6 Months Old and Chasing Away Coyotes.

Our great pyrenees puppy is 6 months old today. Rumor is he's actually going to keep getting bigger although he's already more than a match for the coyotes that occasionally come scavenging from the nearby canyon. One morning we woke up and Kodi was sniffing and growling at the second floor balcony door. When we opened the bedroom door to let him downstairs he barreled down the stairs and started hurling himself against the sliding glass door to the backyard like we had never seen. For some reason that "gotta go, gotta go right now" commercial was playing in my head as we let him out but doing his morning business was not what Kodi was after. There was a coyote on the hill behind our house, and Kodi was charging after it, growling, snarling, jumping over a retaining wall we had no idea he could jump. We were such proud parents watching a coyote flee from our 6 month puppy with its tail between its legs.

Dog Beach

The first time Kodi tried digging a hole he couldn't get his hind quarters to stay put: when he raked the ground with his front paws his whole body would move backwards from the force resulting in a loose interpretation of Michael Jackson's moonwalk. He's starting to get the hang of it now though, and we expect to hear from China any day.

Growing Up Too Fast

He is just growing up too fast! Its so hard to think of him as a puppy when he's already the size of a full grown retriever.

Head of the Class

2 weeks into puppy class and Kodiak is bigger than all the other dogs. And that's counting the instructor's two full grown golden retrievers.

Gets Bigger Every Time We Turn Our Backs!

He's not just growing every day, he's growing every minute. He looks bigger after a quick trip to the corner market.

When Phone Books Attack

Come on, haven't we all been frustrated when we can't find what we're looking for in the yellow pages?

Kodiak

My girlfriend fell in love with the abominable snowman, we got a Great Pyrenees puppy. The Pyrenean Mountain Dog, or Great Pyrenees in the United States, is an extremely old flock guardian breed dating back to the Bronze Age. Favored by the French nobility, the Great Pyrenees, served as the royal French court’s official dog. Full grown, this is a massive and muscular animal with bushy white fur, course fur that enables the Great Pyrenees to blend in extremely well with the flock and to live outside all year even in very harsh environments. The adult Great Pyrenees looks rather like a brown bear with white fur and is famous for their ability to keep a bear at bay while the shepherd evacuates the flock. The Great Pyrenees makes a wonderful addition to a family providing fierce devotion and loyalty. While wary of strangers, they are amazingly gentle with children and other animals and do will warm up to friendly people, women in particular. As a serious working dog they have a independent, even stubborn streak, especially with an owner who fails to establish their dominance. The breed is also notorious for roaming and owners should ensure their yard is securely fenced in. Bad habits must be nipped in the bud as the ‘puppy’ will be approaching 100 pounds within 8 months. While not on guard against some potential danger, the breed’s demeanor is extremely calm, affectionate and patient but once its protective instincts are triggered the breed is absolutely fearless of any predators, this dog is a match for not only coyotes and foxes, but larger animals like cougars, bears and mountain lions. Obviously, it is a very effective deterrent against burglars as well. Males typically grow up to weigh in the neighborhood of 130 pounds, although we have since learned from the breeder that his father tips the scales at a whopping 160 pounds. For a while I was pushing to name him Clifford after the big red dog . . . even though he's not red. In the end we named him Kodiak after the big brown bear . . . even though he's not brown. But there is just no cute nickname for a dog named Polar Bear. So, meet Kodiak - Kodi for short.