[keajaa]

Raziel, Thanks.
And I'm with MSM Hobbes. Labs are very intelligent and so far, Jake's turned out to be a protector - which is one of the reasons we got him in the first place. He's friendly to guests (some would say a little too friendly), but barks at strangers outside the house ~ perfect. :-)
Hobbes, Jake will be 2 years old on June 30th. He's our first lab and we really didn't know what we were in for when we got him as a puppy. The first few months were challenging. Good thing he was so darn cute! :-) But he has settled down quite a bit now and is a joy to have!

[jjb]

Originally Posted by keajaa

Labs are very intelligent and so far, Jake's turned out to be a protector - which is one of the reasons we got him in the first place. He's friendly to guests (some would say a little too friendly), but barks at strangers outside the house ~ perfect. :-)

After reading that I have to add my perspective from my experiance with my 4-1/2 year old lab(pictured a few pages back in this thread).

Very intelligent dogs in deed. As a protector, well I hope he is never put to the test but..................well, ferocious and intimidating bark indeed and he does always alert of us of strangers.........................beyond that I am not really sure, but I don't think he would ever tolerate harm to a family member. The days of horseplay, tickling, etc. in my house are gone since he has become a member of the family. He simply doesn't allow it and comes between you to make you stop, if you don't then he will gently take your arm in his mouth and attempt to pull you away. Outside of that it seems as if once a person is in our door they are no longer a stranger and everything is ok by him. He normally does not jump on guests, but beware, that tail is a dangerous weapon and can cause pain!!!! He is an extremely sound sleeper(snoring and all) and when he is in his night sleep mode most things that go bump in the night seem to slip by him. I think when he is zonked like that a stranger could step right over him.
Chewing was never a big problem, mostly just a puppy stage. He does love to grab my hats and run off with them if I leave them lay within his reach, an attention getter I guess. He also loves to grab empty 12 pack boxes when you aren't looking and run and shred them to pieces, another attention getter I always assumed.
Labs shed terribly but mine loves to be brushed and then will sit patiently while you take the shop vac to him. I have heard this is not a trait of all labs, but mine drools terribly(especially while watching someone eat). I am talking the 8" long, walrus tooth looking drools here.
Labs are very trustworthy dogs and we are able to leave ours "home alone" for very long stretches of time without a worry. We believe that while we are away he enters his semi comatose sleep mode.
Labs are people orientated dogs. Whether it be on a walk, in the car or just hanging out with you in the yard or house............................all they want is to be by you. My lab knows the time of day my son comes home from school and will watch for him out the window. He knows the sound of my truck from a half a block away and is waiting at the back door as I pull in.

Ha ha..............................can you tell I love my lab??
No, when properly cared for I don't think a person could ever do wrong with a lab of any type.

jjb

[adamjsawyer]

Here are my two favourite ***** cats. The brown burmese "Shimmy" passed away several years ago, but the tonkenese "Tippy" is still going strong, if a little too frightened to take on the unsterilised toms who are invading his territory

cheers
adam

[buck52]

My pal Bob

actually my girlfriends pal...I put up with him/them

buck

[~Candy~]

Awe Buck, what do you mean put up with him

[bygum]

This is Gerry almost 15 years.

[valley]

the newest member of the family. Cally is on the left and Scooter on the right. They get along puuurfectly

[valley]

Originally Posted by AcaCandy

Awe Buck, what do you mean put up with him

candy...am I crazy or does that cat look a lot like Buck! Seriously! Buck, put your pic back in your profile, will ya????

[angel]

Here are baby/now pics - they're growing up so fast - they hardly even look like they used to!
See more pics right here.

[angel]

Originally Posted by valley

the newest member of the family. Cally is on the left and Scooter on the right. They get along puuurfectly

AWWWWW!!!!!!

[valley]

thanks Angel Your kittys have beautiful markings. The orange looks like a tabby...but the gray looks like a tiger. Are they from the same litter?

[angel]

Yep - farm rescues. Everyone says that Jack's markings are really odd. Got them when they were about 3 months and spoiled them ever since. They're PERFECT! I just LOVE my babies!

[jackal969k]

I guess you can say it is a pet. No matter where I put him (or her) on my property, it always ends up back on the front porch.

[jackal969k]

It also has very good camouflage.

[jackal969k]

Sorry the pics were so big. I forgot to downsize them.