Introducing:

Taken in: 2013-04-06

Sweet, little girl in search of a family to share adventures with

Hello, peeps! I'm Brianna, and I'm excited to tell you about myself! I was found wandering the streets one day and before I knew it, I was stuck in a shelter somewhere. Fortunately, there was this nice group of people here that came in and rescued me. But this also means no one really knows much about me. They do know that I'm tiny - they even weighed me recently, and they said I'm only 47 pounds. They also said that even though I look so young, it seems like I've already had a litter. I didn't have any of my pups with me in the shelter though, so who knows where they are now (sad, I know). As far as my exact age is concerned, that would be anybody's guess (they did ask me my birthday once, but I'm not one to tell!) and so they brought in their smart people who said that they think I'm about a year old. Next, they wanted to know my name, and again I was a bit coy about that. Eventually, my foster dad decided he's going to call me Brianna. I like it! So Brianna it is, then! Here are a few more things you might like to know about me: :)

BACKYARD
I don't spend a ton of time out in the backyard, I'd rather stay indoors and keep the humans company. But I do go out from time to time whenever the back door is open because that's where I do my business. It's also my playground, where I get to run around and play to my heart's content. I have some tennis balls here, and I use them to play fetch with my foster dad when he has time. After retrieving a ball, I don't run directly back to him. I will first proudly trot around in circles doing 'victory laps' to celebrate my success before eventually returning with it. I also never learned to properly give the ball back. I will present the ball to him, but I won't let go when he tries to take it. That's because I prefer to play tug-of-war with it also! But for some reason he said he doesn't want me to learn those types of games and so he lets go of the ball the moment I start to pull on it. :( Oh well, at least we still have fun playing fetch. During those times when he's not around or is otherwise busy, I can manage to play fetch on my own to entertain myself. I will fun fast with the ball in my mouth and then toss it ahead of me when I'm at full speed. Then I get to chase it, catch it, and then run the other direction and do it all over again. It's not as efficient as having a human throw it at a distance for me to chase down, but at least I still get my exercise nonetheless.

And speaking of running, I have two different running speeds: normal and TURBO! Most of the time I run normally just like any other dog. But on occasions, when I'm particularly giddy playing games or otherwise quite energized about something, I will lower my rump very close to the ground (for added stability and greater handling) and run ridiculously fast! You can easily tell when I'm on turbo mode once you see it; you won't even have to guess because it's super-duper, duper fast! My foster dad is amazed because he said my posture during those times doesn't seem to allow for it -- my lowered rump forces my rear legs to be coiled and so they don't get to fully extend themselves, and one of my front legs goes off sideways as I stride forward!!! It's a bizarre combination that somehow gives me great speed. He always cracks up whenever he sees me do this. He says I look like a cartoon character when I run like that. :D

By the way, you'll only see me use this turbo mode exclusively in the backyard. I'm actually quite good when walking on a leash, as you'll see later below.

INDOORS
I'm a very good girl; I've never had a single indoor accident ever since I first started living here. When I first arrived, I was very hesitant to go in because I was worried that people might yell at me if I ever tried to step foot inside, but all that's ancient history now. These days I'm very comfortable and wander in and out of the house with no hesitation. I'm still gentle and submissive like before, but now I'm also also confident and quite happy!

I'm very disciplined and not needy at all. I don't have separation anxiety if left by myself. So if everyone leaves the house and are gone for an extended amount of time I just stay in the living room and take long naps or play with my stuffed toy 'squeaky' until they get back. I don't touch any of the 'people things' around the house or misbehave ... er, well, normally I don't.

See, there's this thing about Labs; we tend to have lots of energy, especially the younger ones. I know I do. If you haven't had a Lab before, that's okay. We'll have fun learning things together as the weeks, months, and years go by. But one important thing to know about right off the bat is that I need my exercise. My foster dad takes me out twice a day for walks in the park. But you don't have to do the same thing if your schedule won't allow it. I can make do with daily walks once a day. On occasions, I can even manage going without a walk for a few days at a time if you're going through a particularly hectic stretch. Just note that this is not recommended. I can try to compensate on my own by focusing on some extended running sessions in the backyard for a time, but eventually all that pent-up energy has to have an outlet one way or another.

There was unfortunately a time a few weeks back when I came down with a pretty severe case of kennel cough, and so I was confined indoors for more than a week on doctor's orders. No walks to the park at all! Can you imagine that?! I was quite bored out of my ever-lovin' mind! And so I ended up developing some behavioral issues; I learned to counter surf and snatch some people-food from the table when no one's looking. I also started chewing on one of the shoes that was nearby and rip to shreds newspapers and paper towels and anything else that can be torn apart as my way of acting out. But I'm glad to say that it was all just a temporary phase. Once I was cleared to start walking outdoors again, all of the misbehaviors also went away. The rest of the household shoes have not even been moved elsewhere, I can still get to all of them and yet I haven't touched any of them one bit. Same thing with the newspapers and magazines and tissues and anything else of the sort; they're all within mouth-level. Nothing has changed and yet I haven't been destructive with any of them anymore, no relapse of any sort. And no counter surfing, either - although all of the people-food seems a lot harder to reach now. That's the only noticeable change my foster dad implemented out of this whole experience! :p He didn't even have to warn, or 'un-train', or caution, or discipline me about eliminating these naughty habits that I acquired during this little 'phase' that I went through. I just stopped doing them on my own the moment I was back to my old routine. That's how much of a good girl I am! Anyway, if there's ever a moral to this whole story is that I gots to have me exercise! Always, always, always! Like I said, I'm quite resourceful and so I can make do on my own for a spell if you really can't take me out on occasions. But if you and your family lead a really hectic lifestyle and cannot reasonably expect to walk me outdoors on a regular basis, then perhaps an older, more sedate, and less energetic Lab would be more in keeping with your needs.

One final note about my indoor activities that may interest you: I know how to watch television!!! I understand the concept and sit quietly on the sofa while I try to follow along all the moving images and strange sounds going on in the screen in front of me. But I'm very selective with what I watch; I only like nature documentaries, especially the ones about the wild animals in Yellowstone. Check out those two dark pictures of me among my set of photographs below. See the ones where I'm sitting on the sofa and seemingly staring off into the distance? That's me watching television one night! One of them shows me staring transfixed at the screen, hugging my stuffed toy very close to me for security while they show these gory scenes of black bears hunting down this helpless deer. Scary! The other photo shows me paying close attention while a bunch of wolves communicate with each other by howling. But if any other type of show happens to be on, I'll just ignore them. I have a very limited set of interests when it comes to TV viewing.

OUTDOOR WALKS
I'm also a very good girl when led on a leash! I'll go whichever direction you want to head and will not fight you for it. I do tend to walk on a quick trot, though. That's just my normal pace and so it'd be perfect if you're a jogger. Our speeds will be compatible and we can exercise together. But it's no big deal if you prefer to go on a slow walk. Like I said, I'm quite well-behaved and will not pull or fight you for direction or insist on going on a specific pace if you happen to lag behind. So all you'll feel is a slight tug once the leash runs out of slack. You may want to consider signing me up for some formal training sessions though if you'd like me to learn to consistently walk much slower, or if you don't want to be constantly trying to catch up or having me always tugging on the leash, because right now trotting is the speed I'm happiest in whenever I'm out exploring my surroundings.

Just to give you an idea of how easy it is to walk me, you can hold the loopy-end of the leash with just the tip of one finger and you'll be able to manage me just fine! :D I wouldn't recommend you do this all the time though because there are some occasions when I'll come aross little itty-bitty animals and that's when I'll lunge and try to go after them! Cats, squirrels, bunny rabbits, you name it. Why do they run away when I approach? It only makes me want to chase them even more! The good thing is that I'm tiny, and so even when I try to pull really hard, I'm not that strong and so there's not much of a force behind it even when I'm trying my best to go after the little critters.

Speaking of which, guess what? I learned a new trick the other day! We were out walking at the park as usual when all of a sudden a tiny bird flew overhead somewhat relatively close by. My foster dad didn't know it, but I can jump really high, I shot up like a rocket and tried to catch it with my mouth! Too bad I'm still young, and so I haven't completely mastered all of my physics lessons just yet. I had the correct height just fine and timed my jump perfectly, but I misjudged the bird's airspeed velocity and it ended up literally next to my mouth as I clamped my jaws shut. And so to my dismay the little thing got away. I looked up to my foster dad hoping that he would commiserate with me on my bad fortune, but I was surprised to see a look of horror all over his face. So now I'm confused. I thought I was supposed to hunt birds?

There are a few 'informal' commands that I sort of understand when we're out and about. You can say 'This way, Brianna,' or 'Stay on the sidewalk,' or 'Let's go, baby girl' along with some other directional prompts along those lines and I'll usually get the general idea of what you want me to do. Worst case scenario, the most you'll ever need is a gentle tug from your end to let me know it's time to go or if you don't want me heading off a certain direction. Pretty much the only time that my foster dad has ever had to yank the leash and pull me back was this one time we were out walking very early in the morning one day. I think he was still half asleep at the time and probably doesn't even know where we were heading. Next thing I knew, there was a skunk in front of me! Being another small animal just like the rest of the other ones that I've chased, I naturally wanted to come up to it and say hi, so I lunged toward it just like I normally do. I think that action jarred my foster dad awake, who then screamed like a little girl once he realized what was going on and immediately yanked me back all the way towards him. I don't know what the big deal was. It had its tail sticking straight up so it was obviously trying to wave and say hello to me.

Now aside from that nice and neighborly skunk, there are various doggies I'd also bump into from time to time. I'm the friendly and submissive type, and so as far as I'm concerned, everyone is a friend. There are, however, hostile ones out there. Some bark or growl or snarl when seeing me, especially the ones that are behind fences or gates as we pass by. I pay no heed to those undesirables. I make no fuss about it; they're certainly not worthy of my attention and so I just walk right by them with nary a glance. On rare occasions I will indeed stop briefly and give them a disapproving look for just a fraction of a second before continuing on.

BATH TIME
I'm not afraid of water, and it's not a big deal if you give me a bath every now and then. No need to be running around chasing after me, or having a need to hold me in place. There's no drama with this doggie when it comes to cleanliness, no sir. As long as the water is warm and comfy I'll just patiently stand there next to you and not make a fuss while you lather me up and rinse me off. I'm not too crazy about water on my face though; I flinch whenever water (and not even soapy water, but just plain water) drips down from my head and onto my face. Oh well, at least I'm nice and clean and smell great once it's done. I'm especially happy after I get toweled off because that means I'm free to run around and get myself dirty once again!

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENT
I tend to sleep wherever the humans happen to be at the time. For instance, I have a doggie bed in the kitchen and so I use that if they happen to be up late at night chatting in that room. I also have my own blankets in the living room and so I use those to snuggle myself to sleep if the humans happen to be watching late-night TV there. I also come up to the sofa if they'd like me to sit next to them and sometimes that's where I'll fall asleep especially if the shows are particularly boring (i.e., anything that's not showing animals). There's also a crate in the house but I never use it. I went inside there one time just to check it out, but I never went back in there again after that. The humans sleep in their bedrooms upstairs but I'm a shy and timid girl by heart even after all this time, and so I never had the courage to follow them upstairs and keep them company there while they sleep. Don't get me wrong, I'm a very good stair climber (there's a pretty tall flight of stairs on one of the parks that my foster dad takes me to and I can climb it all the way to the top in lickety-split) and they have never discouraged me from ascending the stairs at home. It's just that when it comes time to turn in for the night and they start to go upstairs, I'd prefer to give them one quick look goodnight and then I head to one of my favorite sleeping spots and stay there until they start to come down again the following morning. The same thing applies when it comes to quick naps during the day, although from time to time I also take naps in the backyard because I do like to sunbathe on occasions and then I'll just end up falling asleep there.

MEAL TIME
Breakfast and dinnertime are two of my favorite times of the day because I love food! Yum! My foster dad has this big pail containing kibbles sitting on the kitchen floor from which he takes out just the right amount of what he thinks is enough for me and then hands it to me in my doggie dish. I'm very good in this regard also! The pail has a simple lid that's just sitting loose on top of it. I can easliy nudge it aside with my snout if I want to and eat all the food that's in it until I burst, but I never do! I only eat the ones that he takes out and gives to me, and that's good enough for me. I make sure to finish off all the food he gives me to show my appreciation.

Snacks are a special time of day that I always look forward to, as well. I don't really have a set schedule on when it's snack time. My foster dad just hands me a treat whenever he feels like it. I have a snack at least once a day, sometimes twice. He found out early on that I don't like eating those Greenies bone-shaped chewable snacks. He gave me one and I took it and ran out to the backyard and hid it there. It's still sitting there today.

I also try to eat healthy whenever I can. Our neighbor has these citrus-looking fruits growing in their yard, but a lot of the branches are hanging over our fence, and so from time to time I like to munch on those that fall to our backyard as part of my snack. I asked my foster dad what they are, but he said he doesn't know. He cautioned me not to eat too many of them though because he said I might get a tummy ache, and so I only try to eat them sparingly. There's also several different kinds of citrus fruits growing in my foster dad's backyard itself (different from what the neighbor has) but I never touch any of those. The ones he has are sour. Yuck!

SOCIALIZATION
My tail is always wagging because I'm always happy. If, for some reason, I'm even more happier than normal, then my butt will be wagging also, along with my tail. And if I'm very, very excited, my tail and rump will be wagging AND I'll be making small jumping motions with all four legs. I'm quite affectionate and would love to give you lots of kisses, if you'll allow me.

One thing that might potentially freak people out, especially guests who are unfamiliar with me, is that I will rear up and seemingly try to jump on you if I'm particularly happy about something. I only tend to do this in the backyard, never when we're out walking and almost never indoors because it's too crowded in there. Anyway, I was told humans are not too crazy about dogs jumping on them, especially big ones. I actually don't jump on people; I jump straight up quite close to you when I do but don't really touch you, but my front paws are sticking straight forward when I do and so this might make people think that I'm out to try and hug you. And sometimes I lose my balance and end up bumping into you by accident. Anyway, my foster dad is ignoring this behavior at this point and isn't cautioning me about it yet because I don't really jump on people, and I only do it sparingly on occasions in the backyard when I'm quite happy.

When coming across strangers during our walks, I'm quite well-behaved. If they show no interest towards me, I just walk right on by. If they stop or bend down and say hello, I'm very polite; I wag my tail and will come up and greet them as well. Friendly dogs are the same thing, I will wag my tail and greet any that I come across and lick their noses a lot. I hope they don't mind? That's what I like to do when greeting canines.

If we're both sitting on the sofa at home, I may tend to rest one of my paws on your leg, and another one either on your shoulder or your chest. If you start to knead my chest in response to this, then I'll lean my entire body against the back rest and enjoy the moment. At that point in time I'm the happiest dog on earth!

COMMANDS
I know 'sit' very well! And also, um, well, actually, that's it. That's all I know so far. But I'm willing to learn! If you'd like to teach me some other ones I'll be happy to follow along.

MEDICAL
As mentioned earlier, I had a bad case of kennel cough early on. But I eventually got over it after a little over a week's worth of treatment. I'm current on all my shots, so no need to worry about any of those at this point. And I've been spayed recently, so that kind of slowed me down for a bit while I recuperated, but now I'm starting to get back to running at full speed once more.

CAR RIDES
I like car rides. My foster dad only needs to open his car door and I'll jump right in, ready for my next adventure. I used to be hesitant about getting in the vehicle when I first met him, but now I realize it's a chance to explore faraway places and so it gets me really excited whenever I see him take the leash and head for the car. I'm quiet when I'm out on a ride, no fuss, no worries. I don't move around a lot and I don't get car sick. I usually just lay down on the seat and wait patiently while we head on to wherever it is we're going. Every so often I may sit up and stare out the window just to see where we're at, but then I'll usually lie back down again. My foster dad doesn't really roll the windows all the way down when he drives, but in any case he doesn't think I'm the type that likes to stick my head out and experience the wind in my face.

TRANSITION TIME
Of course, humans have different tastes and styles, and so it's only natural that you may have a different set of preferences compared to that of my foster dad. Perhaps you don't like doggies taking naps on the sofa? I'm very obedient and submissive, and only want to meet with your approval. Just be clear and consistent up front and once I get the hang of your routine and your particular type of rules, I'll able to follow along just the way you want it. It's possible that I might end up being timid and hesitant initially, especially when first trying to get used to a new environment. I'm quite the opposite of these gung-ho alpha males that are adventuresome and are raring to go once they get placed into a new home. My foster dad helped me in making huge strides with my self-confidence and so I'm not as overly-cautious and worried about strange environments now. But every situation is different and I may revert back to form, especially if I'm still trying to get to know you so please be patient and gentle with me if this is the case and I promise to reward you with years of joy and devotion in return.

Hugs and kisses,

- Brianna

p.s.
Here's a short video of me one lazy morning while quietly playing with my foster dad!
Brianna on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e7dbn1_Uuc)