My Friend Spot

 

This is my friend Spot.  Spot has his pluses and minuses.  

Pluses:  Spot likes people and guess what?  Someone trained him to sit, lie down,  and also to shake hands.   He is also good at chasing off stray cats.  Spot aims to please, and sometimes he does.   He needs some instruction I think.   Spot is a very large dog, bigger than a German Shepherd.  I'm pretty sure he weighs over 100 lbs.   Large size can be useful, especially in a friendly dog.  

Minuses:  Spot is so elated with the fact that he lives in my yard, and I have given him food, that he jumps on me.   Noooooooo!  I suppose he needs to see a groomer and take a bath and have his nails clipped.  He loves to put his paw up to shake hands, but he is likely to scratch accidentally.  I told him not to scratch me.  He leaned his head over and nibbled my wrist.  I said, "Don't nibble me either!"  For all the good it did.   He probably needs a rabies vaccination.   Oh, and he drools.  

So far, I haven't heard much of a bark from him.  Sometimes when he sees a stray cat coming into his yard, he bounds over and chases it, which is good.  He makes a woofing noise.  I don't know that it's enough to alert me that something's up.  

Spot showed up here about a week ago.  I think he may be a Saint Bernard.  

Oh, you may wonder if delivery people and the mail lady have a problem with the huge dog in the yard.  No,  he's friendly enough that no one has been afraid of him.   That's convenient, but I would like for bad guys to be afraid of him.   I have my doubts about that.   I think if they did some of the things that bad guys have done around here, like beat on the walls outside with a baseball bat at midnight, Spot would decide they are not welcome.   It probably wouldn't take much expression of displeasure from Spot to discourage anyone from doing that.  Why would someone beat on the walls of my house at night?   Probably drunk.  

Stay tuned.