2011: A New Year and...

...a new dog!   Meet Rusty.  Or "Rustin" when we need to use a more formal version like when he is getting scolded as in "Rustin Foster!" (reference Special Features below).

 Rusty is a our "new" dog.   Rescued from a shelter, we were able to save this cute little dachshund.  We know very little about his past but have discovered several good qualities already.

He likes long walks...

And lounging (on the couch) in the sun.  And chewing (guarding his extra-durable chew toy below).

He is EXTRA long...

And gets along fabulously with our ORIGINAL wiener (pronounced "ween-air"), Peanut.

Rusty has some "special" features that we are monitoring:
- He doesn't recognize his new name so its almost like he's deaf at times.  We have no idea what his original name is and have had fun trying to guess by shouting out random dog names like "Spot" and "Billy" and "Cujo"...
- He jumps.  Up.  Onto chairs.  And then onto table tops.  And then opens a bag and eats an entire bagel.  Ugh.  We haven't dealt with a "scavenger" before.  We are hoping he is just trying to come up to his fighting weight and then will ease up on the enthusiasm for food.
- He is tireless when playing fetch with his chew toy.  Hopefully better weather will mean longer walks and less obsession with indoor fetch.

But overall he is a wonderful addition and it feels like he's been here forever.