This puppy turned one today. There were many times in the past year when I wasn't sure he and I would survive each other, but the kids adore him and the feeling is mutual. The first thing Percy does in the morning is go to Jake's bedroom door and wait for him to get up. He's always so excited when the kids get home from school, and has learned to wrestle and play gently enough that they can chase and roughhouse without drawing blood.
Seriously, who could have resisted this roly-poly little puppy! Not this sucker of a mom.
He does *not* like to be left out if anyone is hugging, snuggling, or otherwise paying attention to each other. He loves to stalk and chase birds, squirrels, and rabbits in the back yard, and bury his favorite toys all over. He also loves walks/runs, a good belly rub, and human food of ANY kind.
Percy has chewed up countless spools of ribbon from my office, many Legos, two pairs of headphones, two laptop charging cords, many plants and bags of soil and plastic pots in the backyard, a whole bagful of hot chocolate bar ingredients that someone left on the kitchen floor, a tray of freshly-planted succulent cuttings I left on the windowsill, and countless other things. He is also big enough to counter-surf and loves to lick the butter if it's left too close to the edge, has eaten two whole loaves of homemade bread (that I thought were out of reach), as well as anything left by the kids within reach.
It's a good thing he's so cute and has never shown even the tiniest bit of aggression towards the kids, or he probably would be living with a hunter right now (as he was bred to do). He's mellowing out a little as he ages, and responds well to training - when we have the time to train him. Happy Birthday, Snuggle Puppy!
