After 13 days of living in our house, Cali is doing better. She’s still shy in certain situations, like the gardeners making noise, but in other situations, she is more confident. We can walk her around the block now without burning through a pack of dog treats, and she’s less fearful of barking dogs and other outside noises. Or, at least she can walk away from them, tail down, instead of planting herself.
Best of friends
Clearly, the only thing separating Cali from Labrador greatness and more confidence is me.
Example: We walked her to the pet store tonight to socialize her. All went well and she was doing great. Then, as we stood there debating whether to buy the $5 or $3 clicker, a man with a large Malamute came up to us.
“He’s half wolf,” he said.
“Is he friendly?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said.
My wife held our yellow lab and she let her sniff the Malamute. The man made some comment about the dog not being trained. Cali put her nose over Luna’s body to sniff the dog. Bold little pup. Good sign. I noticed the owner held the leash tight, transmitting tension to the dog.
Now here’s why I should wear a t-shirt with “I’m an idiot” on it when I’m out in public.
Giant wolf dog. Strike one. Untrained giant wolf dog. Strike two. Man holding leash of giant wolf dog tightly. Strike three.
A full moon moved from behind the clouds at that moment or the wolf dog became jealous of the Disney-happiness of our two labs because it growled and snapped. Wolf-dog’s owner must have expected this because he reeled him in with both hands, fast, like a swordfish on the line.
He apologized and I ignored him, as I was irritated.
Friendly, my ass.
I have no doubt the man will wake up one morning with one leg missing and wolf dog grinding away on his femur.
So, Cali freaked, of course. And I felt like an idiot, a common feeling. But a she seemed to recover quickly. We won’t know how much impact it had until the next time she meets a new dog. We signed her up for puppy classes with my daughter, which will help socialize her with other dogs, as long as they’re not part werewolf.
So, as of today, the dream of owning two Labradors has been realized and is as fantastic as I thought it would be. It feels good to be lucky some days, even when it’s accompanied by stupidity.
The Unknown Cystic 
OMG you are so funny. I so look forward to your posts and this one I loved. So totally cracked me up. That photo you took of both dogs is priceless. Enjoy!
Lisa,
Thank you for this comment. Please let me know where to send the check for such wonderful feedback. 🙂 Many thanks. The two dogs have become quite the friends and will spend 20 minutes kissing and growling. It’s fun to watch.
Best to you,
UC
I love reading your blog. Luna and Cali are gorgeous and look so sweet together. Cali reminds me of my Maggie Mae. Labs make the greatest pets. They are so sweet, smart, and loyal. Having two pups is great. Sometimes it gets to be hard work, but it is so worth it.
Just Ramblin,
Thank you for the comment. Luna and Cali have become quite the pair. They lie down and play by nipping at each other and making sounds like whales. Quite the show.
Regarding my blog, I don’t always write about the dogs, though I enjoy it and will more often. Usually, I’m moaning and groaning about cystic fibrosis. Feel free to skip reading those posts.
UC
Some dogs are not social, that’s to be expected, but then what makes their owner think that they should bring their pet into a environment where there are other dogs? It’s amazing to me how some dog owners can be so uncaring about the safety of other people’s pets.
Glad things are going better for you on the training front, m’boy!
Josh,
I should have know better about the wolf dog. Information travels through my molasses brain so slowly, I didn’t connect the dots quickly enough. The pet store trainer was happy I told her the story. Now the man and his beast will need to take private lessons first before being allowed to eat the dogs in a group lesson.
Hope you are doing well. I’m waiting for a new post from you. Who do I need to speak to make that happen? Why don’t you have a customer service line? 🙂
UC
Hooray for puppy progress! I think you’re a great owner, working so hard to train Cali. The BAD owner was the nimrod with the untrained wolf.
Mal,
Thanks. We’re trying hard with this one. She’s a sweet dog, but still shy, though better each day. We have to be very patient with this one.
UC