A Love Like No Other

If anyone has ever had a dog, they know what I am referring to in the title. The love you have with your dog is like no other. I believe dogs are the only creatures that truly love unconditionally. (...but let's not get into a philosophical debate here.) ;)

My heart breaks writing this post. I even teared up when I began thinking about it. I'm not even sure I'm 100% set on this decision. However, I have to do what is best for my family and what is best for our beloved, Owen "Wilbs" Wilbur dog. We've come to the conclusion both Travis and Patrick are allergic to him and I just don't believe Owen is getting the life he deserves right now.

I'll get right to the details...

1. Owen is a full bred yellow lab. Travis inherited him from his sister so we do not have AKC papers. She probably has the paperwork somewhere if desired.

2. Owen is current on all his shots and vaccinations. His last trip to the vet was for a check-up in Fall 2011 prior to our son's birth.

3. Owen is house and crate trained. Owen has not had any accidents in our home. We do put him in his crate when we leave the home unattended. However, this is not something we do out of necessity. We have left him out on a few occasions and left his crate unlatched. He tends to go in there anyway so we do so more out of habit.

4. Owen is seriously one of the best behaved dogs I have ever owned or known. He's incredibly mellow for a lab. He sometimes gets excited for his food or if Travis gets out the leash. Otherwise, he just lays around the house. My sister isn't a huge dog lover but she has a special place in her heart for Owen because of his good behavior. :)

5. Owen's one fault is that he is not the greatest walker. It is not something I have had time to work with him on since I've been pregnant and now have a young infant. Travis has taken him for walks on occasion but I think he tends to pull and be rowdy. He does listen well though and respect his owner (I have had dogs that were much worse on a leash and didn't even respect me!).

6. Travis and I often tease that Owen's worst trait is that he wants to snuggle everything! This couldn't be more true! I find him snuggling anything he can snuggle. If a remnant of our blanket touches the floor, he will find some way to snuggle it. (Yes, he sleeps in our room at the foot of our  bed.) I've even busted Owen snuggling Patrick's car seat!

7. Owen does amazingly well with children and other animals. When Travis's sister owned him, she ran a daycare out of her home so he has been around small children since he was a puppy. We've had Owen near Patrick since Patrick was a newborn. He respects boundaries and doesn't lick (without being welcome). Owen also lived temporarily with my Weimaraner and still loves to play with her when we visit Grandma. Owen has also played well with one of our friend's yellow lab. His only fault is that he likes to sniff female dog's butts sometimes. :P

8. Owen does have a lot of shedding hair which requires pretty consistent upkeep.

9. Owen doesn't bark. In fact, he's a lover and a tidbit of a scaredy cat. However, I have heard him let out a brief, low bark here or there when someone sketchy approaches our fence.

10. We have taken Owen with us to Billings (an 8-hour drive) on several occasions and he does fairly well in the car.

...as you can see, I could go on and on about what a great dog he is. I love him to death. I am only considering loving homes in the Denver or Billings areas. I would prefer a family member or friend so we could still visit Owen. Please email me at alisonkessel@hotmail.com if you are interested or have any questions. <3<3