Conan has to be one of the pickiest dogs I have ever met. He appreciates luxury and insists on only sleeping and sitting on the cushioned dog beds. A few times, he’s torn his beds apart so he went on without a bed overnight. He barked and whined the entire night, which kept everyone up. As soon as he thinks you are about to take his bed he bites onto it to prevent such a thing from happening. When he sees us with a new bed for him he shows his excitement by wagging his tail and jumping onto the new bed before we even get to his spot on the patio or even before putting it down on the ground. For this reason Conan has 2 beds, one for when he’s outside and another for when he sleeps inside the house. Another thing about Conan is that he is very possessive over his belongings and will try to hold more than one toy in his mouth at a time to try to stop you from taking them. When we play fetch with him after he retrieves the ball chances are he isn’t going to give you back the ball. Sometimes he’ll pretend like he’s going to give you the ball and then just as you reach out to grab it he turns around and runs away or he’ll set it down on the ground, seconds before you are about to grab it he picks it back up to play keep-away.

During spring break I went home to visit my family and I was able to spend a lot of time with Conan. One thing I have been meaning to do for a while was get him microchipped. I was hesitant about getting the procedure done for him because I had heard it could be a little painful for dogs. Getting a dog or a cat (or any pet) a microchip implant means a small chip is placed under the skin of the animal so in case they are lost and taken to a shelter they can be scanned and the owner information is retrieved. This way the pet is matched with their owner more efficient and effective manner.  I decided it was time to get Conan his microchip so my brother and I took him to the local dog park in Monterey for an hour or so to play with other dogs then we took him with us to eat at the wharf before the dreaded veterinarian appointment. He played with all of the dogs but his favorite friend was a 2 year-old Husky mix named Jules who was just as playful and energetic as Conan. He also had fun playing and trying to bring down two dogs that were almost 3 times his size! By the time we took Conan to his microchip appointment he was pretty worn out from running around. I was a little bit nervous for him but when he got the microchip implant he didn’t even flinch and the veterinarian said, “I don’t even think he noticed.” Thank goodness.

About a month ago it snowed in Salinas. We were all very surprised about it, including Conan. He had a blast running around and eating the snow that was settling on the ground. Here is a video of Conan playing outside while it was snowing. Unfortunately the quality isn’t that great because a snowflake landed on the lens of the camera. I was freezing because it was so cold but the cold temperature didn’t seem to affect him. Now I am thinking I should take him to Lake Tahoe with me next winter since he seems to really like snow.

Whenever I go back home to my family’s house in Prunedale I like to take Conan to Monterey so he can play at the beach or the dog park. Some restaurants in Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf allow dogs so I can take him with me when I go eat. Conan still acts like a puppy so sometimes its difficult to take him out in public because when people are excited to pet him he stands up on his hind legs to try to lick their faces or jump on them. This scares people who aren’t use to dogs, especially big dogs. His veterinarian said Labradors will act like puppies until the age of 3, so Conan has 1 year left of misbehaving and getting into trouble.

Conan likes to take trips to the dog park or beach, especially when Dora joins him. Dora is my best friend Nicole’s dog. Dora is a 1-year-old German Shepherd.

When Conan met Dora when she was just a tiny little puppy and he was almost the same size he is right now.

Meet Conan, the two-year old Labrador Retriever-Australian Shepherd mix. Conan loves making new friends! He likes people, cats and other dogs. He is also very energetic and sometimes gets into trouble, like when he destroyed my mom’s garden and chewed up my brothers’ PlayStation control. Even though Conan is two-years old he still acts like a puppy. Conan’s dad is a Labrador Retriever, which makes him very friendly and even-tempered and enjoys playing fetch, eat and loves having toys around. His mom is an Australian Shepherd; this makes him energetic, intelligent and territorial but also very destructive if he does not get enough exercise to release his energy. All in all, Conan is a very kind, energetic, loyal, smart and playful dog who is always eager to go on trip and take car rides.

Conan on the 1st day we got him

Conan at 1 1/2 years old