Hyde

When we first brought "Hyde" home with us, we had a lot of problems deciding what his name was going to be. From the cutesy to the traditional, we bounced back and forth on possible new names. Meanwhile, the puppy was himself bouncing around the living room, almost galloping from family member to family member. With his fuzzy black fur, his long snout, and paws that were too big for his body, he looked just like a baby bear. That is when his new name struck us - Balu (straight out of The Jungle Book). Balu has lived up to his name over the past few months. He loves being outside, even in the snow and rain. In fact, he prefers if he gets to run around in the snow. He loves to cuddle and has often spent sleepy Saturday afternoons in Dad's arms on the couch. He likes waking up people first thing in the morning with sloppy kisses and loves harassing our other dog, a 4-year-old female Lab. Though their relationship was strained at first, they have become fast friends, often sleeping in each other's beds, playing tug-of-war, or chasing each other outside. Balu has really ingratiated himself into our family and into our hearts; we couldn't imagine it without him now.