Brego and Madge Born March 20, 2008

It has been awhile but I thought I would send you some pictures from the snow we had when Rex was 11 months old.  It was a treat for him and the boys since they have never seen snow fall like that before.  (They have grown up in the Mojave desert and the North Carolina coast).  Jesse took him to the vet at 1 year and he was 150lbs.  He has gotten considerably larger since then.  The pictures in the living room were take mid-June 2009.  He is such a big baby.  Jesse deployed in May and they miss each other so much.  Rex sounds so vicious when there is a knock on the door.  Little do they know he would drown them in kisses before he would ever bite them.  He is protective of the kids and when they are being scolded he puts himself in between me and the boys.  He completely ignores the cat and tries to play with the old man black lab bandit.  They love each other.  We dogsit for various friends when they go out of town and whether it is a chihuahua or a boxer Rex's easy temperament makes him a favorite playmate.
Jesse's family

Fredericka,
Here are some more pictures of Rex.  He is such a big baby.  He greets us enthusiastically when we get home from work and always has to squeeze onto the couch with the family when we watch TV together.  It's a pretty tight squeeze and like any toddler he doesn't much mind where he sits.  Much like flipping a coin the lucky family member will get the side with the head on it. ;) 
We have a morning ritual on school days.  He waits patiently outside the shower for me and then when I am ready we go upstairs to wake up the boys.  I say to Rex, "Let's go wake up the boys," and he runs up the stairs and then climbs into their bed.  He lays ontop of them both at the same time and licks their face or feet, whichever is sticking out of the covers or smells better I don't know which. 
He is such a great dog.  He is extremely alert.  I jokingly tell the boys he can hear a mouse burp in the attic.  He knows when someone is anywhere near our house or yard and sounds his deep bark.  He will run to the fence barking but not charge it trying to get out.  He is just letting people know he is here.  His bark is 100 times better than our ADT system.  My husband has duty at the barracks sometimes and he and I both feel safer knowing Rex is here when he is not.
With his family and our friends and all children he is just a big, goofy doofus.  He cuddles, snuggles and leans on us.  But we know he won't let anyone meaning us harm do it.   I know in every update I tell you he is the best dog and it is true.  Rex grows into a better dog day by day.  I never thought a dog could compare to our lab Bandit but I am sure when Rex is 8 he will be just as incredible perhaps even better.
The first 4 pictures are from August 9, 2008 when he was about 5-1/2-months-old.  He weighed about 81 pounds. The last ones are from 2 weeks ago.  We took him to the vet two weeks ago (he was 7-months) and he weighed 103lbs. 
Fredericka thanks again for our wonderful boy.
Sincerely,
Clark Family

Dear Fredericka,
Here are some more pictures of Rex taken at 14 weeks.  Rex has gotten so big he just walks up onto the couch.  We had never put him on the couch because we didn't want him to hurt himself trying to get down and one day he just walked up onto the couch to sit in my lap.  He is so smart.  He sleeps on a large pillow next to our bed.  When he gets into something he knows he isn't supposed to get into (ie the garbage or food on the table) we tell him in a stern voice "No!  Go to bed,"  and he goes an lays down on his bed until we tell him he can get up.  It is his puppy time-out.    Whenever we go to bed he follows us, but if I stay up a little later he comes and sits with me until I go to bed.  He follows me from room to room and does the mastiff lean on me.  He is so talkative too.  He grunts and does his "Chewbacca" voice when he needs extra attention.  I find that we spend less time sitting on the sofa and more time on the ground so that we can cuddle with Rex. We have already trained him to sit, lay down, speak and to take treats gently from hands.  He also knows the office is off-limits and will lay in the doorway when I am working in there.  We are still working on the stay command.  He will start his off-leash training in the next week.  The boys adore him and our black lab Bandit tolerates his puppy ways and loves on him when he is sleeping.  Bandit is almost 9 years old and is really helping teach Rex the ropes.  You were 100% correct about how a well trained  old dog already in the home helps train the new puppy.  Rex watches Bandit's every move and knows when it is playtime and what kind of play is acceptable.  We of course teach him too but I feel Bandit's quiet, laid back demeanor really helps.  Once again thank you so much for breeding such wonderful dogs and allowing us to have Rex.  I know his presence in our home will give my Marine husband comfort when he deploys next year.
Sincerely,
The Clark Family

Dear Fredericka,
I hope you got the pictures we sent earlier.  I just wanted to tell you again how much we enjoy Rex's company.  Everyone loves him.  Strangers comment on how well behaved he is.  He is being well socialized because he goes with us everywhere and we have had a lot of company this summer.  He is completely potty trained.  We all love the way he follows us around and just wants to be close to us.  When I head into the living room he will lay down next to the couch I usually sit on.  If I sit somewhere else he gets up and sits on my feet.  Rex sleeps on a blanket he has claimed as his next to our bed at night.  He is already showing a sense of loyalty and protectiveness.  Whenever someone knocks on the door he barks and he is extremely alert when the kids are outside.  We always make him sit when we answer the door and once allowed inside he welcomes our guests warmly.  Just last night we were talking about how happy we are with our new addition.  My husband said, "I am so happy with this dog."  I have a feeling we will be putting a deposit down on another one of your wonderful dogs in a year or two.  Once again thank you for this loving and incredible addition to our family.
Sincerely,
The Clarks

Hi Fredericka,
We took Rex to the vet over a week ago but with school ending and cleaning out the classroom I haven't had time to email.  Rex is doing well.  He weighed 34 pounds at 11 weeks old.  My in-laws have been in for almost a week and they love him.  They comment on how well behaved he is and how well he listens.  He loves us all but I think I am his favorite.  :)  He has also taken a shine to my 14-year-old severely mentally challenged nephew.  He is 99.9% housebroken.  He whines when he needs out.  Everywhere we go people comment on how beautiful he is and how well he listens.    I have included some pictures.  One of them was taken of Bandit, our 68 pound lab, and Rex resting.  Rex was 12 weeks old.  Another is of him in front of the fan.  He is fascinated by the fan.  He has such a great personality.  The  others are various pictures of him taken by my in-laws. Once again thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Amie Clark