Happy Dog-iversary

It’s been two years to the day since an old friend drove down from North Carolina with a 16-week-old puppy on board. I’ve blogged about Hogan before, and I’ve blogged about him being the reason I wasn’t blogging.

He’s grown up so much in the time we’ve had him. It’s one of the amazing things about dogs – they go from helpless little puppies to fully grown adults in a couple short years.

He’s still a very young dog, of course, and we still refer to him as “the puppy.” However, to someone who doesn’t know him, I’m sure he makes a very different impression.

When people ask what kind of dog he is, I usually tell them he’s a Belgian Shepherd. “Belgian Malinios” usually just draws a confused look or a “huh?” It’s a great breed of dog, though.

I think of a Malinios as a cross between a Border Collie and a German Shepherd. They have the smaller stature and more pronounced herding instincts of the BC, but they have the guard nature of a GSD. They don’t make particularly good herding dogs, because they tend to “grip” instead of “nip.”

Hogan is everything I love about a Malinios. He’s smart, fun, sweet, athletic, gentle, and tough when needed. Bringing him into our lives was a really good decision. Having a young dog has shaken all of us up in the best of ways.

Here’s a little video of our boy in action. Our other dog, Peanut, calmly looks on. She’s retired from such frivolous antics, but back in the day she was just as athletic. She's still pretty tough herself, for a dog that's going on 14.

In case you hadn't noticed, I love them both very much. I've said it before, but I just can't imagine my life without dogs.