Franklin, Our Black Labrador Retriever

Howdy Folks!!

I am a 4 year old black labrador retriever. My name is Franklin Oliver. Depending on who is talking to me, I am also known as Frankenstein, Frankie, Frank-Man, Buddy, Big Guy, and Good Boy. I was borne in and I am currently being raised in Texas. They say everything is bigger in Texas and I am here as living proof!! I weigh in at 132 pounds!!

My favorite past-time is sleeping. I can outsleep anyone! I sleep on a big doggie bed in the garage, or one in a closet and also one at the foot of a bed where my people sleep. I also have a queen size humans bed that I can sleep on if I want too. Not to mention on one couch or the other in the living room of my home where my people like to sit.

I like to go to the park and run and swim everyday. I let my people know when it's time to go in Franklin language. I keep track of that time better then they do.

When I came to live with my people at age 5 weeks, they already had a dog. Baby, a 8 year old mutt. She did not like me at all at first. She would chase me and try to nip at me. She is 12 now, blind and has to get two insulin shots a day. If she cries when she gets her shot, I crowd my people a little with my body to get closer to her, if she doesn't cry I wag my tail. I watch over her at the park and will go get her if she is going in the wrong direction and herd her back to get her back on the path. If she looses her toy I will retrieve it for her and either go drop it in front of her or take it to my people so they can give it back to her. I will not load-up in my truck to go home until she is in there first.

My people adopted another dog a year ago from the SPCA. Her name is Kasidee, she is 2 years old and she looks just like me but smaller!! We love each other. She is afraid at home if our people leave, so they don't leave her at home very often without one of them staying at home or someone else comes to sit with us. I tried to make her feel safe when they were gone but it didn't work out.

Three little girls come over to my house real often. Everyone calls them the 3M's. They are funny! They gave me the name Franklin, after a turtle on a childrens channel on TV. They like to play with me. Sometimes they comb my hair, and then walk me on my leash in the house like we are really going somewhere. But I like to go with them!! I love my girls.

http://oneblacklab.com/

5. Black lab hair is invisible on clothing.*
4. You can forget the 5-second rule or any other contingencies for dropped food.What dropped food?
3. Dog owners lead healthier lives.
2. Your home will be protected from break-ins.**
1. Sometimes, everyone needs a 70-pound lap dog.

* Particularly if you are far-sighted and into Goth culture.
** Break-ins by squirrels or raccoons. Human intruders will be welcomed and licked mercilessly.




PLEASE CLICK HERE TO HELP HOMER!!

I am Grammy, the other half, ha! We got Franklin at age 5wks. He was and still is so cute!! We had studied about Labrador Retriever's and we were aware they are known to still be like puppies until age 2 or 3. What I am saying is we did know that the cute so to speak wouldn't last forever as in a cute puppy. I mean what a puppy does at age 6-16wks old isn't so cute at age 24-36months.

We did one of the smartest things we could of done. When Franklin was around 18wks old we enrolled in dog obedience school through PetCo. Our trainer was a K-9 policedog trainer and used hands off training. She introduced us to the clicker, and taught us all about click and treat. The idea was catch the dog in the act of good behavior, then click and treat. We practiced sit, down, stay, leave it, drop it, heel, and come. She taught us to find a word or phrase that released the dog from a command. We chose to use, it's good.

Prior to attending the class, we were having multiple challenges with Franklin. Every night around 4pm he would turn into this 'wild dog'. Suddenly he would begin to pant heavily, his tongue would hang out the right side of his mouth and he would bite, run madly, jump-up, at and on you , and actually he was almost uncontrollable. We had tie down ropes all over the inside of our house, and I am not kidding!!!

Our trainer said she was surprised he was only doing that at night, normally they do that both in the morning as well as night! WHAT??? We were already overwhelmed at times, how could it be any worse?? As time went on we replaced over 20 remote controls, experienced having our backyard become like a mine field, holes all over the place, and had chased him around and around the backyard trying to salvage a shoe, or piece of clothing, towel, wash cloth, silverware, books, VCR tapes, etc, many many times. If the boy could reach it, it was his as far as he was concerned and out the dog door he'd race.

Yes, we had crates, 3 of them, and we had baby gates, 3 of those, and we had chew bones, chew toys, kongs, if it was in the doggie section at Petco, Target, Walmart, PetsPlus, PetsMart, I promise we owned it. I stayed at home so he was not lacking company or supervision.

The Dog

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

The Cat

Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my everymove. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...

My people took me to the park twice while it was snowing. I had a blast!! I ran and slid, dug up green sprouts of grass, and I ate the snow, lots of it!! They said I had seen snow once before when I was a puppy, but I don't remember that!! This weather makes me so happy! My people said I look so cool the way I prance when I run through the snow! I think they are just so surprised I am not sleeping!! :o)

I forgot to tell you that I do tricks. But, I do!! I can sing and dance!! I will also sit and stay, lay down and I am real good at waiting at the door until my people tell me it's 'good!' [That means I can now join them.] I stop and sit down at all stop signs when we go for walks and wait to hear the words, it's good before I get up and move. I love to fetch toys and play keep away with Kasidee. If you ask me if I am your friend, I will shake your hand, or give you a high five type of paw pat! I also will fetch the newspaper, but you should get it from me soon or I will start wrestling with it and tear it to shreds.

My people call me the neighborhood watch dog. I love to lay in our garage and watch what's going on around our home out in the front yard, when I'm not sleeping of course!!

I do not like cats. I think I am afraid of them or something. They make funny noises and run away and I can't catch them. The 3M's have a mean cat, Sagwa! I won't go anywhere near him, but my sister, Kasidee, does and he almost always corners her under a desk, and he like sits there and smirks about it!! Geesh!!!

We started out with a cute little puppy collar then went to a harness, to a gentle leader, to a choker chain to a prong collar. At times he had on a collar, a harness and a gentle leader all at one time. (Once while walking him or he was walking me, I passed some people that said, a lab, huh? I said yep, and then they said to Franklin, she has you tied up every way possible dude!! I thought if you only knew!!)

No matter what he did or didn't do, we stayed committed and kind to him working with him to help him grow into a polite gentle well mannered dog. We knew he was going to be a big dog since both his parents were large. So, it was important to us to help him be a well behaved adult dog. One of the first things our vet said to us when we took him in for his first exam is do you have any idea how big this boy is going to get??? And do you know he'll act out as a puppy until he is 2-4yrs old?? Every Labrador owner we talked to while he was a cute little puppy said the same thing, 2-4yrs, maybe longer.

We did learn other valuable things in dog obedience school besides click and treat!

We learned how to teach him to greet people sitting down not jumping up. We were to start by greeting him ourselves at eye level. We bend down so he doesn't have to jump up. We asked all our family members and good friends to do the same thing. Each time he stayed seated to greet, we clicked and treated him!!

We learned how to stop the digging all over the lawn. First, select a place where the dog can dig and take him to that place when you catch him digging. Also, cover the holes he has dug already with his own stool, and if he should dig that up then cover it with chicken wire and cover it with his own stool. We didn't have to use chicken wire to stop his digging, using his stool and giving him his own spot to dig worked.

We learned how to stop his pulling on the leash while walking him. When we were walking him and he was pulling us down the street, we were to STOP! and turn around and go the other direction. He will follow you because you have the leash!! It worked/works!!

We were taught to exercise him consistently. He needs to go for walks twice a day and have games of fetch, in between. Not to free feed but have set meal times for him. Force him to take naps when he's tired. Use a crate to do that. And tell friends and family, he's napping and it has to be quiet. Guard him from overdoing.

"Gentlemen of the jury, the best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter whom he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us -- those whom we trust with our happiness and good name -- may become traitors in their faith. The money that a man has he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolute, unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world -- the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous -- is his dog." "Gentlemen of the jury, a man's dog stands by him in prosperity and poverty, in health and sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow, and the snow drives fiercely, if only he can be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens." "If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in its embrace, and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death."

author unknown

So, Franklin is now 4yrs old, and folks, there is no better dog then him! He is such a mellow and polite fellow! When we are at the park and he needs to use the restroom he lays his toy down and he goes a ways off from us. Seriously, he does not use the bathroom near us. He shares all his toys with other dogs, he shares his bones, food, and multiple beds, too. He does not jump up on anyone, he does bark but it means something is not right somehow. He STILL will pick-up a remote control, sock, shoe, article of clothing, towels, napkins and newspaper but he normally brings it to us with his tail wagging like he has something real special to show us then he gives it up.

Our trainer had told us to not ever strike him for bad behavior, to walk away first. That if you break your dogs spirit you've ruined him forever. To mold his will with consistent commands and consequences that he won't like. He's a pack animal and he will want to be part of the pack at all times, so putting him in a crate or confined area for a few minutes where he can still see you but not be near you will be effective. She was right!!

There were several months in the first year of having him that we did not really like him too much and wondered if we had made a large mistake in getting him. But we stayed committed to him. With that I want to mention that I do volunteer for the SPCA. We get alot of labs and lab mixes there, and it's because those cute adorable puppies, grow-up and if you don't work with them in love, training them to be good dogs they won't be. They can do alot of damage in a short time to your property. Labs can not be left in the backyard and forgotten. And no dog should ever have to live that way no matter what the breed.

By the way, before I forget, he did pass dog obedience classes with flying colors. The trainer thought he was very smart, but she also knew he was going to be a big challenge and she encouraged us not to ever give up on him. We have now adopted another Lab and she has a past we will never know about. We've had her now for over a year and it's obvious that bad things happened in her life that she has not forgotten. We just continue to love her and show her she can trust us, and accept the things about her that we can't change. She has seperation anxiety so we very seldom leave her alone at home without a human there with her. We love our dogs!!

"A Dog's Night Time Prayer"

Now I lay me down to sleep,
The king-size bed is soft and deep.
I sleep right in the center groove
My human being can hardly move.
I've trapped her legs, she's tucked in tight.
And here is where I pass the night.

No one disturbs me or dares intrude
Till morning comes and I want food!
I sneak up slowly and it begins
My nibbles on my human's chin

She wakes up slowly and smiles and shouts,
"You darling beast! Just cut it out!"
But morning's here and it's time to play
I always seem to get my way.

So thank you, Lord for giving me
This human person that I see
The one who hugs and holds me tight
And shares her bed with me at night.
Author Unknown

I lie down and sleep; I wake again,
because the Lord sustains me.
Psalms 3:5 NIV