Remembering Moja

Eleven year old Moja died suddenly last week. We knew he was slowing down but stoic Moja never let on how sick he was. Sonia wrote this nice memory of Moja that captures his loyal, steadfast personality.

I know why I miss Moja so much. He was a 24 hour dog.
Mendel is a 12 hour dog. He is smart, talented and cuddly
but steals our food, devours our slippers and barks demands.
I look forward to the time he relaxes into his crate for the night.
Moja was appreciated at all times of day and night
patient, though eager to eat, when I awoke late
grateful to play fetch any time I had a spare 10 minutes
polite in greeting us at the door
easily entertained by vegetable chopping, scraps flying into mouth
tolerant when 3 consecutive muddy, rainy days meant no outdoor adventure
calm when thunderstorms made me jump
comforting when sleep would not come at night.

There's no longer a need to leave the bedroom door ajar
but perhaps I will.

Mendel at 10 months

Mendel is now 10 months, strong, active and 60 pounds or so; neither fat nor skinny. He is no longer scared of every new sight and sound.No longer barks at us, but he does bark at Moja. No longer slow to eathis kibble (but does counter surf and steal people food). In the woods, Mendel dashes about independently, looking like a tall, fast fox. He loves agility and had his first fun match. He is very alert to different smells and sounds, birds and squirrels. He's still crazy about people, but unfortunately, he nips and jumps on them if they do not pet him immediately. We are quite surprised he generally will not retrieve. He runs after things, but loses interest before bringing them back.

Mendel's fears

Three month old Mendel is afraid and will react to everything new. On walks he is disturbed and will react to anything he has never seen before: a blue mailbox, a parked motorcycle, a a bicycle left on the sidewalk, loud traffic, novel lawn ornaments, a blowing bag, a tall man, etc. We are also concerned about his stamina and lack of coordination. He tires easily and we often have to end up carrying him. Our breeder wrote to tell us that he is young and will soon outgrow this stage:

" Gradually expose him to strange things. Remember, he lived on a farm where he didn't hear traffic, city or town sounds. Go easy on pushing his with his endurance. Trust me, he will be athletic, but now he is growing at a rapid rate and this is taking his energy. He is also constantly learning to adapt to a new body, (longer legs, bigger feet, etc). He heard plenty of adult dog barking here as I have 16 adult dogs. He didn't hear lawn mowers, but heard plenty of tractors going by on the road. "

Mendel copies Moja

Mendel copies Moja's every action. If Moja chews on a stick, Mendel follows his every move.

Mendel settles into new home 3/30/2006

Mendel is settling into his new home. He sleeps in a crate downstairs. Moja is still not thrilled about Mendel. So we let Moja know he is still number one by having him sleep upstairs in our room.

Mendel's 1st bath

When we brought Mendel home we were disappointed with his gray color.  It turns out he was stained with newspaper ink.  After his 1st bath he has a nice color coat.

Moja meets Mendel 3/25/2006

Eleven year old Moja is not too happy about having a new puppy around. But Moja is tolerant and Mendel is extremely persistent. On the 1st night home Mendel tries to snuggle up to Moja on the kitchen floor and Moja protests with a quiet growl. So Mendel consents and lies down about 1 foot away. Over the next hour Mendel slowly sneaks his way over until they are lying next to each other. Mendel is content. Moja accepted Mendel's proximity for a brief moment.