Kid Brother

And the surprise is.... Marcus!

Marcus!

That's right, Sam's got a new kid brother. Marcus Aurelius is a 7-month-old Beagle-Maltese mix from the veterinary school at my alma mater, the University of Florida. His adoption has been in the works for about a month, and today he finally got to come home.

Marcus has lived in a lab all his life, so the hour-long car ride from Gainesville to Jacksonville, the yard and the great outdoors, the house, and Sam were all very strange and new for him. He's learning more and more about grass although he still hops from the driveway to the grass and back, as though there were an actual barrier he had to jump over.

Marcus next to Sam's squirrel toy: this is why Sam's confused

Sam likes Marcus, but is having trouble understanding him. He'll walk over top of Marcus and bat him around with his front paws like Marcus was a soccer ball, and he'll run after him and try to play. Of course, every time Sam comes near, Marcus crouches down and freezes in a submissive posture, fearful of being trampled to death (and given Sam's coordination, that is a very real fear). Then Marcus will bound after Sam, chasing sticks and tennis balls, but immediately freeze again once Sam spots him. I'm sure once they both navigate the size obstacle they'll be great friends.

We smell pizza!

And to clarify: Marcus is not my dog, but my mother's. I'm all for the big goofball doggers myself. Sam hasn't show any jealousy or territorial behavior thus far, which is good. And I made sure to take Sam on a walk on his own today, and to take him for a ride with me when I went to pick up dinner. He's still my dog through and through. Now he just has a new kid brother to bother!