Butler: The Working Breed Pup!
We were so excited when we had the opportunity to watch a 3 month old puppy named Butler! Butler, as seen in my “Tiny House” and “Rhode Island” posts, was so much fun! Puppies are seriously the cutest and I can never say no to them! Butler was a 3 month old Golden Retriever, Australian Shepard, Bernese Mountain dog mix. He was super playful, just like any puppy would be, but also extremely intelligent.
To give you some insight on working breeds, these types of dogs are brilliant and super-fast learners. Their goal in life is to have a working purpose, they need a job. Without a job these dogs can become bored easily which can lead to destruction. This includes chewing, finding mischief to get into, etc. They are too smart to be left alone to sleep all day on a couch, especially early on. Honestly, even just training them tricks and commands would give them a sense of purpose. They are also highly loyal. Even thought they are friendly to others they rather be with “their person” who is also their “master.”
Butler is truly the definition of a working dog. At only 3 months of age he knows sit, down, paw, high five, and crib (Which is telling him to go into his crate and him responding immediately). I’m pretty sure when Mia was 3 months she only knew sit and paw!
You could tell he was intelligent by how he would interact with our 3 year old dog Mia. Mia can be slightly skittish at times when dogs are jumping and pawing into her face but Butler could sense this and would slowly begin to learn his boundaries. He was a bouncing bundle of hyper cuteness but when Mia did not respond well, eventually he took the hint and would give her a break. Of course they did play together time from time but older dogs don’t have the same energy as a puppy. Taking them both on long walks helped them bond and tire them out!
Something I found truly adorable was that Butler followed Mia around the whole two weeks as if he was her shadow. No matter where she went he had to be at her side. If she peed outside, he had to pee right after her. It was extremely adorable and heartwarming. He also would notice how easily she could jump on a couch which encouraged him to be able to make the same jumps she did over time.
I think one of my favorite memories is when Butler and Mia would play tug-of-war over a long stuffed animal. Mia would pull with all of her tiny might with baby growls to get the toy and Butler, being heavier and stronger than her, would just lie on the ground and chew the toy in his mouth. It was so funny!
There was even one night were John, Mia, Butler, and I were all cuddled in his recliner chair together. It was so precious.
Butler is also very loyal. You could feel a bond being created with him within the 2 weeks we housed him. He liked saying hi to other people and dogs on our walks but really attached himself to us.
Butler, as seen in my “Tiny House” and “Rhode Island” posts, was quite the traveler! He was great in a car and was adaptable to each new place we took him. Let me tell you, this 3 month old pup even did a whole 7 mile walk, and still had energy! He truly amazed us.
Our whole time with him gave me puppy fever! If I didn’t want a puppy before I certainly want one now! He was an overall good dog and was such a pleasure to take care of. The owners said they actually created a Facebook group for Butler and all his litter mates since he was adopted and they share updated photos and videos to each other. What a smart idea! One of them is even getting their pup DNA tested so I am so excited to find out what breeds he is made up of.
Hopefully we’ll get the chance to watch him again and if we do I can’t wait to see what he grows up looking like. Butler was so fun and enjoyable to watch and could these pictures get any cuter?! This really was such a fun Rover client.
