A Glimpse into the World of Cheese

I recently saw this super cute interview from a blogger I follow, Anna, about her "furry kids" (aka dogs).  I thought it was so adorable that I decided to steal the idea and do a little interview of myself about the Cheese-man.  We all know that Cheesy is by far one of the more interesting aspects of this blog, so why not have a little write-up about the intricacies of Cheese.  Here goes...

 Name: Cheese

Nicknames: Cheesy, Cheese-man, Cheese-face, FACE!, Cheezers, Sir Reginald Cheese III, Cheese-ball

Age: One year and four months

Breed: a lazy, floppy, friendly, typical Basset Hound

The Scoop: I had been wanting a dog of my own for ages, but being a broke college student living in apartments was not conducive to proper doghood.  Then I met Antoine, and we dreamed of a day we would have a house and finally get a dog.  Then home-ownership happened, like a magic trick.  After almost a year in the house, one Sunday, we decided to peruse the classifieds for puppies...you know, as a kind of self-torture.  And there was a listing for basset hound puppies, we called, and they were all sold.  (Commence the making of sad-faces.)  But the lady on the phone knew of another breeder who had a puppy still available.  Just one.  So, another call was made.  Pictures of said puppy were sent to Antoine and I, and we just knew.  The next day, we picked him up.  And so, the Cheese entered our little home.  From the second I met him, saw his droopy face and long ears, my heart melted into a big pile of gooey love.  He tripped on his ears and slept on our laps...and became our beloved Cheese-man, just like that.

As far as dogs go, he's been amazing!  Potting training was a little tough, but having spoken with other basset owners, comparatively easy to their experiences.  Besides his angular deformity in his left front leg which causes him mild discomfort occasionally (but luckily is not severe enough to warrant surgery at this time), he has been healthy and very happy puppy so far.

Favorite toys: In the beginning, Cheese loved stuffed animal squeaky toys.  But starting at around 10 months he decided that he needed to rip their faces off and tear out their inside as soon as he met them.  Now, we're lucky if a stuffed toy lasts an hour.  In fact, we almost never buy him stuffed toys...but he has several stuffingless carcasses lying around the house.  These days he chews on more sturdy things like elk antlers, rawhides and this Kong.  The latter drives him crazy (in an awesome way)...it's got two squeakers and he goes apeshit for me to throw it.  It's pretty hilarious.  Also, he loves sticks, of any shape or size.

 
Favorite food: Since he's a basset hound, he'd probably eat anything you put in front of him.  But the dude is on a diet...so he gets his Eukanuba and baby carrots as a healthy snack.   He also likes blueberries and ice cubes.

Favorite places to sleep:  In the winter...on your lap or next to you on the couch.  On his round bed under the fireplace, usually half on his bed and half off.  When it's hot outside, he'll lay pathetically on the cooler wood or tile floor...sometimes in an ungentlemanly fashion!

Favorite person (beside A & I):  Cheese is crazy for our neighbor across the street, James.  He will plop down on the ground and lay in the middle of our quiet dead end street so James can rub his belly.  Luckily it's a mutual love affair and James is nuts for Cheese.  Also, James remains to be one of the few people Cheese excitement pees around.  He's always running up to James, pee flying everywhere!  It's endearing.

Favorite place: He loves the dog park, like hardcore, because there a tons of people for him to run up to that will pet him and fawn over him!  We've been taking him for as long as I can remember, since he was up to date on all his shots.  I love taking him, because it makes me realize just how awesome of a dog he is!  He's so social and even tempered.  He loves to run and play; it's a place of pure joy for him.
 
Weirdest quirk: Definitely his strangest quirk occurs when he eats.  When you put food in his bowl he always stands/sits at least five feet away...usually on the rug in the living room.  Once he's ready (and you've walked away from the bowl) he will casually make his way over to it.  Then he takes a mouth full of food and carries it back to the rug, drops it on the ground and then proceeds to "bury it" with air/nothing using his snout.  Occasionally he will use a rogue blanket or one of Antoine's socks to bury his food.  Sometimes he will eat this pile of food.  Other times he will leave it and go back over to his bowl to commence eating.  He does this every time, without fail.  It's strange.  But I really have to say, it's probably my fault.  I have my own strange rituals when it comes to eating that I'm not surprised I've projected some excentricities onto him.  No, I don't bury my food!  Just semi-normal (?) things like not letting my food touch and saving the "best bite" for last!


Pet peeves: Cheese does not like it when Antoine or I pet/cuddle with another animal.  Whether it's our cat Guillermo or another dog...he gets a little jealous and ends up coming over and edging the other animal out.  He's not a fan of loud electrical equipment, like the vacuum or the juicer and feels the need to bark at them and then run away.  He also suffers from a little separation anxiety, so he doesn't enjoy when Antoine or I go to the basement and leave him upstairs.  Or if we're in the car and Antoine gets out to pump gasoline or run inside for a snack, he whines like a neglected little baby.

Best tricks:  Let's face it, he's a basset hound...he's not made for tricks!  He's stubborn and lazy.  But he does have the whole "Sit" schtick down...most of the time.  Especially if there's a carrot involved.  And he's pretty good when it comes to "Drop it!".  He does this really cool trick when we're at the dog park where we call for him and he runs up to a complete stranger instead.  Oh, wait...that's not a trick, is it?!

Gear: In the house he goes au-naturel.  For walks he wears a harness, since it's the only thing that keeps him from pulling (he was not a fan of the gentle-lead). In general, he wears a collar (and matching leash) with his name tag on it.

Does he have any specific taste in music/tv/movies:  I've noticed he enjoys having something on the tv to make noise, especially if I'm in the kitchen or upstairs.  I think he tends to like Disney movies with dogs in them; Aristocats, Lady & the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, etc.  Also, Seinfeld and Friends.