My Boy Ben

It is hard to believe that it has been 7 months since I adopted Ben.  Not even once has he marked anything in the house, absolutely no accidents intentional or otherwise.   I brought him home on October 3rd and this is a picture of him tethered outside with me while doing yard work just one week after adoption.  No, he isn't hooked to a tree all the time and he lives in the house with me.

When I first got him he had lived either loose outside (where he learned to entertain himself by chasing cars and trying to kill tires) or sequestered to the basement with his elder Rottie companion.  He was in good health and wasn't physically abused but was lacking the attention and affection he so wanted.


Ben loves people, particularly kids and loves my grandson.  He doesn't much care for moving bikes either but because he loves my grandson doesn't seem to bother him when Zach is riding one.  He also gets along well with other animals and loves to play with the Rottweiler down the street.


Here he is keeping watch at the living room window ~ I sit and hook to the right of him.

At first I didn't get much sleep because he missed his other surroundings, would whine and pace the bedroom.  Now he knows my habits and when I say, "lets go to bed" he gets off the living room mat and accompanies me to the bedroom where he sleeps like a baby thru the night.


He was a mess to control when I tried walking him and a vehicle was coming by.  Even tho he knows the commands 'sit', 'stay' he had selective hearing.  Ben would leap, snarl and trash about wanting to get to the moving vehicles.  Even tho I would walk him with one of those pronged collars, it was as if he was oblivious of any discomfort when it tightened around his neck.  


Tho I didn't want to, I had to purchase a shock collar.  Thank goodness it had a button for a 'tone' (noise) as well as the shock button.  Luckily I have not had to use the shock because he doesn't care for that sound.  Ben has come a long way and when an approaching vehicle comes now he usually sits without my command and will look at my hand to see if I have the remote in my hand or not.  He knows if he is good and stays that he will get a mini-bone as a reward and if he lunges he gets the tone.  So I'm sure that brain is saying.....hmmm, treat or noise?  And he chooses treat.  

He isn't perfect yet and still am afraid to let him loose because he wants to follow his nose and there are a lot of roaming deer just waiting to be chased by a big black dog. Here is another picture of my handsome boy, but because I tilted my camera (even tho I did the rotation thing) it is on it's side.  My handsome handsome 4 year old boy.

Most definitely I lucked out with Ben, and it was a wonderful change from the experience that I had with Bella.  He sure is a sweet affectionate dog and I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to adopt him.