Bernese Mountain Dog

I appreciate all of the input and name suggestions for this wonderful addition to our family. I liked so many of your names and tried many of them out. He has been called a multitude of names over the past few weeks, and I continue to hear Amy calling him the most bizarre things. She really is not too fond of dogs, she is definitely a 'cat person', but she seems to really like this guy.

He fits in well here and is feeling so much better than when he arrived. Improved health and an increased energy level has brought out his true personality. Still rather dignified, he plays like a puppy and can be quite the goof-ball. He is quietly affectionate and has won our hearts.

Cort is active, rambunctious and in constant play mode. They balance one another well. I still feed them separately to monitor food intake and prevent any falling out over meals. Above, shows how well they get along even when one has something quite yummy to chew on; such as horse hoof chunks, pine cones, logs, you know...dog stuff.

They communicate well, sniff noses, clean one another's ears, snuggle together to nap, wrestle like maniacs, and have become good buddies. The one negative that has occurred with this, is that Cort has become infected with some sort of upper respiratory crud carried from the Animal Shelter jail time mountain dog served, prior to our adoption.

And yes, Cort has been well vaccinated, but the infectious agent still invaded. I didn't send samples to the laboratory to identify his specific infection, but he is responding to treatment and sleeping better at night. He is eating, drinking, playing, but less active and continues to nap a lot, sneeze, cough and is typically worse at night. Last night he was sent out of our bedroom, banished to the kitchen to sleep, so we wouldn't have to hear dog snorts, snores and snuffles all night. We needed sleep!

It makes me feel bad when any critter is not well. Well, I guess that explains why I am in this profession, hmmm.

Speaking of not-well critters, Wrangler is doing great. His massive chest injuries barely left any scars. My next post, I'll show how well he is coming along with his training. He also has won our hearts and the rest of the horse herd has finally accepted him and spend hours playing silly horse games with him, really.

OH! I need to mention the dog's name! Again thanks for all of the suggestions. We called him Carson for just too long so the name Carson stuck. But I loved so many of your ideas. I do find myself referring to him as the Big Dawg, the Skinny Dawg, Stinky, or Hey Buddy. To test his acceptance of the name Carson, I have called out to him any of the above and he comes to me no matter what I call him. Good Dawg!