Those are my brother's dogs...

...aren't they beautiful? I want one now. I guess I'll just deal with Payton although I have toyed with the idea of another dog. Then I think that Payton would absolutely hate that because he's used to being the First Mate. I would hate to displace him and shake up his entire world, that's never any fun.

He's such a good dog until someone asks if he does one particular thing. A friend of mine asked me if Payton ate shoes. He never had and I told him that. Then, within an hour, my then 3 year old dog ate his first shoe. And then, my guest had to walk out of my house down a shoe.

Last week I had Payton on a leash inside so he wouldn't jump on an idiot who happened to be in my house at the time. My nimrod of a visitor asked, "Does he like to chew?" Of course I answered, "No, never." There's a reason that I answered so confidently...Payton NEVER chews anything except bones and pig ears that I give him. He wouldn't be out of the kennel if he chewed stuff up. But for some reason, as I answered that question, Payton chewed the leash in two pieces. I was holding on to little more than a loose string. I thought Payton was just being really good but he just totally wasn't there.

I wouldn't ask if he bites. The only honest answer to that question is, "I don't know." And I don't know...maybe he fights the urge to bite every single day of his life and then, sooner or later he'll slip and bite someone. But so far, he never has. Oh, maybe a nip for touching his food or me...but nothing that would break skin, it would just scare the hell out of most people...but no biting...yet.

I am curious to see what he would do if I let him loose on someone. But I can't think of anybody that I dislike that much. I've seen him in attack mode from behind a fence and he didn't look like a happy puppy at all. Most people are intimidated by his size alone...he doesn't have to bark like a homicidal dog...but he has done that.

Damn, I'm suddenly hungry...gotta run.