Received this lovely email…
Hi Heather,
I thought I would send you an update regarding Bandit (December 3/17 from Lilly & Glen). As you may recall, you and I had a number of discussions about ensuring we got a pup that would be a good fit with our timid Brittany Spaniel Hunter as we had lost his litter mate about a year prior. I wanted to tell you that Bandit’s steady, gentle confidence has been great for all of us. This weekend passed we were at the dog park, where we go most weekends so Bandit can run, play and socialize with other dogs. He is so fast and loves to chase, but never catch, other dogs. We can actually see him slow down to continue the chase without catching. Hunter isn’t a big fan of the dog park and stays very close to me, rarely engaging with dogs other than Bandit. There was one dog there this weekend that would not leave Hunter alone and we observed Bandit moving his body between Hunter and the other dog repeatedly. We noticed he was using his herding instincts to keep the other dog away from Hunter and give Hunter a clear path to me. He may have been doing this for some time, we’re unsure, this was the first time it was very obvious to us what his intent was. It was so nice to see him looking out for his ‘brother’ like that.
While Bandit is a bit of a wild child at the dog park and in the backyard he behaves appropriately at his beginners agility training, no one can believe he is only 10 months old. Our son Connor wanted to be his handler for this so they are learning together and they are both enjoying it. When we arrive each week Bandit howls once to show his excitement. At home, he follows me around and when I sit down he knows it’s time to hit the off switch and he curls up next to me. He and Hunter have recently started sleeping closer together and seem to be forming a good bond. We could not be happier with our pup.
I hope all is well with you and the dogs!
Jill
