Video clips of Mac being Mac

This was Mac when he was still very puppy-ish. Well, he still kinda is.. but this was pretty much what he would do, randomly, out of the blue. We caught him on video this time though.

Mac and bath time... He loves a good bath and does this EVERY TIME when he is done (aka - the blanket on the couch). We think it has something to with water in his ears/drying off maybe? It is entertaining, to say the least.

However, you have to watch him, he started doing this on the bed before we realized this was an every-bath thing. We've now got him trained to do this on his own bed. Much easier to control and clean. :)

Mac & mirrors... all you have to say is mirror and he does the barking routine.

More on Mac as a human

So, I thought more about Mac and his human-like characterisitics... here are more to add to the list:

• Mac groans, sighs, and stretches just like an old man... He lets out lengthy groans with a sigh when we're lazin' around the house, when he's being impatient about something, and every time he gets up, combined with a front and then back leg stretch.
• Mac has weight issues and often shows frustration in how big he is. He weighs in at about 80 lbs. ... the size of a small human... although, he's covered in fur and has a tail that could knock you out, so don't let that 'small human comparison' confuse you - he is big and doesn't know what to do with his size. He often gets frustrated when he realizes that his size doesn't accomodate well as a lap dog, or even better, as a dog that can sit on the upper back side of the couch.
• He is slowly learning to grasp the English language. So far, he is confident that the following words are good ones to perk your head at or do an action to (as it is usually followed up with good things): Sit, Stay, Down, Dead, Up, Paw, Other Paw, Both Paws, Gentle, Give, Come, No, Bath, Car, Walk, Go, Be quick, Hurry up, 'go-see-Lee' (his 'masters'), yogurt, and treat (obviously).
• He has obsessions. They are not the best obsessions, and we have probably instilled them in him without knowing, but they are entertaining to say the least. Mac has 3 major obsessions: barking at that same dog in the mirror, getting water out of his ears after a bath and causing an uproar with noises and movements, and the biggest of all, is in the presence of light reflections or shadows. As soon as he spots one, he will focus on in, try to eat it and/or catch it, and not be able to let it go until it is gone for a long period of time or you've taken him out of the room where it 'orginally' was. Let's just say taking pictures of Mac are usually pretty easy because of the flash - he will intently stare it down. However, if you get too close, he will attempt to catch the lights coming from the camera... (see first picture posted in Post 1)

Mac as a Human

Just as anyone who has a dog knows, dogs tend to take on very human-like characteristics. Here just a few of Mac's many human-like characterisitics (that I recount off the top of my head):

• When he plays, he really does play like a child. No need for other dogs or people. He just picks up his toy and has a grand old time, in a flurry of excitement, tossing it up in the hair, throwing it around the room, shaking it from ear to ear. This is quite funny to watch.



• Sleeping in a dog bed is his 'expected' behaviour. He has realized that there are ways around this. We have witnessed him (without him knowing) getting off his dog bed (in the kitchen), hopping up on the couch after we've 'gone to bed' and getting back to his dog bed 10 minutes before my alarm goes off in the morning. A very sneaky and smart game plan.



• He burps. And farts. Loudly. Enough that he has woken himself up or even barked at himself because of the noise.



• He sits on the couch and leans back against the back rest.



• He spoons you in bed. He is big enough to sleep like a whole other person (aka reason why he sleeps in the kitchen) but when he does get to snuggle, it gets his head propped on the pillow and lays one paw over your shoulder. Priceless.



• He plays hide and go seek and LOVES IT. He will gladly sit and wait on the couch or behind a tree if it means you'll whistle for him to come find you.



• He is scared of the dark. Big time.



• He keeps you from yelling. He is our mediator if we are starting to fight. He gets right in between us and sits on you until you stop talking. He usually sits on the person that is in the wrong, too! (Not saying who that it)



• He knows if he's been bad. He'll give you hugs with his paws (begging-like) and kisses, and looks over at the mess he has caused. This is all before you've even said or noticed anything.



• He eats watermelon and popsicles with his front teeth. He also lets you floss his teeth.



• He loves marshmallows.



• He is truly the healthiest eater in the house. Goes ballistic over grape tomatoes, yogurt, cucumber, green beans, snow peas, and lettuce. Although carrots and apples are touch and go.



• Takes a bath every week in a claw foot tub... without a shower faucet.



• Loves The Dog Whisperer and At The End of My Leash.



• Knows to walk on the left side of the road and to switch if we are turning around.

That's it for now, but I'm sure I'll think of more later...

Mac as a Dog

Mac is a dog. So naturally, there are dog-like characteristics about him.

• Loves to do tricks


• Fetches toys and sticks... well, he runs after them anyways


• Loves sticks. Anything to do with sticks. He pretty much thinks he owns all of the sticks in the world and it is his duty to destroy all of them.


• Sleeps in his dog bed.... see next post.


• Plays a lot... see next post.


• Barks at noises... that's dog-like, right?
  
• Loves the cupboard with his leash in it. It means good things are coming his way.


• Likes to sleep. Lay down really.
  
• Loves to dig holes. In anything. Especially snow.

Part of the family

So, Mac has really become a main member of our little family. He has been apart of our wedding and got to move with us into our first house. He has been on many a walk, hikes, car rides, learned to swim in a lake, ocean, and a pool, has pooped all over Nova Scotian soils (except Cape Breton - maybe this summer!), caught many snowballs, dug impressively huge holes in small amounts of time, and has ripped apart every possible stick in his sight. He is our boy, our baby (a very big one, I might add) but he is definitely one of us.

We take Mac pretty much everywhere we go. He loves the car and will often wait for us while we do our errands, happily lounging out in the driver's seat. He never barks at strangers, although he does stare. If people knew there was an intense brown eyed star behind the tinted glass windows, they'd difinitely be a little spooked!

So far, in the house, he's been a great guard dog! No training - just appears kind of scary, which usually works for him! All he really wants to do is get a big kiss on your cheek, but apparently that's quite a threat, or so he's learned.

All in all, he's really become part of the family. Well, he is our family. It's funny how much a dog can take up in your heart :)

Mac - in the early days

Introducing Mac!
This is the loveable, silly creature we know today. 2 seconds before this picture, he was sitting beautifully... however, once he saw the flash of light... well, that's another story. Let's bring you up to speed first. He was not always so goofy and big. He actually was quote a cute little puppy for about a week.

We found Mac on a Rescue website in P.E.I, about a 4-5 hours drive from here. We made a weekend of it and came home with our first little boy - Mac (named by the Humaine Society where we found him). He was about 2-3 weeks old and now had a family. He was loved from the moment we met him.

We brought him home to our townhouse/apartment at the time and he of course snooped around and followed us where ever we went. We were nervous about the house training, but we adequately prepared with the crate, the baby gates, the vinegar/water mix, etc. We had been told that if we put him in smaller areas, he will be less likely to pee because dogs won't pee where they have to walk/stay, which seemed logical. So, to start off on the first day, we put him in the kitchen blocked with a baby gate while we ate our supper in the living room. Now, I know where you think this story is going and you're wrong. He didn't pee, at all, in the kitchen. Actually, he didn't really have any time to think about peeing.
He whined and cried, for about a minute, but as we were told, this was normal. However, to our surprise, about 5 minutes the whining stopped... and then Mac was in front of us in the living room, wagging his tail. My husband and I looked at eachother with shock - how did he get out so easily? Was the gate broken? Did we not shut it? We didn't even hear anything break or smash! So we go back, lock the gate again and stand back just to watch, this time. Sure enough, we watch our little 14 lbs. puppy dig his paws into the little holes on the baby gate and climb - yes, literally climb, one paw at a time - up and over the sturdy little plastic barrier. It took him about 5 minutes in the kitchen to figure this out. That was the last time we ever tried to keep Mac in a small space. Little did we know that in 2 weeks, he would be have grown taller than the baby gate itself.