MEET:

ZEUS (II)
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STATE:   RI
AGE: est. 5 1/2 years
DOB:  Mid 2003
WEIGHT:   80-85 pounds
SEX: Male
NEUT/UTD:   Yes/No
COAT COLOR: Fawn
DOCKED TAIL:   Yes
CROPPED EARS:   No
CHILDREN UNDER 4: Unknown
CHILDREN OVER 4:  Unknown
SEPARATION ANXIETY: Some  OTHER DOGS:  Yes
CATS: Yes
CRATE TRAINED:  Yes
HOUSE TRAINED:   Yes
LEASH TRAINED:   Yes
OBEDIENCE TRAINED: Yes   
MICROCHIPPED: No
ADOPTION FEE: $300
UPDATE 10/16/09 - It's been just six months since my family brought me home, and already they can't conceive of the pre-Zeus era (nor do they want to)!  It seems to them that I've always been a part of this family.  I have adjusted so well to my new canine little sister, and my mellow temperament puts up with all her instigating.  Since she's getting bigger, I can actually spar and box with her.  (I always win).
Over the summer, my family went on vacation and I stayed home with my human Gramma and my 2 canine cousins.  We had a blast!  I did go on another camping trip with my family over Labor Day weekend, and met and made friends with lots of other dogs. 
Now that school is back in session, I am back to my morning and afternoon routine of riding shotgun to the kids' schools.  All their friends and teachers greet me by name when we pull up.   Every Saturday, we go to soccer as a family, and I've even made friends with a German Shepherd we see there each week. 
When Mommy or Daddy reads stories to the kids, I join them on the bed and lay my 92 lbs on top of one or all of them.  I can otherwise be found throughout the day wherever Mommy is.  (Sometimes Daddy works from home, and I hang around in his office, too).  I like to go to bed early, so when the kids go to bed, I hop up and snuggle with them.  I rotate which kid so I can spread the love around.
Just this week, my Mommy brought home some new treats from PetSmart.  I loved them so much, but my intestines didn't love them so I had to go see my vet.  I weighed in at 92 lbs and got 2 medications.  The doctor also detected my heart murmur.  Later that day, I was so embarrassed about the bloody diarrhea in Daddy's car.  But Daddy wasn't mad - just concerned for me.  Mommy was worried, too, so she brought me to this nice hospital where I charmed the doctor and nurse.  It turned out to be nothing serious and all my bloodwork came back fine.  I'm feeling much better today, and am almost back to normal. 
I have continued to improve on seeing other dogs on my walks.  I'd love to greet them, but mommy says no and tells me to heel, so I whimper a little as I keep walking.
I am a great watchdog, and I now bark when strange people come over or when the doorbell rings.  My family appreciates that.  I am a big marshmallow once I know the guests are okay with my Mom and Dad.  I still love my squeaky toys, and my mommy and daddy think it's funny to see such a big, tough dog squeaking a little squeaky toy.  What's so funny about that?  I've figured out that as long as I keep desqueaking them, Mommy will come home with a new one.  I think I've got her wrapped around my little pinky.
I love my family so much.  They are an answer to my prayers.  And I'm an answer to theirs.

UPDATE 7/18/09 - It's been three months since I've been adopted, and it seems like I've always belonged here.  We've got our daily routine that I've settled into so well - breakfast, walking, back up to see Daddy, follow Mommy around all day.  I'm a little confused that we're not driving to school every day any more, but sometimes my family brings me for rides other places.  I recently graduated from obedience training.  My trainer and my Mommy are so impressed with how long I can do a sit-stay or a down-stay.  They can dance all around me and I won't budge until I'm told.  I'm also really good at wait and heel.  And now, when we pass another dog while we're walking, instead of dragging my Mommy across the street, I just look at the other dog, whine a few times, and keep walking with my Mommy.  She's so proud of me, and I always get a treat for that one!  On the day of my graduation, my trainer used me as an example in the next class, which was a mother's group full of kids learning how to approach a dog.  I got to be the dog they practiced on, and I was so good.  I've made several friends in the neighborhood, but there are also a certain few dogs I'm not ever going to be buddies with.  Since it's hard to tell sometimes, my Mommy is just happy to walk with me and not go out of her way to meet other dogs.  But if it's a puppy, I always love it.  Which is a good thing, because my parents just brought me one for my birthday!  Since "mid 2003" is my only listed DOB, my parents decided that my birthday is July 12 (I'm 6 now), the day they brought me Nessie.  She is a 10 week old Boxer puppy, and I'm slowly moving from annoyed to amused by her.  When it's playtime, she jumps up at me, growls, barks, nips my ears, and grabs hold of the flesh under my neck and tugs.  I am so good natured that I just let her do it.  After all, she's just a baby and she really looks up to me.  My parents keep telling me what a good boy I am for putting up with her antics.  Occasionally,I'll let her know that hurts, but I am always gentle.  My human kids just love me also.  The 5 yr old can't walk by me without wrapping her arms around my neck and squeezing.  I just stand still and wait until she's done loving me.  She also sits on me sometimes - I think she confuses me for a horse.  Maybe it's because I'm so huge.  Several people have even asked if I'm a bullmastiff!  The 9 yr old is also crazy about me, and always asks if I want to play when I start barking.  Since my parents have adopted me, many people have asked where they got me, and they can't help commenting on how handsome and what a great dog I am.  A couple people have even said that they wanted me.  But my daddy says they'd have to go through him first - I think that means that he really loves me!

UPDATE 6/15/09 -   i am loving my family! they took me camping over memorial day weekend, and i did great.  there were about 7 other dogs around us.  i had to check each one out individually, but once i knew who i was dealing with, i was fine with them.  i was unrestrained the whole weekend, and i came when i was called almost every time, just stuck by our campsite. back at home, i am impressing my mommy with how well i heel when we take our walks. i have also shown my downfall, which is going after random other dogs.  i made some friends and some enemies at the petsmart pet expo.  my mommy was embarrassed in the neighborhood when i went after a dog that i had met and gotten along with before.  my family was again upset when i pulled away from them at a soccer game and ran across the field to attack a smaller dog.  i didn't hurt the other dog, but i sure put on a show.  i am still the apple of my family's eye - they will just be more cautious about what situations they allow me into.  i am a blast to play with, a big snuggler, and my family is now not crating me when they go out.  in a couple weeks, they will be bringing a new puppy home for me to have a buddy, and i can't wait!

UPDATE 5/15/09 - words cannot describe how much my family loves my barrel-chested self!  i have exceeded their expectations by a mile.  i LOVE to play, especially with sticks and, my family has also discovered, basketballs.  my daddy roughs me up when we play, and i bark and growl and give it right back.  but with my human sisters, i am gentle, and even if they try to get me to play rougher, i won't -not even a playful growl.  i just humor them and tug or chase the toy.  my 2 littlest human sisters, who are 3 and 4 1/2, love to just hug me around my thick neck.  they also keep wiping my eye goop and i stand still for them.  i am now convinced that i'm staying here forever, and i wiggle more vigorously when my family comes home.  i also give them more unsolicited kisses.  i have trimmed down to a sleek 93.8 pounds thanks to mommy's morning walks and daddy's playtime.  i also ride shotgun to and from my human sisters' school.  twice now, i have helped my family dog-sit for my lab friend, coach. he's fun to play with, but no matter what toy i had, coach took it.  i am such a good-natured dog, that i would just let him have it.  he even took a tennis ball right out of my mouth once.  sometimes i'd play tug-of-war with him just for fun.  in obedience training, i am working on focusing when there is another canine nearby that i must meet.  i am also working on not dragging my mommy across the street when we walk and i see a person or a canine that i am interested in, especially since i have the strength of 2 oxen.  i am otherwise brilliant at obedience, and my family keeps discovering commands i already knew (i even knew about the potty bells).  the training is mostly for my family to get familiar with what to expect from me.  they have bragged about me to everyone they know because i am such a good dog.  we are all going camping memorial day weekend, and i can't wait!

UPDATE 4/22/09 -  this is part 1 - not sure it went through the first time.
we cannot gush enough about zeus as an addition to our family.  he has quickly become my husband's sidekick, and it's been a mutual love affair.  they bonded during the drive home, and then with lots of stick-throwing and playtime after zeus familiarized himself with the house and the yard.  he also desqueaked his new fluffy sheep in no time!  fm told us that he is quite vocal when he plays, and we discovered that quickly!  he talks like chewbacca to let you know when playtime is beginning, and he barks at you if you stop playing prematurely.  it's quite entertaining - what a personality!  though he can play pretty rough with my husband (who asks for it), he tones it way down for our 4 daughters.
zeus does very well with sit, stay, come, and pretty much anything else we command him to do - we are so impressed!  he has such good manners, does not beg, jump, or crotch-sniff!  he is already trained to poop in the woods along the perimeter of our property, and now we are training him not to pee the second his feet hit the grass!
zeus has enjoyed several trips to and from school with the kids, two trips to petsmart, and spent the entire saturday "helping" daddy with yard work.  he has been a perfect gentleman to everyone he has met (well, except for that one dog down the street). 
zeus started out sleeping on our bed, but decided it was too high, and now takes turns sleeping on our daughters' beds at night.  once he is out for the night, he isn't moving!  he goes into the crate like a good doobie when we go out, and is by my husband's side or my side when we are at home.  each time we go out and come home, he gets more and more excited to see us!  it's like he's realizing he's here to stay.
zeus has settled right into our routine of getting up early to go out, eat breakfast, and go for a 1 1/2 mile walk.  which brings me to why we are looking forward to obedience training:  when he sees another dog, he pulls, and he is as strong as an ox.  weighing in at 95.7 pounds, he needs to learn some restraint!  he has been such a good boy in every other area, even on walks, but he is bull-headed when it comes to meeting other canines.
this is part 2, since i accidentally submitted before i was done with the first part!
as far as zeus' health, his stool was a little loose for a couple days, which i attributed to the stress of the change and the adjustment (fm said the same thing happened when he was with her).  also, he did vomit the first night at 4 am, but it appeared to be just saliva, which i again attributed to the adjustment and nerves. he eats well and drinks a lot (which was a good heads-up from his fm). he has been to the vet, received the lyme vaccine like a champ, got started on his heartworm preventative, and weighed in at 95.7 pounds! 
zeus is a beautiful, energetic, impressive looking boy who is social, well-mannered, and very lovable and affectionate.  we love how playful he is and how he has fit right in with our family.  this is our first boxer, and we are completely in love.  we could not have custom-ordered a more perfect family dog.
we are sincerely grateful that someone surrendered this boy.  it has been so good to watch my husband, who lives in this home with a wife and four daughters, finally get this brawny companion!  we hope that if SCBR follows up with the surrendering owner, that they would assure him/her that zeus is in a home that loves him so much, and that he loves, too!  their sad loss has been our happy gain.

4/15/09 - Zeus went home with his new family today!

4/1/09- Zeus is a really nice boy to have around. He is house broken & eats & drinks very well. He will be going to the vet's this week to get up to date on his shots. He is very vocal & playful. He is a big boy, weighing about 85 lbs. He goes into the crate with no problem. He does love his walks he look so forward to having them . He will make a perfect dog to whomever adopts him !

3/21/09 - Hello everyone Zeus has arrived, and has been a good boy. His owner had to bring him back in to rescue, because he going through a really bad time right now. Zeus is a big boy, maybe about 80-85 pounds, neutered , but will need some shots that he is due for.  I will be have an update for everyone this week.