain to be in his crate. We lined the crate with a pad and the blanket from his brothers' and sisters' house.


[Benny with Blake's family dogs]

What was even more impressive was that he slept through the entire night until 6:45am! Benny is fascinated with fallen leaves.


[Benny and his leaves]

Coming Home

We flew with Benny on his first flight from Orange County to Portland on Alaska #367. The flight was perfect and Benny was a star. Alaska Airlines was great. Everyone from the ticket agents, flight crew, and even fellow passengers were really nice to us. Benny was nervous and we were too, but he never made a peep on the plane. Right before landing Benny let out one bark, and then a minute later at 5:55pm, we were smoothly on the ground in Portland.


[Benny travels in style]

Benny picked a great day to come into Oregon. The sun was setting and we flew in over the beautiful mountains. Beaverton was on the left and on the right was beautiful downtown Portland. It was 65 degrees and clear.

Finally, for what it is worth, Benny is a great tool to foil airline security. When I walked him through security, the screeners didn't really pay attention at all to our bags. Instead of national security, they were very interested in Benny.


[Ride from PDX to Blake's family home in Oregon City]

Introduction

Benny is the new love in Adam (me) and Blake's life. We met Benny for the first time in Orange County from Lands End Labradors. After much vacillation prior to meeting Benny, when we actually did meet him, hearts melted and intuition said yes.

Benny is a California Refugee just like us. So, this blog is dedicated to Benny's life. We are not planning to update this blog everyday, but only occasionally about him to share certain milestones or events in his life. Also, I hope to use it as a platform to tell the world about this great dog. (And to share information and photos of him with his family and friends)