Hope

MMcCown said:

He is darling! Very happy looking boy. It’s great to watch his progress.

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Thank you - I know I've said it countless times before, but we adore the big red guy and it's great to have a place to share!

We had his trainer out yesterday for the first time in two months, and I was finally able to get the camera out and shoot with something other than a cell phone.












I haven't had time to process them all, and there are a lot of redundant pics, but I hope to get to the rest ASAP.

I hope everyone is having an awesome week, as always!

Lannie said:

He's so TALL! Maybe it's just those long legs, LOL! He looks like a foal.

I still love his ears, especially when he's flying!

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Thank you, Lannie! His ears are always a source of hilarious amusement, especially frozen mid-flop in action shots.



















Interestingly enough, somewhere along the line when reporting his weight I added 10 lbs. I kept thinking he was "just under 70 lbs" for the past almost two months, but despite weighing him every week and seeing 58 lbs, the only thing that registered was that his weight was unchanged and I kept using the previous erroneous 68 lb number instead.

He has put on weight. At 9.25 months, Hope was 62 lbs this morning, 4 lbs more than he has been for the past few weeks (and at least for the past month), and he does seem to be starting to fill out a bit.

Maybe I should repeat this for my own good so I do make this mistake again. 62 lbs. Hope is 62 lbs. No more, no less. 62 shall be the number I shall count, and the number of the counting shall be 62. Neither shall I count 58, 59, 60 - Unless proceeding directly to 62. 68 is right out.

(Dear idiot, your dog is 62 lbs, so maybe remember that number? K thx doofus. )


























Such is life when you're a 62 lb Doberman teenager. I hope everyone is having a great weekend, as always, and is poised to have an even better week!

Lannie said:

OMG, multiple flying ear shots AND Monty Python! You made my day! 🤣

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Huge fan here, 'tis but a scratch!

dax0402 said:

Love all the photos of Hope! Thanks so much for sharing.

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Thank you, and thank you for providing such an amazing place to share Hope's journey!

The collected knowledge of this forum has proven consistently invaluable to us. Whenever we have had questions, a search has always yielded the answer!

LadyDi said:

Great PIC.
Low weight yet a healthy dog is a good thing.
Best to have that kind of wiggle room for what they hit 5 years.
As they hit the older ages they gain weight and if weight stays on the lower end for now that is a blessing.
Especially they way your dog loves to run and play.
Low weight is a lot easier on the leg joints.
Your a great dober Mom!!! Dober smack to you and a snort as well.

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Thank you for the awesome - and very welcome - perspective. We aren't super concerned with his size as long as he is healthy and happy, and so far so good. I am always wary of him jumping too much or putting too much pressure or wear on his growing joints, and have definitely curtailed his runs to the flattest parts of the yard.

Now if only I could stop him from jumping down into the living room, but at least that part of the house is carpeted!





Also, it's no big deal, but I'm the husband. My wife, who always reads DT and who posted Hope's first thread, has been successfully recovering from recent (and thankfully routine/textbook) major surgery so a lot of Hope's responsibility has fallen to me in the past month or so.

He does seem to be mellowing out a small bit, and now even seems to listen ....more often than not.

Thank you Lannie!

Quick question - Are Dobermans known to dig? It wasn't something Red ever dig.

I can't enter any more of the photo contests but this month's 'Digging Dobermans' topic is weirdly coincidental:


I sent that video of Hope to my wife yesterday after he started digging for the first time in the field behind the house. I'd never seen him dig before and now suddenly he's always trying to return and go after that spot.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, as always!

spocksdad said:

Hey, Hope heard there's a drought in CA and he's doing you a favor by searching for water.... 😁

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Heh. Homeboy has his work cut out for him to turn our dust bowl back into a lawn!









And as long as it's not all smoldering embers, I'll take it! 🐪