Frodo Fun Facts

Well, we have had a good response so far from folks and families interested in finding a fabulous new home for Frodo. I've received several emails requesting more detailed info about Frodo's habits, likes/dislikes, and other relevant details. So here I'll post some "stock" responses to some of the most common questions...

RE: physical characteristics, shedding, etc...

Frodo is lab/Australian shepherd mix. He looks sort of border collie-ish, mostly black and white with shorter hair, but not a short as typical lab hair. I got him from a farm in South Carolina when I was in college. He weighs about 50 lbs, and sheds in a periodic fashion as the weather gets warmer. In the winter he develops a downy undercoat that comes off in the late spring and makes a royal mess. A bath once a week or so for 2 – 3 weeks seems to help the process along and minimize the shedding around the house. Sometimes I joke with him that I could save up his hair and “make another Frodo.” My longhaired friend Clint says the same thing about himself to his wife (i.e. if she gets lonely when he’s away she could make another Clint with the hair out of the shower drain).

RE: behavioral concerns, habits, etc...

He is potty trained, and is accustomed to walking on a leash

He comes when I call, but I cannot guarantee he will do this immediately for new owners. If he is very distracted, say by a squirrel running around nearby, voice commands are virtually ignored -- from me or anyone else -- until the stimulus has passed or has secured itself out of his reach.

He likes to ride in the car, especially with his head out the window.

He likes to try to herd the cattle out at Wildcat Canyon park. I think this is the aussie instinct coming out in him. He doesn't really know what he's doing, but it clearly compelled to try to get the cows all in a group and moving in the same direction. The cows typically get annoyed with this and some will try to chase him away, which is really entertaining to watch.

He sleeps on the couch or in the chair, or in my bed, or sometime on his doggie-bed.

He has been neutered, but not micro-chipped.

RE: health history...

He has been a healthy dog except for about four years ago when he developed lupus, an auto-immune disease. He developed a sore on his nose that would not heal, and after two biopsies and hundreds of dollars in vet bills was diagnosed with lupus. Since then, he takes tetracycline and receives an application of a steroid cream on his nose once a day. This has eliminated the bacterial infection that kept the sore from healing, and has stopped the spread of the lupus--it appears to be in check with daily meds. The only evidence is the quarter-sized pink spot on his nose that looks like a birthmark. If he is going to be out in the sun a lot I sometimes put sunscreen on it. Other than that he is a healthy dog.

RE: temperament...

His temperament is extremely friendly around people. As far as he knows, people are on earth to give him attention, play with him, pet him, etc. If you say "walk" he gets very excited and starts turning in circles and squeaking. When guests come over he relishes the attention.

RE: kids...

He has been around small children many times, through he’s never lived with any. He is more-or-less indifferent to kids – i.e. he is not aggressive towards them, nor does he give them an abundance of attention. He seems to be more interested in adults, and tolerates children. I imagine that if he lived with children he would develop more of an affinity—I know he would appreciate their attention and playfulness. I have never worried about him presenting any danger whatsoever to kids.

RE: intelligence...

He is very clever, and has learned how to "act" to get people to give him more attention, take him for walks, etc. He used to guilt my old housemate into taking him for walks 3 - 5 times a day! Whenever Walter would try to leave the house, Frodo would look very pathetic, sick, and lonesome. So Walter would break down and take him out. It got crazy -- like 5 walks a day sometimes. So we had to train Walter how to say "no" to Frodo. Frodo had trained him!

RE: other dogs, and cats...

Frodo has lived around two other dogs -- both situations have worked well. He now shares our common backyard with the neighbor's dog during the days while I am at work. I don't foresee problems with Frodo and other dogs. Some people have written and asked about cats however, which I suspect would be more problematic. I am very allergic to cats so we have never had one, and Frodo tends to want to chase them. So for him to join a home with a cat could be interesting, and possibly a little harrowing at first.

RE: Frodo in the workplace...

I occasionally bring Frodo to work with me though most days he stays at home. He likes coming to work since the people in the office dote over him. I like it b/c it gives me more excuses to get up and out of the office and take a walk.

RE: his most disturbing habit...

Frodo loves to get dirty. And at times this means downright filthy. One of his favorite ways to do this is to roll in cow or horse dung. A few times he's come out completely covered in the stuff, which is disgusting. He loves it though -- he's like "Woohoo, look at me!I smell HORRIBLE! Sweet!" and he grins and grins. I sigh, and shrug my shoulders, and find the nearest clean body of water to dunk him in. Then when we get home he gets a full bath, which he doesn't particularly like.

Apparently this thing with the cow and horse crap is instinctual. He's trying to hide his scent so he can sneak up on stuff. I tell him "NO!" eveytime he wants to roll in filth; but I have not succeeded in training this behavior out of him. New owners ought to be prepared mentally and logistically for him to get really dirty and gross on occasion, and be ready to give him a good long bath. A good way to avoid the issue is to keep him on the leash when going out for hikes. I only let him off the leash when I have admitted to myself that it is 95% likely I will have to give him a bath when we get home.