Kill is in the House

We have a doggie boarder! Killian ("Kill") is staying with us for a couple of weeks while his owner, Annie, is doing her two-week service for the country. We are just thrilled! We had a practice visit about a month or so ago; he stayed overnight while Annie was visiting our daughter, Katie. During that visit, he learned how to bark; mostly, having conversations with our chihuhua, Janis. Annie told us later she had never heard Kill bark before.

He is so active! I thought he was in the sunroom one day, while I was standing in the dining area. I turned around, and he was right behind me. I don't know how he moves so fast and so silently. He is like a liquid dog. He is also very excitable; when he wags his tail, I think his rear end is going to fly off. I laugh when I see him from behind and he has lifted his ears while checking something out. He looks like origami dog, with his ears up and folded forward.

I am having a very hard time getting a clear picture of him. He moves around so much. I took a series of him on the bed, hoping to get him to sit still for a portrait. I don't want it to look like I'm pinning him down but it appears I am (Annie, I'm not!).

We put a child gate across the kitchen so Kill would be safe while we are at work. Safe from our cats. I don't want Mercedes to scratch his eye like he did to Janis! Kill just wants to have fun - with Bonnie & Janis and with Delta & Mercedes. Bonnie just acts like he doesn't exist (just don't eat her food). Janis would rather he just leave, stay off "her" bed, stay away from "her" mom. The cats just hiss at him if he gets too close. I think, though, the longer he stays, the more accustomed all the pets are becoming to him.

Janis and Kill had a bonding moment yesterday. Kill came outside first and saw the Great Dane next door. That Dane is so tall but Kill just ran up and down the fence, barking at it! The Dane looks through the chain link fence at Kill, and starts to run up and down his side. Janis then came outside and did the same thing, running up and down and barking. One of these days, that Dane is going to realize he can probably jump over the fence!

This is a great shot I got of Matt and Kill in the backyard. They are sitting on Anna's bench, enjoying the sun. Well, Kill is enjoying looking at the squirrel across the yard, with his origami ears.

We're trying not to overfeed him. We don't want to return him to Annie with extra poundage. He is very trusting, though; he's used to eating by himself with no competition from other pets. He tends to check out his food and then wander away. When he's ready to eat, the other dogs have helped himself. As the days pass, he is learning to eat when the bowl is set down and not leave it alone. He enjoys his dessert treats (doggie bones) with the other dogs. I did catch him checking out the cat dish for leftovers.

Kill is a bit of an early riser, something we never do. He is a great watchdog: Matt said that, one night, he barked at the cat entering the living room, at a pet coming in the pet door, at Anth coming up to the kitchen in the middle of the night, at the paper hitting the step outside. He's a better watchdog than any of ours! He chooses where he wants to sleep: with me or out in the living room or down in the family room. But, when he needs to, he does sleep!