Dueling doggie cuteness

Crusoe and me on June 4th

Crusoe is adjusting well to his new home and has become very attached to my mom. My dad says that whenever my mom leaves the house, Crusoe whines and howls for a bit, then flops down by the front door and waits for her to return. Except for one incident in which he chewed through a new harness my mom had bought for him, he's been perfectly well-behaved and is just the perfect dog for my parents.

Achilles on May 29th

Achilles is officially on a diet. He had his annual exam about two and a half weeks ago. At last year's exam, he was already considered obese. He weighed 84 lbs. at the time and is supposed to weigh closer to 70. For the past year, I've been careful to measure his food and cut back on his treats, and yet he gained 6 lbs! Yes, my dog weighs 90 lbs. now, which is really dangerous for him since he has joint problems as it is. I have cut his kibble rations back to just a cup and a half per day on the vet's orders, which seems like a really tiny amount, but she says it's plenty for him. He also gets a third of a can of wet food every evening, down from half a can. For treats, he gets only banana chips and chicken jerky -- no more biscuits. Fortunately, aside from his weight he is perfectly healthy, and the vet remarked on how far he's come in his socialization. He even ran right up to her to be petted when she walked into the exam room, which is great progress for him. He used to be afraid of everyone who wasn't me. With any luck, after a few months on his diet he'll be as trim and fit as Crusoe up there.