Meet Howie

Howie lives an ideal dog’s life.

He lives in the country just outside of Normal, IL with his Mom and Dad and his brother Charlie who is a yellow lab who has a story of his own. He’s got just over an acre to run and play and he likes to think that he can catch squirrels. But mostly he lays around taking naps and asking for treats. That is, until it is breakfast or dinner time. Then he will “herd” anything around him and run laps around people, small children, or the kitchen island until he gets his food. He also loves to jump when he is excited about his food.

Shhh… Don’t tell him, but he is able to jump straight up as high as the top of the kitchen counters when he is excited for his supper. We just hope that he never realizes that if he had just a bit of forward momentum behind those jumps, he could get his own supper! Howie LOVES food and expects a treat every time he comes in from outside. If we forget to give him one, he grumbles until we remember.

It is nice that he is highly food motivated, as it means that he is easier to train to do tricks and to follow commands.

Howie loves belly rubs and cuddling with his Human Mom, Penny, who is his handler when he goes out on Therapy visits or to competitions. But most of the time he just does dog things. Laying around sleeping, playing with his brother, and digging holes in the yard trying to chase down the elusive ground squirrels.